Samuel Pfaff, PhD

Professor

Gene Expression Laboratory

Benjamin H. Lewis Chair

Salk Institute for Biological Studies - Publications

all Publications


Daboussi, L., Costaguta, G., Gullo, M., Jasinski, N., Pessino, V., O'Leary, B., Lettieri, K., Driscoll, S., Pfaff, S.L. Mitf is a Schwann cell sensor of axonal integrity that drives nerve repair. (2023) Cell Reports. 42(11):113282. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113282

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Globig, A.M., Zhao, S., Roginsky, J., Maltez, V.I., Guiza, J., Avina-Ochoa, N., Heeg, M., Araujo Hoffmann, F., Chaudhary, O., Wang, J., Senturk, G., Chen, D., O'Connor, C., Pfaff, S., Germain, R.N., Schalper, K.A., Emu, B., Kaech, S.M. The β-adrenergic receptor links sympathetic nerves to T cell exhaustion. (2023) Nature. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06568-6

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Kobayashi, Y., Shigyo, M., Platoshyn, O., Marsala, S., Kato, T., Takamura, N., Yoshida, K., Kishino, A., Bravo-Hernandez, M., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Studenovska, H., Proks, V., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., Pfaff, S.L., Ciacci, J.D., Marsala, M. Expandable Sendai-Virus-Reprogrammed Human iPSC-Neuronal Precursors: Post-Grafting Safety Characterization in Rats and Adult Pig. (2023) Cell Transplantation. 32:9636897221107009. DOI: 10.1177/09636897221107009

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Hayashi, M., Gullo, M., Senturk, G., Di Costanzo, S., Nagasaki, S.C., Kageyama, R., Imayoshi, I., Goulding, M., Pfaff, S.L., Gatto, G. A spinal synergy of excitatory and inhibitory neurons coordinates ipsilateral body movements. (2023) bioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.21.533603

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Ronzano, R., Skarlatou, S., Barriga, B.K., Bannatyne, B.A., Bhumbra, G.S., Foster, J.D., Moore, J.D., Lancelin, C., Pocratsky, A.M., Özyurt, M.G., Smith, C.C., Todd, A.J., Maxwell, D.J., Murray, A.J., Pfaff, S.L., Brownstone, R.M., Zampieri, N., Beato, M. Spinal premotor interneurons controlling antagonistic muscles are spatially intermingled. (2022) Elife. 11. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.81976

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Martins, L.F., Brambilla, I., Motta, A., de Pretis, S., Bhat, G.P., Badaloni, A., Malpighi, C., Amin, N.D., Imai, F., Almeida, R.D., Yoshida, Y., Pfaff, S.L., Bonanomi, D. Motor neurons use push-pull signals to direct vascular remodeling critical for their connectivity. (2022) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.09.021

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Tadokoro, T., Bravo-Hernandez, M., Agashkov, K., Kobayashi, Y., Platoshyn, O., Navarro, M., Marsala, S., Miyanohara, A., Yoshizumi, T., Shigyo, M., Krotov, V., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Nguyen, D., Skalnikova, H.K., Motlik, J., Studenovska, H., Proks, V., Reddy, R., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., Kemthong, T., Malaivijitnond, S., Tomori, Z., Vanicky, I., Kakinohana, M., Pfaff, S.L., Ciacci, J., Belan, P., Marsala, M. Precision spinal gene delivery-induced functional switch in nociceptive neurons reverses neuropathic pain. (2022) Molecular Therapy. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.04.023

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Amin, N.D., Senturk, G., Hayashi, M., Driscoll, S.P., Pfaff, S.L. Detecting microRNA-mediated gene regulatory effects in murine neuronal subpopulations. (2022) STAR Protoc. 3(1):101130. DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101130

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Amin, N.D., Senturk, G., Costaguta, G., Driscoll, S., O'Leary, B., Bonanomi, D., Pfaff, S.L. A hidden threshold in motor neuron gene networks revealed by modulation of miR-218 dose. (2021) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.07.028

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Osseward, P.J., Amin, N.D., Moore, J.D., Temple, B.A., Barriga, B.K., Bachmann, L.C., Beltran, F., Gullo, M., Clark, R.C., Driscoll, S.P., Pfaff, S.L., Hayashi, M. Conserved genetic signatures parcellate cardinal spinal neuron classes into local and projection subsets. (2021) Science. 372(6540):385-393. DOI: 10.1126/science.abe0690

