NINDS Pathway to Independence Award Recipients

Benjamin R. Arenkiel, Ph.D.
Duke University
Activity Influence on Adult-Born Neuron Circuit Integration

David W. Colby, Ph.D.
University of California - San Francisco
Detection and structural analysis of misfolded proteins causing neurodegeneration

Janghoo Lim, Ph.D.
Baylor College of Medicine
The role of Nemo-like kinase in neurodegeneration

Mladen-Roko Rasin, M.D., Ph.D.
Yale University
Molecular Control of Corticospinal System Formation by Intermediate Targets

Daniel S. Reich, M.D., Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
Discovery of Functionally Relevant Imaging Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis

Debra L. Silver, Ph.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute Intramural Program
Analysis of the Exon Junction Complex in Neural Development and Microcephaly

Justin W. Taraska, Ph.D.
University of Washington
Structural dynamics of the proteins involved in calcium-triggered exocytosis

Anthony Antonellis, Ph.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute Intramural Program
Genetic and genomic approaches for studying inherited peripheral neuropathies

William B. Cafferty, Ph.D.
Yale University
Plasticity of intact circuits restores function after a spinal cord injury.

Joanna Chiu, Ph.D.
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
The role of clock protein phosphorylation and degradation in circadian biology

C. Andrew Frank, Ph.D.
University of California - San Francisco
How Ephexin Signaling Promotes Neuronal Stability

Marc Halterman, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Rochester
Defining neurotherapeutic targets in hypoxia-induced CHOP-10 signaling networks

Hiroyuki Koizumi, Ph.D.
University of California – San Diego
Doublecortin: career development plan in the neurosciences

Takako Makita, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
Role of endothelins in SCG axon guidance

Kathleen O'Connor-Giles, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin Madison
Regulation of synaptic growth and plasticity in Drosophila

Michael Orger, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Revealing neural circuits that control visually guided behaviors

Monica Perez, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Intramural Program
Intermanual transfer of learning in healthy and spinal cord injured individuals

David Prober, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Genetic analysis of sleep disorders in zebrafish

Avital Rodal, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Structure and regulation of synaptic architecture

Orie Shafer, Ph.D.
Washington University
Circuitry and Modulation of the Circardian Clock Network of D. melanogaster

Anastassios Tzingounis, Ph.D.
University of California – San Francisco
Molecular components of the calcium activated slow afterhyperpolarization

Jiou Wang, Ph.D.
Yale University
Mechanism of SOD1-linked ALS studied in C elegans and mouse models

Adan Aguirre, Ph.D.
Children's Research Institute
A role for EGF receptor signaling in oligodendrocyte development and repair

Michael Baldwin, Ph.D.
Medical College of Wisconsin
Interaction of Botulinum neurotoxins with presynaptic receptor complexes

Karen Chang, Ph.D.
Indiana University
Role of nebula/DSCR1 in mitochondria

Daniel Colon-Ramos, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Synaptic target selection in the thermotaxis neural circuit of C. elegans

Bianxiao Cui, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Imaging nerve growth factor signal transduction in live neurons

Matthew Gentry, Ph.D.
University of California - San Diego
Use of Novel Model Systems Link Floridean Starch Metabolism to Lafora Disease

Edward Huey, M.D.
National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Intramural Program
Investigation of the dopamine system in frontotemporal dementia

Michaela Jansen, Ph.D.
Yeshiva University
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Structure, Thermal Motion and Gating

Xiaoming Jin, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Connectivity in Posttraumatic Epileptogenesis

Fred Robinson, Ph.D.
University of California - San Diego
Roles of Myotubularin PI 3-phosphatases in Demyelinating Peripheral Neuropathy

Antonina Roll-Mecak, Ph.D.
University of California - San Francisco
Elucidation of the Biochemical Mechanism and In Vivo Functions of Spastin

Rodney Stewart, Ph.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Neural Crest Cell Survival and Migration in Zebrafish

Andrew West, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
The Role of LRRK2 in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease

Zhaolan Zhou, Ph.D.
Children's Hospital Boston
Neuronal Activity-dependent Regulation of MeCP2 Function