Elias Aizenman

  • Professor

Cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and neuroprotection.

Injurious processes in the brain lead to the activation of signaling cascades that eventually result in the demise of neurons. In Dr. Aizenman's laboratory, cellular pathways leading to cell death are molecularly dissected in order to provide novel therapeutic targets to treat neurodegenerative disorders. This laboratory works on potential final common mediators of cell death signaling events that can be effectively targeted to treat neuronal disorders.

This work is primarily focused on acute neuronal injury, such as stroke, although the results from these studies could have broader applications to more chronic neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, ALS and Alzheimer's disease. Over the last several years, the laboratory has investigated redox and photic regulation of NMDA receptors, excitotoxicity, dopamine oxidation pathways, zinc-mediated neurotoxicity, the zinc receptor and epilepsy, and potassium channel facilitated forms of neuronal apoptosis, among other topics.

Representative Publications

The ZIP3 zinc transporter is localized to mossy fiber terminals and is required for kainate-induced degeneration of CA3 neurons.
Bogdanovic M, Asraf H, Gottesman N, Sekler I, Aizenman E, Hershfinkel M. J Neurosci 2022

SNAP23 regulates KCC2 membrane insertion and activity following mZnR/GPR39 activation in hippocampalneurons.
Asraf H, Bogdanovic M, Gottesman N, Sekler I, Aizenman E, Hershfinkel M. iScience 2022

ZnT1 is a neuronal Zn2+/Ca2+ exchanger.
Gottesman N, Asraf H, Bogdanovic M, Sekler I, Tzounopoulos T, Aizenman E, Hershfinkel M.
Cell Calcium 2022

Imprecision in Precision Medicine: Differential Response of a Disease-Linked GluN2A Mutant to NMDA Channel Blockers.
Gale JR, Kosobucki GJ, Hartnett-Scott KA, Aizenman E.
Front Pharmacol 2021

Evolutionary rate covariation identifies SLC30A9 (ZnT9) as a mitochondrial zinc transporter.
Kowalczyk A, Gbadamosi O, Kolor K, Sosa J, Andrzejczuk L, Gibson G, St Croix C, Chikina M, Aizenman E, Clark N, Kiselyov K.
Biochem J 2021

The Multifaceted Roles of Zinc in Neuronal Mitochondrial Dysfunction.
Liu HY, Gale JR, Reynolds IJ, Weiss JH, Aizenman E.
Biomedicines 2021

The Function and Regulation of Zinc in the Brain.
Krall RF, Tzounopoulos T, Aizenman E.
Neurosci 2021

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