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Marsala, M., Kamizato, K., Tadokoro, T., Navarro, M., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Marsala, S., Studenovska, H., Proks, V., Hazel, T., Johe, K., Kakinohana, M., Driscoll, S., Thomas, G., Pfaff, S., Ciacci, J. Spinal parenchymal occupation by neural stem cells after subpial delivery in adult immunodeficient rats. (2019) Stem Cells Translational Medicine. DOI: 10.1002/sctm.19-0156

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Reichenstein, I., Eitan, C., Diaz-Garcia, S., Haim, G., Magen, I., Siany, A., Hoye, M.L., Rivkin, N., Olender, T., Toth, B., Ravid, R., Mandelbaum, A.D., Yanowski, E., Liang, J., Rymer, J.K., Levy, R., Beck, G., Ainbinder, E., Farhan, S.M.K., Lennox, K.A., Bode, N.M., Behlke, M.A., Möller, T., Saxena, S., Moreno, C.A.M., Costaguta, G., van Eijk, K.R., Phatnani, H., Al-Chalabi, A., Başak, A.N., van den Berg, L.H., Hardiman, O., Landers, J.E., Mora, J.S., Morrison, K.E., Shaw, P.J., Veldink, J.H., Pfaff, S.L., Yizhar, O., Gross, C., Brown, R.H., Ravits, J.M., Harms, M.B., Miller, T.M., Hornstein, E. Human genetics and neuropathology suggest a link between miR-218 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathophysiology. (2019) Science Translational Medicine. 11(523). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aav5264

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Bravo-Hernandez, M., Tadokoro, T., Navarro, M.R., Platoshyn, O., Kobayashi, Y., Marsala, S., Miyanohara, A., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Skalnikova, H., Tomori, Z., Vanicky, I., Studenovska, H., Proks, V., Chen, P., Govea-Perez, N., Ditsworth, D., Ciacci, J.D., Gao, S., Zhu, W., Ahrens, E.T., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., McAlonis-Downes, M., Da Cruz, S., Pfaff, S.L., Kaspar, B.K., Cleveland, D.W., Marsala, M. Spinal subpial delivery of AAV9 enables widespread gene silencing and blocks motoneuron degeneration in ALS. (2019) Nature Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0674-1

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Osseward, P.J., Pfaff, S.L. Cell type and circuit modules in the spinal cord. (2019) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 56:175-184. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.03.003

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Bohaciakova, D., Hruska-Plochan, M., Tsunemoto, R., Gifford, W.D., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., Wu, S., Marsala, S., Navarro, M., Tadokoro, T., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Platoshyn, O., Piper, D., Sheckler, V., Ditsworth, D., Pfaff, S.L., Marsala, M. A scalable solution for isolating human multipotent clinical-grade neural stem cells from ES precursors. (2019) Stem Cell Research & Therapy. 10(1):83. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-019-1163-7

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Bonanomi, D., Valenza, F., Chivatakarn, O., Sternfeld, M.J., Driscoll, S.P., Aslanian, A., Lettieri, K., Gullo, M., Badaloni, A., Lewcock, J.W., Hunter, T., Pfaff, S.L. p190RhoGAP Filters Competing Signals to Resolve Axon Guidance Conflicts. (2019) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.02.034

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Strnadel, J., Carromeu, C., Bardy, C., Navarro, M., Platoshyn, O., Glud, A.N., Marsala, S., Kafka, J., Miyanohara, A., Kato, T., Tadokoro, T., Hefferan, M.P., Kamizato, K., Yoshizumi, T., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Ho, C.S., Kheradmand, T., Chen, P., Bohaciakova, D., Hruska-Plochan, M., Todd, A.J., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., Pfaff, S.L., Klima, J., Ciacci, J., Curtis, E., Gage, F.H., Bui, J., Yamada, K., Muotri, A.R., Marsala, M. Survival of syngeneic and allogeneic iPSC-derived neural precursors after spinal grafting in minipigs. (2018) Science Translational Medicine. 10(440). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aam6651

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Mo, Z., Zhao, X., Liu, H., Hu, Q., Chen, X.Q., Pham, J., Wei, N., Liu, Z., Zhou, J., Burgess, R.W., Pfaff, S.L., Caskey, C.T., Wu, C., Bai, G., Yang, X.L. Aberrant GlyRS-HDAC6 interaction linked to axonal transport deficits in Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy. (2018) Nature Communications. 9(1):1007. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03461-z

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Hayashi, M., Hinckley, C.A., Driscoll, S.P., Moore, N.J., Levine, A.J., Hilde, K.L., Sharma, K., Pfaff, S.L. Graded Arrays of Spinal and Supraspinal V2a Interneuron Subtypes Underlie Forelimb and Hindlimb Motor Control. (2018) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.023

