synaptic transmission in the brain

Istvan Mody

Istvan Mody's laboratory studies the physiology, pharmacology, and pathology of synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain, and the regulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis, with the aim of understanding how long-term alterations in the excitability of nerve cells and circuits affect the balance between excitation and inhibition. The lab is currently carrying out research in animal models of epilepsy, Huntington's disease, stress, alcoholism, PMS/PMDD, and postpartum depression.

Lab web site

Recent Publications

Gu, X., Cantle J.P., Greiner, E., Lee, C.Y.D., Barth, A.M., Gao, F., Park, C.S., Zhang, Z., Sandoval-Miller, S., Zhang, R.L., Diamond, M., Mody, I., Coppola, G., and Yang, X.W. (2015) N17 modifies mutant Huntingtin nuclear pathogenesis and severity of disease in HD BAC transgenic mice. Neuron, 85: 726-741.

Chen, L., Faas, G.C., Ferando, I., and Mody, I. (2015) Novel insights into the behavioral analysis of mice subjected to the forced swim test. Translational Psychiatry, 5: e551. doi: 10.1038/tp.2015.44.Brickley, S.G., and Mody, I. (2012) Extrasynaptic GABAA receptors: Their function in the CNS and implications for disease. Neuron, 73: 23-34.

Ferando, I., and Mody, I. (2015) In vitro gamma oscillations following partial and complete ablation of δ subunit-containing GABAA receptors from parvalbumin interneurons. Neuropharmacology, 88: 91-98.

Barth, A.M., Ferando, I., and Mody, I. (2014) Ovarian cycle-linked plasticity of δ-GABAA receptor subunits in hippocampal interneurons affects γ oscillations in vivo. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 8: 222. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00222.

Jones R.T., Faas G.C., and Mody I. (2014) Intracellular bicarbonate regulates action potential generation via KCNQ channel modulation. J. Neuroscience, 34: 4409-4417.

Tong X., Ao Y., Faas G.C., Nwaobi S.E., Xu J., Haustein M.D., Anderson M.A., Mody I., Olsen M.L., Sofroniew M.V., and Khakh B.S. (2014) Huntington’s disease model mice exhibit astrocyte Kir4.1 ion channel dysfunction that contributes to medium spiny neuron excitability, Nature Neuroscience, 17: 694-703.

Ferando, I., and Mody, I. (2013) Altered gamma oscillations during pregnancy through loss of δ subunit-containing GABAA receptors on parvalbumin interneurons. Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 7: 144. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00144.

Engel, J. Jr., Thompson, P.M., Stern, J.M., Staba, R.J., Bragin, A., and Mody, I. (2013) Connectomics and epilepsy. Curr. Opinion in Neurology, 26:186-194.

Verret, L., Mann, E.O., Hang, G.B., Barth, A.M., Cobos, I., Ho, K., Devidze N., Masliah, E., Kreitzer, A.C., Mody, I., Mucke, L., and Palop, J.J. (2012) Key role of interneuronal impairments in Alzheimer's disease-related neural network and cognitive dysfunction. Cell, 149: 708-721.

The splicing regulator Rbfox1 (A2BP1) controls neuronal excitation in the mammalian brain. Gehman LT, Stoilov P, Maguire J, Damianov A, Lin CH, Shiue L, Ares M Jr, Mody I, Black DL. Nat Genet. 2011 May 29;43(7):706-11. doi: 10.1038/ng.841.

Calmodulin as a direct detector of Ca2+ signals. Faas GC, Raghavachari S, Lisman JE, Mody I. Nat Neurosci. 2011 Mar;14(3):301-4. Epub 2011 Jan 23.

Changes in hippocampal neuronal activity during and after unilateral selective hippocampal ischemia in vivo. Barth AM, Mody I. J Neurosci. 2011 Jan 19;31(3):851-60.