Areas of Study
Epileptogenesis
Education
- Emory University2000PhD
- Nanjing Medical University1987MD
Research
The primary focus of our laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis – the pathological process which transforms a normal brain into an epileptic brain. We are specifically interested in how the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/autophagy pathway governs normal brain functions and how dysregulation of this pathway leads to epilepsy. We do so by focusing on microglia, a type of brain cells that plays a critical role in CNS homeostasis. Specifically, we are evaluating how altered mTOR activity in microglia disrupts brain homeostasis and promotes epileptogenesis. We hope to find novel therapeutic targets to prevent epilepsy.
Publications
Alam MM, Zhao XF, Liao Y, Mathur R, McCallum SE, Mazurkiewicz JE, Adamo MA, Feustel P, Belin S, Poitelon Y, Zhu XC, Huang Y. Deficiency of Microglial Autophagy Increases the Density of Oligodendrocytes and Susceptibility to Severe Forms of Seizures. eNeuro. 2021 Feb 9;8(1):ENEURO.0183-20.2021.
Zhao XF, Liao Y, Alam MM, Mathur R, Feustel P, Mazurkiewicz JE, Adamo MA, Zhu XC, Huang Y. Microglial mTOR is Neuronal Protective and Antiepileptogenic in the Pilocarpine Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. J Neurosci. 2020 Sep 30;40(40):7593-7608.
Zhao XF, Alam MM, Liao Y, Huang T, Mathur R, Zhu X, Huang Y. Targeting Microglia Using Cx3cr1-Cre Lines: Revisiting the Specificity. eNeuro. 2019 Jul 10;6(4):ENEURO.0114-19.2019.
Mathur R, Alam MM, Zhao XF, Huang Y, Zhu X. Mechanistic Insight into the Development of TNBS-Mediated Intestinal Fibrosis and Evaluating the Inhibitory Effects of Rapamycin. J Vis Exp. 2019 Sep 12;(151).
Mathur R, Alam MM, Zhao XF, Liao Y, Shen J, Morgan S, Huang T, Lee H, Lee E, Huang Y, Zhu X. Induction of autophagy in Cx3cr1+ mononuclear cells limits IL-23/IL-22 axis-mediated intestinal fibrosis. Mucosal Immunol. 2019 May;12(3):612-623.
View Yunfei Huang's articles on the National Institute of Health's PubMed website.