Ashley Nemes-Baran, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Neurosciences
School of Medicine

Teaching Information

Courses Taught

NEURO 201: Fundamentals of Neuroscience I
NEURO 202: Fundamentals of Neuroscience II
NEUR 303: Methods in Neuroscience Research
NEUR 304: The Neurobiology of Homeostasis

Research Information

Research Interests

Alterations in homeostatic mechanisms of the brain can lead to various neurological disorders including autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, etc. Changes in synapse number, proteins involved in synaptogenesis, and axon outgrowth may lead to imbalances in excitation and inhibition, and improper connectivity between specific brain regions. Recent studies have identified alterations in microglia leading to detrimental effects on the pruning process of both synapses, neural progenitor cells, and more recently, oligodendrocytes. Dr. Nemes is interested in the relationship between cellular dysfunction in development and neurological disorders throughout the lifespan including epilepsy,  brain injury and repair, Alzheimer's Disease, and demyelinating disorders. By understanding the underlying mechanisms of neurodevelopment, we can provide new insights into early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of neurological disorders in both development and adulthood.

Professional Memberships

Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience
Society for Neuroscience

Publications

View All Publications

Selected Publications

1. Nemes-Baran, A.D., White, D.R., DeSilva, T.M. Fractalkine-Dependent Microglial Pruning of Viable Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells Regulates Myelination Cell Reports, 32(7): 108047.

2. Zhou, Q-G., Nemes, A., Lee, D., Ro, E.J., Zhang, J., Nowacki, A., Dymecki, S., Najm I., Suh, H. (2019) Chemogenetic silencing of hippocampal neurons suppresses epileptic neural circuits. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 129(1):310-323.

3. Zhou, Q-G, Zhu, X-H, Nemes, A.D., Zhu, D-Y. (2018). Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase and Affective Disorders. International Brain Research Organization Reports, 5, 116-132.

4. Adewole, D.O., Struzyna, L.A., Harris, J.P., Nemes, A.D., Burrell, J.C., Petrov, D., Kraft, R.H., Chen, H.I., Wolf, J.A., Serruya, M.D., Cullen, D.K. (2018). Optically-Controlled 'Living Electrodes' with Long-Projecting Axon Tracts for a Synaptic Brain-Machine Interface. SSRN Electronic Journal, http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3189383.

5. Liu, M-Y., Nemes, A., Zhou, Q-G. (2018). The Emerging Roles for Telomerase in the Central Nervous System. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 11:160.

6. Nemes, A.D., Ayasoufi, A., Ying, Z., Zhou, Q.G., Suh, H., Najm, I.M. (2017). Growth Associated Protein 43 (GAP-43) as a Novel Target for the Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Epileptogenesis. Scientific Reports, 7(1): 17702.

7. Serruya, M.D., Harris, J.P., Adewole, D.O, Struzyna, L.A., Burrell, J.C., Nemes, A., Petrov, D., Kraft, R.H., Chen, H.I., Wolf, J.A., Cullen, D.K. (2017). Engineered Axonal Tracts as “Living Electrodes” for Synaptic‐Based Modulation of Neural Circuitry. Advanced Functional Materials, doi: 10.1002/adfm.201701183

8. Nemes, A.D., O’Dwyer, R., Najm, I.M., Ying, Z., Gonzalez-Martinez, J., Alexopoulos, A. (2017). Treatment with Lacosamide impedes generalized seizures in rodent model of cortical dysplasia. Epilepsia, 58(10): 1755-1761.

9. Nemes, A., Najm, I., Gale, J.T., Ying, Z., Johnson, M., Gonzalez-Martinez, J. (2016). Underlying cortical dysplasia as risk factor for traumatic epilepsy: An animal study. Journal of Neurotrauma, 33(20): 1883-1891.

10. Ying, Z., Najm, I., Nemes, A., Pinheiro-Martins, A.P., Alexopoulos, A., Gonzalez-Martinez, J., Bingaman, W. (2014). Growth-associated protein 43 and progressive epilepsy in cortical dysplasia. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 1-9.

Education

Bachelor of Science
Neuroscience and Psychology
Baldwin-Wallace University
2011
PhD
Biomedical Science, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Kent State University
2016

Residencies, Internships and Fellowships

Graduate Research, Underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of epileptogenesis within cortical dysplasia
Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center, 2010-2016
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Integration of iPSC-derived cerebral organoids within neuronal networks as a novel treatment for brain injury
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2016-2017
Postdoctoral Fellowship, The role of microglial pruning of pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disease
Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, 2017-2020