School of Medicine
Showing 341-350 of 381 Results
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Kimberley Tolias
Professor (Research) of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe human brain is composed of billions of neurons connected through trillions of synapses that form the neural circuits underlying thought, emotion, learning, memory, and behavior. These synaptic connections are not static - they are continuously shaped and remodeled throughout life in response to experience, a processes critical for learning and memory. When neural circuits fail to develop or function properly, the consequences can be devastating, contributing to conditions ranging from autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability to chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive decline.
Research in the Tolias laboratory seeks to understand the fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern how neural circuits form, adapt, and repair themselves in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Our work focuses on how neurons sense signals from their environment and convert them into intracellular signaling pathways that drive synapse formation and remodeling, dendritic and axonal growth, and cell migration. We are also interested in how disruption of these pathways contributes to neurological and neuropsychiatric disease, and whether targeting specific signaling mechanisms can promote recovery following CNS injury or disease.
The laboratory combines mouse genetics with molecular, cellular, biochemical, electrophysiological, genomic, and behavioral approaches to bridge fundamental neuroscience with translational discovery.
Current Research Areas:
- Molecular mechanisms regulating synapse development, neural circuit formation, and synaptic plasticity during learning and memory
- Roles of Rho GTPase signaling pathways in brain development, circuit remodeling, and neurological disease
- Functions of Adhesion-GPCRs in synapse development, dendritic and axonal growth, and neural circuit function
- Mechanisms underlying chronic pain, opioid tolerance, and chronic pain-associated mood and cognitive disorders
- Synaptic and circuit dysfunction following traumatic brain injury, radiotherapy, and other CNS injuries
- Development of new tools to visualize and map synaptic remodeling during learning and disease
- Interactions between the gut microbiome, brain development, neural circuit function, and behavior -
Andrea Traynor
Clinical Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
BioI completed my training at Stanford University with an Anesthesiology residency in 2003 and Obstetrical Anesthesia fellowship in 2004. I worked in a general private practice for two years at a community hospital in Colorado and was involved in creating protocols for OB related concerns such as non-obstetric surgery during pregnancy and skin to skin contact in the OR during cesarean delivery. I then returned to academic practice and worked for eight years at the University of Colorado and the Colorado Institute for Maternal and Fetal Health. I have collaborated extensively with the Stanford Anesthesia Informatics and Media Lab to create innovative educational tools. These include a major anesthesiology textbook, the Manual of Clinical Anesthesiology, and a comprehensive online learning program for anesthesiology residents called Learnly. I've been the OB anesthesia fellowship director at both the University of Colorado and Stanford University. I truly love guiding fellows from interested residents to consultants in OB anesthesia. My research interests include medical education and topics related to the Obstetrical Anesthesiology workforce.
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Albert H. Tsai
Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
BioDr. Tsai is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and the Program Director of the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship. He completed his medical degree and anesthesiology residency at the University of Pennsylvania and a cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship at Stanford. Dr. Tsai has led numerous educational initiatives at the institutional and national levels, and has special interests in the role of augmented reality technology in medical simulation.
