Members
Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño
Professor
University of California, Davis
My goal is to determine the etiology and the pathology of some forms of autism. I am also interested in the role of stem cells in the development, evolution, and pathogenesis of the cerebral cortex.
Gelareh Vakilzadeh
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of California, Davis
My interest is to work on glial cells abnormalities, especially astrocytes, in autism pathology. My current projects focus on alteration in astrocytes number in the prefrontal cortex of the post mortem autism brains, in addition to their potential role in synaptic function and neural connectivity in autism.
Brett Dufour
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of California, Davis
I am interested in characterizing the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie clinical symptomology and disease progression in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Fragile X Syndrome, and Fragile X associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS). My ultimate goal is to identify disease biomarkers that can be utilized to develop novel therapeutic approaches that reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for patients.
Maria Jimena Salcedo-Arellano
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of California, Davis
I am interested in understanding the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. I’m currently focused on describing the pathological changes in the Fragile X associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) brain with the aim to correlate those findings with parkinsonism and cognitive decline commonly seen in the clinical presentation of the disease.
Pablo Juarez
Doctoral Candidate
University of California, Davis
I am interested in studying the molecular pathology underlying autism with a special focus on elucidating how neural cell development and migration in the pre-frontal cortex contributes to the development of the autism phenotype.
Y. Belle McLennan
Graduate Student
University of California, Davis
I am interested in the study of neurodegeneration, specifically in fragile X-associated tremor and ataxia (FXTAS) and white matter disease.
Adriana Pantoja
Graduate Student
University of California, Davis
Erin McBride
Junior Specialist
University of California, Davis
I am interested in investigating the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder and fragile-x syndrome) using an overarching anatomical pathology approach. My efforts contribute to elucidating the locations and densities of novel cortical astrocytes as well as familiar neurotransmitters amongst different species and pathologies.
Aylín Maciel Rojas
Junior Specialist
University of California, Davis
My goal is to better understand the pathology of autism and neurodegenerative diseases to comprehend their multilayered impacts on the speech and articulation centers of the brain. Ultimately, I hope to work as a Speech Pathologist to help improve the verbal communication abilities of our affected communities.
Trevor Bartley
Assistant Specialist
University of California, Davis
I am generally interested in the interactions between the brain, emotion, and resulting behaviors. I am specifically interested in the circuitry of the medial temporal lobe memory system and emotional learning and memory in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Fragile X Syndrome.
