Faculty Profile
Address:
Helen Hayes Hospital Center
CNRRR
Room 13-1-3
Route 9W
West Haverstraw
New York, NY10993
Phone: 845-786-4859
Fax: 845 486 4875
| Education and Training | |
| Ph.D. | 1986 |
Affiliations
Stem Cell Consortium
Neurology
Helen
Hayes Hospital
Training
My
laboratory currently includes 2 postdocs, 2 graduate student, 2 pre-medical
students, 1 technician, and 4 high school students.
Other
training roles:
Epilepsy Foundation Postdoctoral grant (Preceptor, Scharfman; postdoc,
Susan Walling)
Participant,
NIH NINDS Training grant, Dept. of Neurology
| Helen
E. Scharfman, Ph.D. Associate Professor |
Research
Summary
My laboratory addresses the control of limbic excitability by correlated
electrophysiology and anatomy. Current interests include growth factors
and neurogenesis, and their implications for neurological diseases
such as epilepsy.
Selected Publications:
1. Scharfman
HE, Sollas AL, Berger RE, Goodman JH. Electrophysiological
evidence of monosynaptic excitatory transmission between granule
cells after seizure-induced mossy fiber sprouting. J Neurophysiol. 2003
Oct;90(4):2536-47.
2. Howell OW, Scharfman HE, Herzog
H, Sundstrom LE, Beck-Sickinger A, Gray WP. Neuropeptide Y is neuroproliferative
for post-natal hippocampal precursor cells. J Neurochem. 2003
Aug;86(3):646-59.
3. Scharfman H.E., Witter M.P. and
Schwarcz R., Eds. (2000) The Parahippocampal Region: Basic Science
and Clinical Implications. New York: New York Academy of Sciences.
4. Binder D.K., Croll S.D., Gall C.M. and Scharfman H.E. (2001) BDNF and epilepsy: too much of a good thing? Trends Neurosci. 24: 47-53.
5. Scharfman
H.E., Goodman J.H., Sollas A.L. (2000) Granule-like neurons
at the hilar/CA3 border after status epilepticus and their synchrony
with area CA3 pyramidal cells: functional implications of seizure-induced
neurogenesis. J. Neurosci. 20:6144-6158.
6. Scharfman H.E. (1999) The role of
nonprincipal cells in dentate gyrus excitability and its relevance to
animal models of epilepsy and temporal lobe epilepsy. In: Basic Mechanisms
of the Epilepsies: Molecular and Cellular Approaches, Third edition.
Eds: A.V. Delgado-Esqueta, W. Wilson, R.W. Olsen, and R.J. Porter. New
York, Lippincott-Raven, pp. 805-820.
Current Projects
1.
The Role of Neuropeptide Y in Epilepsy
Human Frontiers Science Program
Principal Investigator: Gunther Sperk, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator: Helen E. Scharfman, Ph.D.
9/1/00-1/01/04
2.
BDNF & Hippocampal Hyperexcitability
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Principal Investigator: Helen E. Scharfman, PhD
12/1/03-11/30/07
3. Kynurenines, GLIA and Epilepsy
Principal
Investigator: Robert Schwarcz, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator: Helen E. Scharfman, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
7/1/03 - 6/30/08
4.
Ectopic Granule Cells & Synaptic Restructuring After Seizure
Principal Investigator: Joseph Pierce, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator: Helen E. Scharfman, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
2/1/02-1/30/06
Recently Completed Projects
1. Hilar
Neurons and Hippocampal Network Function
Principal Investigator:Helen E. Scharfman, PhD
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
1/1/99 - 12/31/03
Honors and Awards
| 1992 | Epilepsy Research Grant Award, |
| 1992 | FIRST award, |
| 1997 | Grass lecturer, |
Committees/Council Memberships
Committees
Chair, IACUC, Helen Hayes Hospital
Advisory
boards
Scientific Advisory Board, CURE (Citizens United for Research on Epilepsy)
Professional
Society Memberships
Society for Neuroscience
American Epilepsy Society
New York Academy of Sciences
Study
Sections
NIH NINDS NTRC (member)
NIH NINDS NST (ad hoc)
Keywords
granule, hippocampus, neuron, pyramidal cell, biological signal transduction, interneuron, mossy fiber, neural plasticity, synapse, electrophysiology, laboratory rat brain electrical activity, neural transmission, neurotrophic factor, pyramidal cell, gamma aminobutyrate, granule cell, mossy fiber, neurotoxin, pilocarpine, tissue /cell culture, voltage /patch clamp