Neurons play an important role of communicating cognitive functions of the brain and producing an elaborate network of dendrites, whose extent of branching is influenced by factors like learning, which increases branching, or alcohol exposure or disease, which decreases branching. In conditions like mental retardation, autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease, there are fewer branches on neurons in the hippocampus and cortex, potentially reflecting the deficits in learning and memory so prevalent in these disorders. Dr. Bonnie Firestein, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers University, studies the role of a protein called cypin as an important regulator of dendrite number in neurons involved in learning and memory. Cypin, also known as Gda, can help increase the number of dendrites and alter or increase the number of synapses or connection sites in neurons involved in learning and memory. Changing levels of cypin, therefore, can protect neurons from damage, and Dr. Firestein and her team use multiple novel tools including mice, cellular assays, and pharmacological assays to develop drugs to alter cypin activity and improve learning and memory, and identify biomarkers that will help diagnose disorders. These drugs are applicable to a number of neurological and neurocognitive conditions, including autism, traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

After identifying cypin over 15 years ago, Dr. Firestein’s laboratory extensively characterized cypin’s influence on dendrite branching and spine stability, which direct the neuron on how to integrate incoming information. Dr. Firestein has also found that changes to cypin protein expression result in alterations at the cellular, network, and whole animal levels, and her laboratory currently works with medicinal chemists at Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center to identify small molecules that target cypin and aid in recovery and restore cognitive function. In addition, Dr. Firestein trains a diverse group of students and postdoctoral associates, many of whom are women and underrepresented minorities. As part of their training, the students help to provide hands-on neuroscience teaching modules, including a sheep brain dissection, to middle school students. Other outreach efforts include producing Youtube video segments to excite younger generation of students (K-12) about neuroscience.

Current research includes:

• TBI and Stroke: Dr. Firestein and her team are collaborating with medicinal chemists to identify small molecules that change the activity of cypin and aid in recovery from TBI and stroke.
• Neurocognitive Disorders: Using stem cells that are differentiated into human neurons, Dr. Firestein and her laboratory are studying cypin’s role in autism and schizophrenia and determining whether drugs targeting cypin or proteins related to cypin can help alleviate some of the morphological aberrations in these cells.
• Neurodegenerative Disorders: Dr. Firestein also works to target cypin to protect neurons in the process of being lost at the onset of neurodegenerative disorders.