Christine Byrd-Jacobs, WMU professor of biological sciences
Christine Byrd-Jacobs, WMU professor of biological sciences, has been awarded funding by the National Institutes of Health for her proposal, titled “Olfactory Bulb Cell Genesis and Survival in a Model of Reversible Deafferentation.”
The project will explore the breaking down and regrowth of adult human brain tissue, using the olfactory bulbs of zebrafish as a research model. Zebrafish share similar basic cell types with humans, which makes them very useful in predicting similar reactions in human tissue.
Deafferentation, or the interruption of communication between nerve cells, is a method of revealing the complex workings of nerve impulses. This, coupled with specific labeling techniques, will allow the researchers to closely observe the reactions of the cells post-deafferentation, and track the increase in newly generated cells. By making the process of deafferentation reversible, Byrd-Jacobs and her team will observe how brain tissue can recover from damage.
Byrd-Jacobs believes that her project will “lead to a better understanding of the mature brain’s ability to heal after damage” by examining the workings of the adult brain and how different interactions maintain its processes. This study will shed new light on our understanding of the human brain’s healing process.
LINKS:
Dr. Byrd-Jacobs’ homepage
Abstract of “Olfactory Bulb Cell Genesis and Survival in a Model of Reversible Deafferentation”