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Sternfeld, M.J., Hinckley, C.A., Moore, N.J., Pankratz, M.T., Hilde, K.L., Driscoll, S.P., Hayashi, M., Amin, N.D., Bonanomi, D., Gifford, W.D., Sharma, K., Goulding, M., Pfaff, S.L. Speed and segmentation control mechanisms characterized in rhythmically-active circuits created from spinal neurons produced from genetically-tagged embryonic stem cells. (2017) Elife. 6. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.21540

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Hilde, K.L., Levine, A.J., Hinckley, C.A., Hayashi, M., Montgomery, J.M., Gullo, M., Driscoll, S.P., Grosschedl, R., Kohwi, Y., Kohwi-Shigematsu, T., Pfaff, S.L. Satb2 Is Required for the Development of a Spinal Exteroceptive Microcircuit that Modulates Limb Position. (2016) Neuron. 91(4):763-776. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.07.014

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Wasson, J.A., Simon, A.K., Myrick, D.A., Wolf, G., Driscoll, S., Pfaff, S.L., Macfarlan, T.S., Katz, D.J. Maternally provided LSD1/KDM1A enables the maternal-to-zygotic transition and prevents defects that manifest postnatally. (2016) Elife. 5. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.08848

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Geeven, G., Zhu, Y., Kim, B.J., Bartholdy, B.A., Yang, S.M., Macfarlan, T.S., Gifford, W.D., Pfaff, S.L., Verstegen, M.J., Pinto, H., Vermunt, M.W., Creyghton, M.P., Wijchers, P.J., Stamatoyannopoulos, J.A., Skoultchi, A.I., de Laat, W. Local compartment changes and regulatory landscape alterations in histone H1-depleted cells. (2015) Genome Biology. 16:289. DOI: 10.1186/s13059-015-0857-0

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Amin, N.D., Bai, G., Klug, J.R., Bonanomi, D., Pankratz, M.T., Gifford, W.D., Hinckley, C.A., Sternfeld, M.J., Driscoll, S.P., Dominguez, B., Lee, K.F., Jin, X., Pfaff, S.L. Loss of motoneuron-specific microRNA-218 causes systemic neuromuscular failure. (2015) Science. 350(6267):1525-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.aad2509

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Pan, F.C., Brissova, M., Powers, A.C., Pfaff, S., Wright, C.V. Inactivating the permanent neonatal diabetes gene Mnx1 switches insulin-producing β-cells to a δ-like fate and reveals a facultative proliferative capacity in aged β-cells. (2015) Development. 142(21):3637-48. DOI: 10.1242/dev.126011

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He, W., Bai, G., Zhou, H., Wei, N., White, N.M., Lauer, J., Liu, H., Shi, Y., Dumitru, C.D., Lettieri, K., Shubayev, V., Jordanova, A., Guergueltcheva, V., Griffin, P.R., Burgess, R.W., Pfaff, S.L., Yang, X.L. CMT2D neuropathy is linked to the neomorphic binding activity of glycyl-tRNA synthetase. (2015) Nature. 526(7575):710-4. DOI: 10.1038/nature15510

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Pawar, K., Cummings, B.J., Thomas, A., Shea, L.D., Levine, A., Pfaff, S., Anderson, A.J. Biomaterial bridges enable regeneration and re-entry of corticospinal tract axons into the caudal spinal cord after SCI: Association with recovery of forelimb function. (2015) Biomaterials. 65:1-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.05.032

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Hinckley, C.A., Alaynick, W.A., Gallarda, B.W., Hayashi, M., Hilde, K.L., Driscoll, S.P., Dekker, J.D., Tucker, H.O., Sharpee, T.O., Pfaff, S.L. Spinal Locomotor Circuits Develop Using Hierarchical Rules Based on Motorneuron Position and Identity. (2015) Neuron. 87(5):1008-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.08.005

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Wang, J., Telese, F., Tan, Y., Li, W., Jin, C., He, X., Basnet, H., Ma, Q., Merkurjev, D., Zhu, X., Liu, Z., Zhang, J., Ohgi, K., Taylor, H., White, R.R., Tazearslan, C., Suh, Y., Macfarlan, T.S., Pfaff, S.L., Rosenfeld, M.G. LSD1n is an H4K20 demethylase regulating memory formation via transcriptional elongation control. (2015) Nature Neuroscience. 18(9):1256-64. DOI: 10.1038/nn.4069

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Lee, H., Kim, M., Kim, N., Macfarlan, T., Pfaff, S.L., Mastick, G.S., Song, M.R. Slit and Semaphorin signaling governed by Islet transcription factors positions motor neuron somata within the neural tube. (2015) Experimental Neurology. 269:17-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2015.03.024

