Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute


Showing 1-10 of 16 Results

  • Jennifer Anne Rabbitts

    Jennifer Anne Rabbitts

    Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine (Pediatric Anesthesia)

    BioJennifer Rabbitts, MD is Professor and Chief of Pediatric Pain Management at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Rabbitts directs an NIH-funded research laboratory focused on improving long-term pain and health outcomes in children and adolescents undergoing surgery. Her research is devoted to understanding and preventing chronic postsurgical pain, a disabling condition affecting 20% youth undergoing major surgery. Her current research studies investigate the role of biopsychosocial mechanisms including child psychosocial factors, parental/family factors, and psychophysical processes underlying acute to chronic pain transition. Current clinical trials focus on testing feasibility and efficacy of psychosocial and complementary and integrative interventions to improve acute postsurgical pain and prevent transition to chronic pain.

    Dr Rabbitts is passionate about mentoring, serving as mentor for the Women's Empowerment and Leadership Initiative and for the Mission Driven Mentoring Program for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. She serves as section editor for Psychology, Psychiatry and Brain Neuroscience Section for Pain Medicine, on the editorial boards for Pediatric Anesthesia and Journal of Pain, and actively serves on committees in the United States Association for the Study of Pain.

  • Thomas Rando, MD, PhD

    Thomas Rando, MD, PhD

    Professor of Neurology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms regulating stem cell function, the effects of aging on skeletal muscle and skeletal muscle stem cells, and the pathogenesis and experimental therapeutics for hereditary muscle diseases, specifically the muscular dystrophies.

  • Natalie L. Rasgon

    Natalie L. Rasgon

    Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry and Psychology-Adult) at the Stanford University Medical Center, Emerita

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Rasgon has been involved in longitudinal placebo-controlled neuroendocrine studies for nearly two decades, and she has been involved in neuroendocrine and brain imaging studies of estrogen effects on depressed menopausal women for the last eight years. It should be noted that in addition to her duties as a Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dr. Rasgon is also the Director of the Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Program and of the Women's Wellness Program.

  • Jennifer L. Raymond

    Jennifer L. Raymond

    Berthold and Belle N. Guggenhime Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study the neural mechanisms of learning, using a combination of behavioral, neurophysiological, and computational approaches. The model system we use is a form of cerebellum-dependent learning that regulates eye movements.

  • Lawrence Recht, MD

    Lawrence Recht, MD

    Professor of Neurology (Adult Neurology) and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory focuses on two interrelated projects: (1) assessment of glioma development within the framework of the multistage model of carcinogenesis through utilization of the rodent model of ENU neurocarcinogenesis; and (2) assessment of stem cell specification and pluripotency using an embryonic stem cell model system in which neural differentiation is induced.

  • Richard J. Reimer, MD

    Richard J. Reimer, MD

    Associate Professor of Neurology (Adult Neurology) and, by courtesy, of Molecular and Cellular Physiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsReimer Lab interests

    A primary interest of our lab is to understand how nerve cells make and recycle neurotransmitters, the small molecules that they use to communicate with each other. In better defining these processes we hope to achieve our long-term goal of identifying novel sites for treatment of diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson Disease. In our studies on neurotransmitter metabolism we have focused our efforts on transporters, a functional class of proteins that move neurotransmitters and other small molecules across membranes in cells. Transporters have many characteristics that make them excellent pharmacological targets, and not surprisingly some of the most effective treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders are directed at transporters. We are specifically focusing on two groups of transporters – vesicular neurotransmitter transporters that package neurotransmitters into vesicles for release, and glutamine transporters that shuttle glutamine, a precursor for two major neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA, to neurons from glia, the supporting cells that surround them. We are pursuing these goals through molecular and biochemical studies, and, in collaboration with the Huguenard and Prince labs, through physiological and biosensor based imaging studies to better understand how pharmacological targeting of these molecules will influence neurological disorders.

    A second interest of our lab is to define mechanism underlying the pathology of lysosomal storage disorders. Lysosomes are membrane bound acidic intracellular organelles filled with hydrolytic enzymes that normally function as recycling centers within cells by breaking down damaged cellular macromolecules. Several degenerative diseases designated as lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are associated with the accumulation of material within lysosomes. Tay-Sachs disease, Neimann-Pick disease and Gaucher disease are some of the more common LSDs. For reasons that remain incompletely understood, these diseases often affect the nervous system out of proportion to other organs. As a model for LSDs we are studying the lysosomal free sialic acid storage disorders. These diseases are the result of a defect in transport of sialic acid across lysosomal membranes and are associated with mutations in the gene encoding the sialic acid transporter sialin. We are using molecular, genetic and biochemical approaches to better define the normal function of sialin and to determine how loss of sialin function leads to neurodevelopmental defects and neurodegeneration associated with the lysosomal free sialic acid storage disorders.

  • Allan L. Reiss

    Allan L. Reiss

    Howard C. Robbins Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Radiology
    On Partial Leave from 01/01/2024 To 06/30/2024

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy laboratory, the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research (CIBSR), focuses on multi-level scientific study of individuals with typical and atypical brain structure and function. Data are obtained from genetic analyses, structural and functional neuroimaging studies, assessment of endocrinological status, neurobehavioral assessment, and analysis of pertinent environmental factors. Our overarching focus is to model how brain disorders arise and to develop disease-specific treatments.

  • Anthony J. Ricci, PhD

    Anthony J. Ricci, PhD

    Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the School of Medicine and Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS) and, by courtesy of Molecular and Cellular Physiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe auditory sensory cell, the hair cell, detects mechanical stimulation at the atomic level and conveys information regarding frequency and intensity to the brain with high fidelity. Our interests are in identifying specializations associated with mechanotransduction and synaptic transmission leading to the amazing sensitivities of the auditory system. We are also interested in the developmental process, particularly in how development gives insight into repair and regenerative mechanisms.

  • Juan Rivas-Davila

    Juan Rivas-Davila

    Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsModern applications demand power capabilities beyond what is presently achievable. High performance systems need high power density and bandwidth that are difficult to achieve.
    Power density can be improved with better semiconductors and passive componets, and by reducing the energy storage requirements of the system. By dramatically increasing switching frequency it is possible to reduce size of power converters. I'm interested in high performance/frequency circuits switching >10 MHz.