Environmental Impacts and Neurotoxicology
Investigators in the UC Davis Neuroscience Consortium work with both human populations and animal models to understand how the environment impacts brain development and health, with strengths in neurotoxicology and neuroimmunology. Research in this area is supported by 34 faculty members from 14 departments and 10 centers. Research on environmental impacts and neurotoxicology is anchored by basic, translational and clinical research in the UC Davis Conte Center, the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center and the MIND Institute with major support from the MIND Institute Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC).
Faculty studying environmental impacts and neurotoxicology
| David G. Amaral, Ph.D. | Systems neuroscience and studies of Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| Paul Ashwood, Ph.D. | Neuroimmune effects on mental health |
| Karen L. Bales, Ph.D. | Behavioral neuroscience of social bonds |
| Melissa D. Bauman, Ph.D. | Behavioral neuroscience; prenatal risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders |
| Robert F. Berman, Ph.D. | Neurodevelopmental disorder; TBI; neurotoxicology |
| Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Ph.D. | Affective neuroscience |
| Laura Borodinsky, Ph.D. | Cellular and molecular mechanisms of extrinsic and intrinsic cues on development and regeneration |
| Lindsay C. Bowman, Ph.D. | Cognitive and environmental factors that influence development of the social brain |
| Rebecca Calisi Rodríguez, Ph.D. | Animal behavior; reproductive and behavioral endocrinology; neuroendocrinology; neurogenomics; ecophysiology; urban ecology |
| Chao-Yin Chen, Ph.D. | Central autonomic regulation |
| Joanna Chiu, Ph.D. | Molecular chronobiology and molecular genetics of animal behavior |
| Bethany Cummings, D.V.M., Ph.D. | The impact of the gut microbiome and diabetes on Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis |
| Frederic A. Gorin, M.D, Ph.D. | Neuropharmacology and toxicology |
| Gene Gurkoff, Ph.D. | Developing therapies to improve neural connectivity for patients with neurological disease |
| Amanda E.Guyer, Ph.D. | Adolescent neurodevelopment in health and depression, anxiety and substance use |
| Tom Hahn, Ph.D. | Interfaces of behavior, endocrine and neuroendocrine physiology, ecology and evolution |
| Fumika Hamada, Ph.D. | Circadian rhythms and temperature homeostasis |
| Danielle Harvey, Ph.D. | Statistical analysis of complex correlated data; neuroimaging; longitudinal studies |
| Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Ph.D. | Environmental—Toxic chemicals, climate change, health disparities and neurodevelopment |
| Pamela J. Lein, Ph.D. | Impacts of environmental stressors on the developing and aging brain |
| Allan Martin, M.D. Ph.D., F.R.C.S.C. | Spine imaging and surgery |
| A. Kimberley McAllister, Ph.D. | Synapse formation and plasticity; neuroimmune contributions to development and disease |
| Manuel F. Navedo, Ph.D. | Mechanisms controlling vascular function in health and disease |
| Alex Nord, Ph.D. | Genomics in the brain development, function and disorders |
| Isaac Pessah, Ph.D. | Molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating ryanodine receptors and Ca2+ signaling |
| Colin Reardon, Ph.D. | IBD; autoimmunity; septic shock; biolectronic medicine; neuroimmunology |
| Karen Ryan, Ph.D. | Neuroendocrine mechanisms by which environmental signals influence systemic metabolism; stress-related and metabolic disease |
| Rebecca J.Schmidt, Ph.D. | Autism; molecular epidemiology; neurodevelopmental disorders; prenatal/preconception genetics; epigenetics |
| Cynthia M. Schumann, Ph.D. | Cellular and molecular developmental trajectory of brain regions related to anxiety and autism |
| Jill L. Silverman, Ph.D. | Curative, precision strategies for single gene caused neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs); intellectual disabilities and pediatric epilepsies |
| Ameer Taha, Ph.D. | Role of lipids and lipid-like environmental toxins in brain disorders |
| Judith Anne Van de Water, Ph.D. | Neuroimmunology; clinical immunology and immunopathology; gestational immune environment |
| Xinhua Zhan, M.D., Ph.D. | Alzheimer's disease; stroke |