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Pei, L., Mu, Y., Leblanc, M., Alaynick, W., Barish, G.D., Pankratz, M., Tseng, T.W., Kaufman, S., Liddle, C., Yu, R.T., Downes, M., Pfaff, S.L., Auwerx, J., Gage, F.H., Evans, R.M. Dependence of hippocampal function on ERRγ-regulated mitochondrial metabolism. (2015) Cell Metabolism. 21(4):628-36. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2015.03.004

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Wang, L., Mongera, A., Bonanomi, D., Cyganek, L., Pfaff, S.L., Nüsslein-Volhard, C., Marquardt, T. A conserved axon type hierarchy governing peripheral nerve assembly. (2014) Development. 141(9):1875-83. DOI: 10.1242/dev.106211

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Levine, A.J., Hinckley, C.A., Hilde, K.L., Driscoll, S.P., Poon, T.H., Montgomery, J.M., Pfaff, S.L. Identification of a cellular node for motor control pathways. (2014) Nature Neuroscience. 17(4):586-93. DOI: 10.1038/nn.3675

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Pfaff, S., Shaham, S. Development of neurons and glia. (2013) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 23(6):901-2.


Hsu, C.C., White, N.M., Hayashi, M., Lin, E.C., Poon, T., Banerjee, I., Chen, J., Pfaff, S.L., Macagno, E.R., Dorrestein, P.C. Microscopy ambient ionization top-down mass spectrometry reveals developmental patterning. (2013) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 110(37):14855-60. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1310618110

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Gifford, W.D., Pfaff, S.L., Macfarlan, T.S. Transposable elements as genetic regulatory substrates in early development. (2013) Trends in Cell Biology. 23(5):218-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2013.01.001

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Hinckley, C.A., Pfaff, S.L. Imaging spinal neuron ensembles active during locomotion with genetically encoded calcium indicators. (2013) Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1279:71-9. DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12092

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Rowe, H.M., Kapopoulou, A., Corsinotti, A., Fasching, L., Macfarlan, T.S., Tarabay, Y., Viville, S., Jakobsson, J., Pfaff, S.L., Trono, D. TRIM28 repression of retrotransposon-based enhancers is necessary to preserve transcriptional dynamics in embryonic stem cells. (2013) Genome Research. 23(3):452-61. DOI: 10.1101/gr.147678.112

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Levine, A.J., Lewallen, K.A., Pfaff, S.L. Spatial organization of cortical and spinal neurons controlling motor behavior. (2012) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 22(5):812-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2012.07.002

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Macfarlan, T.S., Gifford, W.D., Driscoll, S., Lettieri, K., Rowe, H.M., Bonanomi, D., Firth, A., Singer, O., Trono, D., Pfaff, S.L. Embryonic stem cell potency fluctuates with endogenous retrovirus activity. (2012) Nature. 487(7405):57-63. DOI: 10.1038/nature11244

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Bonanomi, D., Chivatakarn, O., Bai, G., Abdesselem, H., Lettieri, K., Marquardt, T., Pierchala, B.A., Pfaff, S.L. Ret is a multifunctional coreceptor that integrates diffusible- and contact-axon guidance signals. (2012) Cell. 148(3):568-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.01.024

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Bai, G., Pfaff, S.L. Protease regulation: the Yin and Yang of neural development and disease. (2011) Neuron. 72(1):9-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.09.012

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Kawakami, Y., Marti, M., Kawakami, H., Itou, J., Quach, T., Johnson, A., Sahara, S., O'Leary, D.D., Nakagawa, Y., Lewandoski, M., Pfaff, S., Evans, S.M., Izpisua Belmonte, J.C. Islet1-mediated activation of the β-catenin pathway is necessary for hindlimb initiation in mice. (2011) Development. 138(20):4465-73. DOI: 10.1242/dev.065359

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Hester, M.E., Murtha, M.J., Song, S., Rao, M., Miranda, C.J., Meyer, K., Tian, J., Boulting, G., Schaffer, D.V., Zhu, M.X., Pfaff, S.L., Gage, F.H., Kaspar, B.K. Rapid and efficient generation of functional motor neurons from human pluripotent stem cells using gene delivered transcription factor codes. (2011) Mol. Ther. 19(10):1905-12. DOI: 10.1038/mt.2011.135

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Alaynick, W.A., Jessell, T.M., Pfaff, S.L. SnapShot: spinal cord development. (2011) Cell. 146(1):178-178.e1. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.06.038


