We aim to elucidate the role of the innate immune system in damage and repair following ischemic and hemorrhagic insults to the brain. We are specifically focused on innate immune drivers of secondary injury following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and the immune response triggered by acute intracranial pressure spikes during aneurysm rupture. We also look into promoting recovery after ischemic stroke by reprogramming microglia and peripheral myeloid cells to drive repair. In addition, we are pursuing the development of therapeutics for intraarterial immunomodulation for chronic subdural hemorrhage.

Dr. LoBue's BRAIN lab, short for Brain Aging, Injury, and Modulation Lab, has two lines of research in the area of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The lab investigates the later-in-life effects of traumatic brain injury, which involves understanding the potential risk associated with developing dementia and the underlying biological pathways. The lab also studies the effects of noninvasive brain stimulation in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders with the goal of informing the development of new treatments.

Heart-Brain Connection Program

The Davenport Lab is a branch of the ANSIR Lab at UTSW that focuses on quantitative methods for human brain imaging, primarily using MRI and Magnetoencephalography (MEG).

Our lab focuses on investigating the brain circuits implicated in treatment resistant depression with the ultimate goal of developing novel therapies for this devastating disease.

The focus of the Obata Lab is to study how environmental signals (e.g., microbiota, diet, day/night cycles) shape intestinal neural circuits and immune cell networks. A variety of experimental techniques are used, including state-of-the-art imaging technologies, viral tracing of gut innervation, in vivo and ex vivo physiological assays, gnotobiotic systems and multi-omics technologies. The Obata lab is also interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of inter-organ communication, including the Gut-Brain axis.

The central goal of the Dauer Lab is to unravel the molecular and cellular mechanisms of diseases that disrupt the motor system. In exploring these diseases, we also aim to understand a fundamental question relevant to CNS disease generally: what factors determine the selective vulnerability of particular cell types or circuits to insults? Our primary focus is on Parkinson’s disease and inherited forms of dystonia. We focus our efforts on disease genes that cause these disorders, employing a range of molecular, cellular, and whole animal studies to dissect the normal role of disease proteins, and how pathogenic mutations lead to disease.

Our lab uses a combination of electrophysiological and molecular techniques to examine functions sub-served by these states at the cellular and circuit levels.

Our lab focuses on the neural dynamics for successful memory access and retrieval during episodic working memory tasks to elucidate the neural circuit mechanism in the hippocampal-cortical network.

The Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care (CDRC) is nationally recognized for its cutting-edge research in unipolar and bipolar depression. The research conducted within the center brings better understanding of the causes of depression, identifies effective new treatments, and improves existing ones.