Elise Cope, PhD About MeMy research interests center on exploring changes in neural and glial plasticity within the hippocampus as they relate to human diseases, namely obesity and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). My work has found that reactive microglia mediate obesity-associated synapse loss and cognitive decline but not anxiety dysregulation. Furthermore, ongoing studies are investigating whether manipulations of adult-born neurons and perineuronal nets in brain regions that form connections with new neurons can be used to improve hippocampal-dependent cognition and social memory in mouse models of ASD.
Elizabeth Gould, PhD
Betsy Vasquez
Samantha Haines Wang
Chino Eke