Liang, X., Song, M.R., Xu, Z., Lanuza, G.M., Liu, Y., Zhuang, T., Chen, Y., Pfaff, S.L., Evans, S.M., Sun, Y. Isl1 is required for multiple aspects of motor neuron development. (2011) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 47(3):215-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2011.04.007

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Bruno, I.G., Karam, R., Huang, L., Bhardwaj, A., Lou, C.H., Shum, E.Y., Song, H.W., Corbett, M.A., Gifford, W.D., Gecz, J., Pfaff, S.L., Wilkinson, M.F. Identification of a microRNA that activates gene expression by repressing nonsense-mediated RNA decay. (2011) Molecular Cell. 42(4):500-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2011.04.018

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Macfarlan, T.S., Gifford, W.D., Agarwal, S., Driscoll, S., Lettieri, K., Wang, J., Andrews, S.E., Franco, L., Rosenfeld, M.G., Ren, B., Pfaff, S.L. Endogenous retroviruses and neighboring genes are coordinately repressed by LSD1/KDM1A. (2011) Genes & Development. 25(6):594-607. DOI: 10.1101/gad.2008511

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Garudadri, S., Gallarda, B., Pfaff, S., Alaynick, W. Spinal cord electrophysiology II: extracellular suction electrode fabrication. (2011) J Vis Exp.(48) DOI: 10.3791/2580

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Bai, G., Chivatakarn, O., Bonanomi, D., Lettieri, K., Franco, L., Xia, C., Stein, E., Ma, L., Lewcock, J.W., Pfaff, S.L. Presenilin-dependent receptor processing is required for axon guidance. (2011) Cell. 144(1):106-18. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2010.11.053

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Qu, Y., Glasco, D.M., Zhou, L., Sawant, A., Ravni, A., Fritzsch, B., Damrau, C., Murdoch, J.N., Evans, S., Pfaff, S.L., Formstone, C., Goffinet, A.M., Chandrasekhar, A., Tissir, F. Atypical cadherins Celsr1-3 differentially regulate migration of facial branchiomotor neurons in mice. (2010) Journal of Neuroscience. 30(28):9392-401. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0124-10.2010

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Gallarda, B.W., Sharpee, T.O., Pfaff, S.L., Alaynick, W.A. Defining rhythmic locomotor burst patterns using a continuous wavelet transform. (2010) Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1198:133-9. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05437.x

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Zhang, M., Liu, J., Kim, Y., Dixon, J.E., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N., Noel, J.P., Zhang, Y. Structural and functional analysis of the phosphoryl transfer reaction mediated by the human small C-terminal domain phosphatase, Scp1. (2010) Protein Science. 19(5):974-86. DOI: 10.1002/pro.375

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Bonanomi, D., Pfaff, S.L. Motor axon pathfinding. (2010) Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 2(3):a001735. DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a001735

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Meyer, A., Gallarda, B.W., Pfaff, S., Alaynick, W. Spinal cord electrophysiology. (2010) J Vis Exp.(35) DOI: 10.3791/1660

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Song, M.R., Sun, Y., Bryson, A., Gill, G.N., Evans, S.M., Pfaff, S.L. Islet-to-LMO stoichiometries control the function of transcription complexes that specify motor neuron and V2a interneuron identity. (2009) Development. 136(17):2923-32. DOI: 10.1242/dev.037986

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Cao, X., Pfaff, S.L., Gage, F.H. YAP regulates neural progenitor cell number via the TEA domain transcription factor. (2008) Genes & Development. 22(23):3320-34. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1726608

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Pfaff, S.L. Developmental neuroscience: Hox and Fox. (2008) Nature. 455(7211):295-7. DOI: 10.1038/455295a


Lee, S., Lee, B., Joshi, K., Pfaff, S.L., Lee, J.W., Lee, S.K. A regulatory network to segregate the identity of neuronal subtypes. (2008) Developmental Cell. 14(6):877-89. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2008.03.021

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Gallarda, B.W., Bonanomi, D., Müller, D., Brown, A., Alaynick, W.A., Andrews, S.E., Lemke, G., Pfaff, S.L., Marquardt, T. Segregation of axial motor and sensory pathways via heterotypic trans-axonal signaling. (2008) Science. 320(5873):233-6. DOI: 10.1126/science.1153758

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Ma, Y.C., Song, M.R., Park, J.P., Henry Ho, H.Y., Hu, L., Kurtev, M.V., Zieg, J., Ma, Q., Pfaff, S.L., Greenberg, M.E. Regulation of motor neuron specification by phosphorylation of neurogenin 2. (2008) Neuron. 58(1):65-77. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2008.01.037

