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Faculty Profile Last Modified Time: 02:52:31 PM Thu, 16 Apr 2020   Contact Information Matthew Rasband Associated Profiles  Professor and Vivian L. Smith Endowed Chair, Neuroscience, & Molecular and Cellular Biology; Director, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine     One Baylor Plaza     Room No.: S611A    rasband@bcm.tmc.edu     713-798-4494    Web Link    Lab Webpage    Ranvier's Nodes, Myelin Sheath, Cytoskeleton, Axons, Spectrin, Molecular Signaling, Glial Cells, Brain and Spinal Cord, Multiple Sclerosis, Nervous System Diseases and Injuries, Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injury    Associated Profiles Research and Expertise Affiliations Appointments  Research and Expertise Research Interests   Our long range goals are to elucidate the processes that underlie the molecular assembly of electrogenic compartments of axons and the role that myelinating cells (oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells) play in this process in health and in disease. Our lab explores the molecular basis of signaling between glial cells and axons in the brain and spinal cord under a variety of conditions including the normal process of myelination that occurs during development, demyelination and remyelination in disorders such as multiple sclerosis and the responses of axons and their myelinating cells to injuries of various types, including trauma. Our laboratory is working to understand the underlying mechanisms that regulate the clustering of ion channels at the sites that initiate and propagate action potentials: the axon initial segment and nodes of Ranvier. Many nervous system diseases and injuries result in the disruption of these domains. For example, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury (TBI and SCI), as well as demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis result in widespread axonal injury. It is now appreciated that a host of molecular events occurs that ultimately results in the disruption of axons and their excitable domains. One particularly sensitive component of axons is the spectrin/ankyrin based cytoskeleton. Spectrins and ankyrins are highly enriched at axon initial segments and nodes of Ranvier and are essential for maintaining both the high-density cluster of ion channels. Our research team is working to uncover the molecular mechanisms regulating formation and maintenance of ion channel clusters in axons since any therapeutic strategy aimed at nervous system repair and/or regeneration will require the re-establishment of these excitable domains.  Publications/Creative Works Click here to search for this faculty member's publications on PubMed.  Affiliations  Research Consortia GCC for Theoretical Neuroscience Gulf Coast Consortium for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience Gulf Coast Consortium for Translational Pain Research  Appointments Title Department / School Institution Professor and Vivian L. Smith Endowed Chair Neuroscience Baylor College of Medicine

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