DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY LAB @ SCU
Our lab studies the cellular mechanisms
of brain development.
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Research Focus
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF OLIGODENDROCYTES IN DEVELOPMENT AND IN DISEASE?
We examine this question at several levels:
Proliferation and Differentiation
Synapse Development
Synapse Function
Circuit Formation
Myelination
Research Overview
Oligodendrocytes myelinate neuronal axons to modulate the speed and timing of neuronal activity. This process is dynamic throughout life, but the bulk of synapse formation in neurons and myelination of axons by oligodendrocytes occurs in early postnatal development in mice and humans. Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells (OPCs) divide throughout adult life, producing new oligodendrocytes that can remyelinate axons after injury and as a mechanism of plasticity. Aberrant myelination is implicated in developmental and mood disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia as well as depression and bipolar disorder, and it is a key feature of white matter diseases including multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophy. Understanding the mechanisms by which oligodendrocytes myelinate axons has the potential to inform treatment for numerous psychiatric and neurological diseases and disorders. Our lab and many others have shown that neuronal activity is instructive for OPC development and myelination. We have also found that pathological neuronal activity from seizures leads to changes in OPC proliferation and differentiation, synaptic connectivity, and myelination. Currently, we are examining synaptic proteins and their role in regulating neuron to OPC synapse formation, OPC development, and myelination.
We value intellectual curiosity, creativity, and integrity
Laura Cocas, PhD
Dr. Cocas is a developmental neurobiologist whose research focuses on synapse formation and myelination in the developing forebrain. She earned her B.A. in Neuroscience and Psychology from Pitzer College and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Georgetown University, where she studied the genetic regulation of cell fate in the developing basal forebrain. She subsequently completed a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Basel and a postdoctoral fellowship in Neurology at UCSF, where she developed viral tools to study cortical circuits and neural-glial connections
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Dr. Cocas has taught neuroscience and biology at several universities and joined the Biology faculty at Santa Clara University in 2017. She has also been deeply involved with the Marine Biological Laboratory, serving as a Grass Fellow, associate director of the Grass Fellowship Program, and instructor in the Neurobiology Course. Her research at SCU investigates how synaptic interactions regulate oligodendrocyte development and myelination. Her work has been supported by the NINDS and several competitive fellowships, including Fulbright, UC President’s Postdoctoral, and NINDS NRSA fellowships.