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Ghosh, S., Marquardt, T., Thaler, J.P., Carter, N., Andrews, S.E., Pfaff, S.L., Hunter, T. Instructive role of aPKCzeta subcellular localization in the assembly of adherens junctions in neural progenitors. (2008) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105(1):335-40. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0705713105

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Lewcock, J.W., Genoud, N., Lettieri, K., Pfaff, S.L. The ubiquitin ligase Phr1 regulates axon outgrowth through modulation of microtubule dynamics. (2007) Neuron. 56(4):604-20. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.09.009

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Fox, M.A., Sanes, J.R., Borza, D.B., Eswarakumar, V.P., Fässler, R., Hudson, B.G., John, S.W., Ninomiya, Y., Pedchenko, V., Pfaff, S.L., Rheault, M.N., Sado, Y., Segal, Y., Werle, M.J., Umemori, H. Distinct target-derived signals organize formation, maturation, and maintenance of motor nerve terminals. (2007) Cell. 129(1):179-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2007.02.035

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Cao, X., Pfaff, S.L., Gage, F.H. A functional study of miR-124 in the developing neural tube. (2007) Genes & Development. 21(5):531-6. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1519207

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Peng, C.Y., Yajima, H., Burns, C.E., Zon, L.I., Sisodia, S.S., Pfaff, S.L., Sharma, K. Notch and MAML signaling drives Scl-dependent interneuron diversity in the spinal cord. (2007) Neuron. 53(6):813-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.02.019

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Odani, N., Pfaff, S.L., Nakamura, H., Funahashi, J. Cloning and developmental expression of a chick G-protein-coupled receptor SCGPR1. (2007) Gene Expression Patterns. 7(4):375-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.modgep.2006.12.003

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Zhang, Y., Kim, Y., Genoud, N., Gao, J., Kelly, J.W., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N., Dixon, J.E., Noel, J.P. Determinants for dephosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain by Scp1. (2006) Molecular Cell. 24(5):759-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2006.10.027

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Song, M.R., Shirasaki, R., Cai, C.L., Ruiz, E.C., Evans, S.M., Lee, S.K., Pfaff, S.L. T-Box transcription factor Tbx20 regulates a genetic program for cranial motor neuron cell body migration. (2006) Development. 133(24):4945-55. DOI: 10.1242/dev.02694

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Kashani, A.H., Qiu, Z., Jurata, L., Lee, S.K., Pfaff, S., Goebbels, S., Nave, K.A., Ghosh, A. Calcium activation of the LMO4 transcription complex and its role in the patterning of thalamocortical connections. (2006) Journal of Neuroscience. 26(32):8398-408. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0618-06.2006

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Zhao, Y., Morales, D.C., Hermesz, E., Lee, W.K., Pfaff, S.L., Westphal, H. Reduced expression of the LIM-homeobox gene Lhx3 impairs growth and differentiation of Rathke's pouch and increases cell apoptosis during mouse pituitary development. (2006) Mechanisms of Development. 123(8):605-13. DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2006.06.005

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Shirasaki, R., Lewcock, J.W., Lettieri, K., Pfaff, S.L. FGF as a target-derived chemoattractant for developing motor axons genetically programmed by the LIM code. (2006) Neuron. 50(6):841-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.04.030

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Song, M.R., Pfaff, S.L. Hox genes: the instructors working at motor pools. (2005) Cell. 123(3):363-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2005.10.014

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Myers, C.P., Lewcock, J.W., Hanson, M.G., Gosgnach, S., Aimone, J.B., Gage, F.H., Lee, K.F., Landmesser, L.T., Pfaff, S.L. Cholinergic input is required during embryonic development to mediate proper assembly of spinal locomotor circuits. (2005) Neuron. 46(1):37-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2005.02.022

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Marquardt, T., Shirasaki, R., Ghosh, S., Andrews, S.E., Carter, N., Hunter, T., Pfaff, S.L. Coexpressed EphA receptors and ephrin-A ligands mediate opposing actions on growth cone navigation from distinct membrane domains. (2005) Cell. 121(1):127-39. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2005.01.020

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Goulding, M., Pfaff, S.L. Development of circuits that generate simple rhythmic behaviors in vertebrates. (2005) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 15(1):14-20. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2005.01.017

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Lee, S.K., Jurata, L.W., Nowak, R., Lettieri, K., Kenny, D.A., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N. The LIM domain-only protein LMO4 is required for neural tube closure. (2005) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 28(2):205-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2004.04.010

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Lee, S.K., Lee, B., Ruiz, E.C., Pfaff, S.L. Olig2 and Ngn2 function in opposition to modulate gene expression in motor neuron progenitor cells. (2005) Genes & Development. 19(2):282-94. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1257105

