Amelia Eisch, PhD

Associate Professor
Psychiatry
Graduate Program: Integrative Biology
Neuroscience

Contact Information

UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Boulevard
Dallas, Texas 75390

Office Phone: 214-648-5549
Office Fax: 214-645-9549

amelia.eisch@utsouthwestern.edu

Biography

Cell birth and cell death - why are new cells born in the adult brain, and how do these new cells influence plasticity? How do adult-generated cells impact psychiatric disorders like addiction, depression and dementia? The best place to learn more about these questions and about the Eisch Lab and its key members. Please visit our lab web site.

Education

Graduate SchoolUniversity of California-Irvine (1997)
UndergraduateYale University (1990)

Research Interests

Inability of the brain to "adapt" may contribute to - or exacerbate - myriad psychiatric disorders.
Keywords: adult neurogenesis, hippocampus, neuroplasticity, addiction, morphine, cocaine, depression, dementia, cell cycle regulation, BrdU, PCNA, histones, confocal microscopy, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization
My research focuses on the role that mediators of developmental neuroplasticity play in adult neuroplasticity.
The main mediators of neuroplasticity we study are new neurons in the adult brain, or adult neurogenesis, and growth factors.
To this extent, we study how chronic exposure to drugs of abuse regulate adult neurogenesis; the role of growth factors in depression and motivation, and the regulation of adult neurogenesis in an animal model of Alzheimer's Disease. For more on my laboratory's research, please visit the Eisch Lab Website at www3.utsouthwestern.edu/eisch/

Publications

Featured
Withdrawal from cocaine self-administration enhances hippocampal neurogenesis, but normalizes proliferation and maturation of neural progenitors, in the adult dentate gyrus subgranular zone

Noonan MA, Choi K-H, Self DW, Eisch AJ. , The Journal of Neuroscience , 2008; (28):2516-26

Featured
Knockout of the mu opioid receptor enhances survival of adult-generated hippocampal granule cell neurons.

Harburg GC, Hall FS, Harrist AV, Sora I, Uhl GR, Eisch AJ , Neuroscience , 2006; (144):77-87

Featured
Juvenile administration of methylphenidate attenuates adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

Lagace DC, Yee JK, Bolanos CA, Eisch AJ , Biological Psychiatry , 2006; (60):1121-1130

Featured
Opiates inhibit neurogenesis in the adult rodent dentate gyrus

Eisch AJ, Barrot M, Schad CA, Self DW, Nestler EJ. , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA , 2000; (97):7579-7584

Featured
Role for GDNF in biochemical and behavioral adaptations to drugs of abuse

Messer CJ, Eisch AJ, Carlezon WA, Whisler K, Shen L, Wolf DH, Westphal H, Collins F, Russell DS, Nestler EJ , Neuron , 2000; (26):1-20

Dynamic contribution of nestin-expressing stem cells to adult neurogenesis.

32) Lagace DC, Whitman MC, Noonan MA, Ables JL, DeCarolis NA, Arguello AA, Donovan MH, Fischer SJ, Farnbauch LA, Beech RD, Dileone RJ, Greer CA, Mandyam CD, Eisch AJ. , The Journal of Neuroscience. , 2007; (27):12623?12629

Molecular Mechanisms of Resilience in Brain Reward Regions.

30) Krishnan V, Han M-H, Graham D, Berton O, Renthal W, Laplant Q, Graham A, Russo S, Lutter M, Lagace DC, Ghose S, Reister R, Tannous P, Green T, Neve R, Chakravarty S, Eisch AJ, Self DW, Lee F, Tamminga C, Cooper D, Gershenfeld H, Nestler EJ. , Cell , 2007; (doi:10.1016):j.cell.2007.09.018

Influence of gender and endogenous levels of estradiol on adult hippocampal neurogenesis in mice.

Lagace DC, Fischer SJ, Eisch AJ. , Hippocampus , 2007; (17):175-180

Determination of key technical aspects of precursor detection and division in the adult mouse subgranular zone.

Mandyam CD, Harburg GC and Eisch AJ , Neuroscience , 2007; (146):108-122

Prenatal stress differentially impacts hippocampal immature neuron phenotype and microenvironment in adult male and female offspring.

Mandyam CD, Crawford E, Lee S, Eisch AJ, Rivier CL and Richardson HN , Developmental Neurobiology , ; (In Press)

Honors/Awards

National Institute on Drug Abuse

K02 Independent Investigator Award (2008)

National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression

Young Investigator Award (2004)

National Institute on Drug Abuse

RO1: Regulation of Adult Neurogenesis by Opiates (2004)

Society for Neuroscience

Minisympoisum on Adult Neurogenesis chosen for presentation at annual meeting (2004)

National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression

Young Investigator Award (2002)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

Sigma Xi

Society for Neuroscience