Dr. Krista Rodgers presented her talk entitled “Neuronal replacement from endogenous precursors following cerebral ischemia” at the Anesthesiology Research Seminar Series in the Colorado School of Medicine.

Dr. Krista Rodgers presented a moderated poster at the International Stroke Conference held in Honolulu, HI from February 6-8 2019.

Stroke is a leading cause of death worldwide and millions of survivors continue to live with permanent stroke-related disabilities. The lack of reparative interventions for patients with loss of function in brain regions injured by stroke signals the need for new strategies aimed at restoring function, for instance, stimulating the intrinsic capacity of the brain for repair. Neurogenesis (the birth of new neurons) could be one target for the regeneration of neurons lost following injury. We have found significant survival and maturation of newborn neurons in stroke-damaged areas of the juvenile brain compared to adults, which was accompanied with improved functional recovery on neurobehavioral tasks. Our laboratory is focused on improving the understanding of processes underlying brain repair and regeneration in the juvenile neurogenic microenvironment following cerebral ischemia, including instrumental immunomodulatory pathways. Investigation of the inherent neurogenic capacity for neuronal replacement and subsequent functional recovery is essential to the development of new and innovative approaches to stroke treatment. 

Replacement of dead neurons following ischemia, either via enhanced endogenous neurogenesis or stem cell therapy, has been highly sought, but the low survival rate of newborn neurons has left doubt about the therapeutic potential of adult neurogenesis. However, the young injured brain has a greater degree of plasticity and capacity for repair compared to the adult.  

We use a reproducible mouse model of pediatric ischemic stroke in juvenile mice to investigate the cellular signaling responsible for the support of neurogenesis following stroke in the young brain. We utilize cutting-edge multidisciplinary techniques to investigate the mechanisms and disease-relevant circuitry underlying endogenous neuronal replacement, including: retroviral labeling, chemogenetics, molecular techniques, confocal microscopy, mouse genetics, neurobehavioral measures and in vivo electrophysiology. Our goal is to apply these results in adults to stimulate neurogenesis, with the long-term goal of augmenting neurogenesis in combination with stem cell therapy to dramatically improve neuronal replacement and functional outcomes after stroke. Newborn neuron production and survival in the developing brain has exciting implications for promoting post-ischemic neurogenesis and recovery in adults and children alike.  

Selected Publications

1. Orfila JE, Grewal H, Dietz RM, Strnad F, Shimizu T, Moreno M, Schroeder C, Yonchek J, Rodgers KM, Dingman A, Bernard TJ, Quillinan N, Macklin WB, Traystman RJ, Herson PS. Delayed inhibition of tonic inhibition enhances functional recovery following experimental ischemic stroke. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2019 Jun;39(6):1005-1014. 
2. Dingman AL, Rodgers KM, Dietz RM, Hickey SP, Frazier AP, Clevenger AC, Yonchek JC, Traystman RJ, Macklin WB, Herson PS. Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cell Proliferation and Fate after White Matter Stroke in Juvenile and Adult Mice. Dev Neurosci. 2019 Mar 12:1-16.
3. Orfila JE, Dietz RM, Rodgers KM, Dingman A, Patsos OP, Cruz-Torres I, Grewal H, Strnad F, Schroeder C, Herson PS. Experimental pediatric stroke shows age-specific recovery of cognition and role of hippocampal Nogo-A receptor signaling. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2019 Feb 14 [Epub ahead of print].
4. Dietz RM, Orfila JE, Rodgers KM, Patsos OP, Deng G, Chalmers N, Quillinan N, Traystman RJ, Herson PS. Juvenile cerebral ischemia reveals age-dependent BDNF-TrkB signaling changes: Novel mechanism of recovery and therapeutic intervention. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2018 Dec;38(12):2223-2235. 
5. Rodgers KM, Ahrendsen JT, Patsos OP, Strnad FA, Yonchek JC, Traystman RJ, Macklin WB, Herson PS. Endogenous Neuronal Replacement in the Juvenile Brain Following Cerebral Ischemia. Neuroscience. 2018 Jun 1;380:1-13. 
6. Clevenger AC, Kim H, Salcedo E, Yonchek JC, Rodgers KM, Orfila JE, Dietz RM, Quillinan N, Traystman RJ, Herson PS. Endogenous Sex Steroids Dampen Neuroinflammation and Improve Outcome of Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice. J Mol Neurosci. 2018 Mar;64(3):410-420. 
7. Taylor JA, Rodgers KM, Bercum FM, Booth CJ, Dudek FE, Barth DS. Voluntary Control of Epileptiform Spike-Wave Discharges in Awake Rats. J Neurosci. 2017 Jun 14;37(24):5861-5869. 
8. Deng G, Orfila JE, Dietz RM, Moreno-Garcia M, Rodgers KM, Coultrap SJ, Quillinan N, Traystman RJ, Bayer KU, Herson PS. Autonomous CaMKII Activity as a Drug Target for Histological and Functional Neuroprotection after Resuscitation from Cardiac Arrest. Cell Rep. 2017 Jan 31;18(5):1109-1117. 
9. Bercum FM, Rodgers KM, Benison AM, Smith ZZ, Taylor J, Kornreich E, Grabenstatter HL, Dudek FE, Barth DS. Maternal Stress Combined with Terbutaline Leads to Comorbid Autistic-Like Behavior and Epilepsy in a Rat Model. J Neurosci. 2015 Dec 2;35(48):15894-902. 
10. Rodgers KM, Dudek FE, Barth DS. Progressive, Seizure-Like, Spike-Wave Discharges Are Common in Both Injured and Uninjured Sprague-Dawley Rats: Implications for the Fluid Percussion Injury Model of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy. J Neurosci. 2015 Jun 17;35(24):9194-204. 

Complete List of my Published Work in MyBibliography: LEARN MORE
 

Postdoctoral Fellows

We are actively recruiting Postdoctoral Fellows.
 

Graduate Students

Graduate students interested in research in the Rodgers Lab should contact Dr. Rodgers at krodge@lsuhsc.edu.