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Yeo, M., Lee, S.K., Lee, B., Ruiz, E.C., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N. Small CTD phosphatases function in silencing neuronal gene expression. (2005) Science. 307(5709):596-600. DOI: 10.1126/science.1100801

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Cepeda-Nieto, A.C., Pfaff, S.L., Varela-Echavarría, A. Homeodomain transcription factors in the development of subsets of hindbrain reticulospinal neurons. (2005) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 28(1):30-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2004.06.016

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Pak, W., Hindges, R., Lim, Y.S., Pfaff, S.L., O'Leary, D.D. Magnitude of binocular vision controlled by islet-2 repression of a genetic program that specifies laterality of retinal axon pathfinding. (2004) Cell. 119(4):567-78. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2004.10.026

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Schwander, M., Shirasaki, R., Pfaff, S.L., Müller, U. Beta1 integrins in muscle, but not in motor neurons, are required for skeletal muscle innervation. (2004) Journal of Neuroscience. 24(37):8181-91. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1345-04.2004

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Weiner, J.A., Koo, S.J., Nicolas, S., Fraboulet, S., Pfaff, S.L., Pourquié, O., Sanes, J.R. Axon fasciculation defects and retinal dysplasias in mice lacking the immunoglobulin superfamily adhesion molecule BEN/ALCAM/SC1. (2004) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 27(1):59-69. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2004.06.005

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Lee, S.K., Jurata, L.W., Funahashi, J., Ruiz, E.C., Pfaff, S.L. Analysis of embryonic motoneuron gene regulation: derepression of general activators function in concert with enhancer factors. (2004) Development. 131(14):3295-306. DOI: 10.1242/dev.01179

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Thaler, J.P., Koo, S.J., Kania, A., Lettieri, K., Andrews, S., Cox, C., Jessell, T.M., Pfaff, S.L. A postmitotic role for Isl-class LIM homeodomain proteins in the assignment of visceral spinal motor neuron identity. (2004) Neuron. 41(3):337-50.

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Cai, C.L., Liang, X., Shi, Y., Chu, P.H., Pfaff, S.L., Chen, J., Evans, S. Isl1 identifies a cardiac progenitor population that proliferates prior to differentiation and contributes a majority of cells to the heart. (2003) Developmental Cell. 5(6):877-89.

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Lee, S.K., Pfaff, S.L. Synchronization of neurogenesis and motor neuron specification by direct coupling of bHLH and homeodomain transcription factors. (2003) Neuron. 38(5):731-45.

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Koo, S.J., Pfaff, S.L. Fine-tuning motor neuron properties: signaling from the periphery. (2002) Neuron. 35(5):823-6.

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Hu, W.Y., Myers, C.P., Kilzer, J.M., Pfaff, S.L., Bushman, F.D. Inhibition of retroviral pathogenesis by RNA interference. (2002) Current Biology. 12(15):1301-11.

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Thaler, J.P., Lee, S.K., Jurata, L.W., Gill, G.N., Pfaff, S.L. LIM factor Lhx3 contributes to the specification of motor neuron and interneuron identity through cell-type-specific protein-protein interactions. (2002) Cell. 110(2):237-49.

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Shirasaki, R., Pfaff, S.L. Transcriptional codes and the control of neuronal identity. (2002) Annual Review of Neuroscience. 25:251-81. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.25.112701.142916

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Lee, S.K., Pfaff, S.L. Transcriptional networks regulating neuronal identity in the developing spinal cord. (2001) Nature Neuroscience. 4 Suppl:1183-91. DOI: 10.1038/nn750

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Marquardt, T., Pfaff, S.L. Cracking the transcriptional code for cell specification in the neural tube. (2001) Cell. 106(6):651-4.

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Lin, W., Burgess, R.W., Dominguez, B., Pfaff, S.L., Sanes, J.R., Lee, K.F. Distinct roles of nerve and muscle in postsynaptic differentiation of the neuromuscular synapse. (2001) Nature. 410(6832):1057-64. DOI: 10.1038/35074025

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Sharma, K., Leonard, A.E., Lettieri, K., Pfaff, S.L. Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms contribute to motor neuron pathfinding. (2000) Nature. 406(6795):515-9. DOI: 10.1038/35020078

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Brown, A., Yates, P.A., Burrola, P., Ortuño, D., Vaidya, A., Jessell, T.M., Pfaff, S.L., O'Leary, D.D., Lemke, G. Topographic mapping from the retina to the midbrain is controlled by relative but not absolute levels of EphA receptor signaling. (2000) Cell. 102(1):77-88.

