Professor, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy
Clinical Professor, Department of Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry
Graduate Training: Michigan State University
Fellowship: University of North Carolina
West Virginia University School of Medicine
One Medical Center Drive
PO Box 9128 Health Sciences Center
Morgantown, WV 26506-9128
t: 304-293-2435
f: 304-293-8159
e: asalm@hsc.wvu.edu
Research Interests
My laboratory currently has two major foci. The first is plasticity in the amygdala the part of the brain that controls fear. We are interested in the amygdala's potential role in the etiology of mental health conditions brought about or exacerbated by stress including post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder. So far we have examined behavioral, biochemical and structural changes in the brains of adult rats whose mothers were subjected to mild stress during pregnancy. Similar to humans with histories of childhood trauma, these animals are behaviorally hyperresponsive to stress and have altered brain biochemistry. We have now also shown an enlargement in the lateral subnucleus of the amygdala. Our recent developmental studies further indicate that these alterations in behavior and structure are detectable early in development. Experiments currently underway also implicate activation of DNA binding Smad proteins in the amygdala's response to stress (picture). We now plan to use a variety of approaches including light microscopic level stereology, multiprobe fluorescence histochemistry, behavioral assessments, tract tracing techniques and physiological approaches to further explore how prenatal stress alters the brain circuits governing fear and anxiety.
A second long time interest has been the contribution to brain plasticity of a major class of glial cell, the astrocyte. The physical presence of astrocytes in the CNS serves to regulate communication amongst specific sets of neurons by modulating synaptic contacts, and through the establishment and maintenance of neuronal subgroupings. Astrocytes do this by undergoing structural plasticity, i.e., actively rearranging their processes to selectively segregate neuronal elements. Recently we have extended our study of glial cells to include microglia and evaluating the role of glia in events surrounding prenatal stress in the amygdala.
 |
Triple label histo and immunofluorescence for glial fibrillary acidic protein (astrocytes:red), Smad protein (green) and Nissl substance (blue) showing Smad proteins in neurons and astrocytes. When activated by stimulation of the TGFb family of receptors, Smad proteins become activated, translocate to the nucleus and bind to DNA to cause a variety of cellular responses (Dou et al., 2000, Mol. Cell. Biol., 20:6201). |
