Neuroscience Research at St. Lawrence

Dr. Joseph Erlichman is currently funded by the National Science Foundation and has two primary research interests. In one set of studies, Dr. Erlichman studies the role of glial cells in brain function and how these cells provide metabolic support to neurons and modulate their activity. Glial cells appear to regulate the environment around neurons by adjusting the level of chemical transmitters capable of interacting with neurons. In doing so, glia are capable of controlling the production of electrical signals in neurons and, therefore, the manner in which the brain processes information.

Dr. Erlichman's second research interest is studying ischemic injury that underlies tissue damage following stroke. He uses an in vitro model of stroke in which living brain slices prepared from rodents are exposed to solutions that mimic stroke and cellular mechanisms that underlie tissue death. Recently, the lab has used nanoparticles as a therapeutic intervention to reduce the extent of tissue death. Undergraduate research students in the lab are currently studying the mechanisms of tissue sparing by these particles.

Whenever possible, Dr. Erlichman provides paid research positions to students to give them the opportunity to participate fully in his research program and gain the skills, understanding, and appreciation necessary for pursuing original scientific research. Jeffrey Aston '09 assisted him with preparing living brain sections from the rat. Jeff graduated from SLU this year and is currently a research technologist in the Pharmacology Department at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He plans to attend medical school in 2010.