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Jurata, L.W., Thomas, J.B., Pfaff, S.L. Transcriptional mechanisms in the development of motor control. (2000) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 10(1):72-9.

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Harrison, K.A., Thaler, J., Pfaff, S.L., Gu, H., Kehrl, J.H. Pancreas dorsal lobe agenesis and abnormal islets of Langerhans in Hlxb9-deficient mice. (1999) Nature Genetics. 23(1):71-5. DOI: 10.1038/12674

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Thaler, J., Harrison, K., Sharma, K., Lettieri, K., Kehrl, J., Pfaff, S.L. Active suppression of interneuron programs within developing motor neurons revealed by analysis of homeodomain factor HB9. (1999) Neuron. 23(4):675-87.

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Sharma, K., Sheng, H.Z., Lettieri, K., Li, H., Karavanov, A., Potter, S., Westphal, H., Pfaff, S.L. LIM homeodomain factors Lhx3 and Lhx4 assign subtype identities for motor neurons. (1998) Cell. 95(6):817-28.

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Takuma, N., Sheng, H.Z., Furuta, Y., Ward, J.M., Sharma, K., Hogan, B.L., Pfaff, S.L., Westphal, H., Kimura, S., Mahon, K.A. Formation of Rathke's pouch requires dual induction from the diencephalon. (1998) Development. 125(23):4835-40.

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Pfaff, S.L., Taylor, W.L. Xenopus TFIIIA gene transcription is dependent on cis-element positioning and chromatin structure. (1998) Molecular and Cellular Biology. 18(7):3811-8.

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Pfaff, S., Kintner, C. Neuronal diversification: development of motor neuron subtypes. (1998) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 8(1):27-36.

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Jurata, L.W., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N. The nuclear LIM domain interactor NLI mediates homo- and heterodimerization of LIM domain transcription factors. (1998) Journal of Biological Chemistry. 273(6):3152-7.

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Ahlgren, U., Pfaff, S.L., Jessell, T.M., Edlund, T., Edlund, H. Independent requirement for ISL1 in formation of pancreatic mesenchyme and islet cells. (1997) Nature. 385(6613):257-60. DOI: 10.1038/385257a0

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Varela-Echavarría, A., Pfaff, S.L., Guthrie, S. Differential expression of LIM homeobox genes among motor neuron subpopulations in the developing chick brain stem. (1996) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 8(4):242-57. DOI: 10.1006/mcne.1996.0061

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Pfaff, S.L., Mendelsohn, M., Stewart, C.L., Edlund, T., Jessell, T.M. Requirement for LIM homeobox gene Isl1 in motor neuron generation reveals a motor neuron-dependent step in interneuron differentiation. (1996) Cell. 84(2):309-20.

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Tsuchida, T., Ensini, M., Morton, S.B., Baldassare, M., Edlund, T., Jessell, T.M., Pfaff, S.L. Topographic organization of embryonic motor neurons defined by expression of LIM homeobox genes. (1994) Cell. 79(6):957-70.

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Yamada, T., Pfaff, S.L., Edlund, T., Jessell, T.M. Control of cell pattern in the neural tube: motor neuron induction by diffusible factors from notochord and floor plate. (1993) Cell. 73(4):673-86.

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Pfaff, S.L., Taylor, W.L. Characterization of a Xenopus oocyte factor that binds to a developmentally regulated cis-element in the TFIIIA gene. (1992) Developmental Biology. 151(1):306-16.

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Pfaff, S.L., Hall, R.K., Hart, G.C., Taylor, W.L. Regulation of the Xenopus laevis transcription factor IIIA gene during oogenesis and early embryogenesis: negative elements repress the O-TFIIIA promoter in embryonic cells. (1991) Developmental Biology. 145(2):241-54.

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Pfaff, S.L., Tamkun, M.M., Taylor, W.L. pOEV: a Xenopus oocyte protein expression vector. (1990) Analytical Biochemistry. 188(1):192-9.

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Pfaff, S.L., Duesberg, P.H. Two autonomous myc oncogenes in avian carcinoma virus OK10. (1988) Journal of Virology. 62(10):3703-9.

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Pfaff, S.L., Zhou, R.P., Young, J.C., Hayflick, J., Duesberg, P.H. Defining the borders of the chicken proto-fps gene, a precursor of Fujinami sarcoma virus. (1985) Virology. 146(2):307-14.

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Education

Undergraduate degree, Carleton College in Minnesota
PhD, Molecular Biology, UC Berkeley
Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University and the Center for Neurobiology at Columbia University


Affiliations


Awards & Honors

  • 2021 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 2008 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
  • 2007 Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award
  • McKnight Scholar
  • Basil O'Connor Award
  • Pew Scholar