Lucas Pozzo-Miller, PhD

Bio

Dr. Lucas Pozzo-Miller completed his university studies in Biology (1986) and earned his Doctorate in Biology (1989), both from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. He trained as postdoctoral fellow at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH (1990-1992), and at the former Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley NJ (1992-1995). Dr. Pozzo-Miller performed summer research at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole MA (1994 Grass Foundation Fellow and 1995 Lakian Foundation Fellow), and was a Senior Staff Fellow at NINDS, NIH, Bethesda MD (1995-1998). Dr. Pozzo-Miller worked in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for 25 years, and recently moved to the Department of Pediatrics & Human Development at Michigan State University as the inaugural Mall Family Endowed Professor for Genetic Autism Research. Lucas Pozzo-Miller works towards the understanding of the cellular bases of cognitive dysfunction in experimental models of neurodevelopmental disorders with autism, with the main goal of testing novel therapies in preclinical studies. Currently, the lab works on a genetic mouse model of Rett syndrome, a monogenic neurodevelopmental disorder with autistic features that affects girls and women because the gene that carries mutations is located in the X chromosome. We are testing if enhancing the function of the trophic factor BDNF in Rett mutant mice improves their social cognition.

Education and Training

Teaching Responsibilities

Selected Grants

• R01-MH130862-01 (07/01/2022 – 06/30/2027), The Role of CHD7 in ACC neurons, Kai Jiao (MPI); Lucas Pozzo-Miller (MPI); Qin Wang (corresponding MPI)

Selected Publications

• Phillips ML, HA Robinson & L Pozzo-Miller (2019). Ventral hippocampal projections to the medial prefrontal cortex regulate social memory. eLife 2019;8:e44182. PMID: 31112129. PMCID: PMC6542587
• Li W, A Bellot-Saez, ML Phillips, T Yang, FM Longo & L Pozzo-Miller (2017). A small molecule TrkB ligand restores hippocampal synaptic plasticity and object location memory in Rett syndrome mice. Disease Models & Mechanisms 10: 837-845. PMID: 28679669. PMCID: PMC5536912
• Li W, X Xu & L Pozzo-Miller (2016). Excitatory synapses are stronger in the hippocampus of Rett syndrome mice due to altered synaptic AMPAR trafficking. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 113: E1575-E1584. PMID: 26929363
• Li W, G Calfa, J Larimore & L Pozzo-Miller (2012). Activity-dependent BDNF release and TRPC signaling is impaired in hippocampal neurons of Mecp2 mutant mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 109: 17087-17092. PMID: 23027959. PMCID: PMC3479462
  Li W & L Pozzo-Miller (2019). Differences in GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors result in opposite long-term plasticity at ipsilateral vs. contralateral cortico-striatal synapses. eNeuro 6(6) 0118-19.2019: 1-10

   

   

Awards and Honors

• 2024 Member, planning committee, Annual Meeting of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF)
• 2023-2025 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, IRSF
• 2021 Outstanding Career Coach award Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars, NIH-funded R25, UAB
• 2018-2024 Member of NIH Study Section (NDPR); Chair: Feb 2019, Oct 2021, Oct 2022-2024. Alternate Chair: Jun 2019, Jun 2020, Feb 2021, Jun 2021, Jun 2022
• 2018, 2020-21 Chair, Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, Department of Defense
• 2018 Editorial Board, Learning & Memory
• 2018 Associate Editor, Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience
• 2018 Invited Speaker at Rett Syndrome Symposium, Rome, Italy
• 2017 Invited Speaker at Gordon Conference “Excitatory Synapses and Brain Function”. Les Diablerets, Switzerland
• 2017 Chair Nanosymposium at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Washington, DC
• 2016 Co-Chair Fundamental-Discovery Science session, 14th Meeting of RettSyndrome.org
• 2016-2018 Editorial Board, Heliyon (Elsevier)
• 2015-2021 Member of the Faculty Council, SOM
• 2014-2019 Associate Editor, The Journal of Neuroscience
• 2014 Chair NIH Study Section NICHD Fragile X Research Centers
• 2014 Invited Speaker at “Cortical dysfunction in Rett Syndrome: Opportunities for new treatment development” panel, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Steamboat Springs, CO
• 2013 Member Advisory Committee, Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence, Michigan State University
• 2013 Chair NIH Study Section NICHD Fragile X Research Centers
• 2011 Chair Working Group, NIH Workshop on “Setting Priorities for Therapy Development in Rett Syndrome”, Bethesda, MD
• 2011 Chair Nanosymposium at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Washington, DC
• 2011 Invited Speaker at “Synaptic Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders” Symposium, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
• 2011 Co-Chair of “Rett Pathophysiology” Session at the 12th Meeting of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, Leesburg, VA
• 2011-2018 Review Editor, Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience
• 2009-present Editorial Board, Journal of Neurophysiology
• 2009-2016 Editorial Board, Neural Plasticity
• 2008 Honorary Member of the Argentinean Society for Neuroscience (SAN)
• 2008 Co-Organizer at the Symposium on “Recent Advances in Neurotrophin Signaling at Central Synapses” at the 6th Forum of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, Geneva, Switzerland
• 2008 Invited Speaker at the University of California at Irvine Epilepsy Research Center Symposium “Hot Topics in Epilepsy”, Newport Beach, CA
• 2008-2012 Member of NIH Study Section (NTRC) 2008-2015 Member Scientific Review Panel, IRSF.
• 2007 Invited Speaker at the “Shared Neurobiology of Autism and Related Disorders” meeting at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
• 2005 Inaugural McNulty Civitan Scholar Award, Civitan International Foundation
• 2005 Elected Member of the UAB Faculty Senate
• 2004 Invited Speaker at Gordon Conference on “Synaptic Transmission”, Meriden, NH
• 2003 Session Chair at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
• 2002-2006 Member of NIH Study Section (MNPS, former MDCN-4)
• 2002 Co-Organizer at “Neurotrophin regulation of synaptic transmission” Symposium, 3rd Forum of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, Paris, France
• 1999 Fellows Award for Research Excellence. NIH, Bethesda, MD
• 1999 Invited Speaker at the Journal of Physiology Symposium on “Neuronal compartmentalization: channels, receptors and signaling”, Miami, FL
• 1996 European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Fellowship to attend “Course on Single-cell PCR and Imaging of Neurons in Bran Slices” at I Physiologisches Institut, Universität des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar, Germany
• 1995 The Lakian Foundation Fellowship at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. Dr. Rodolfo Llinás, mentor
• 1994 The Grass Foundation Fellowship in Neurophysiology at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. Dr. Rodolfo Llinás, mentor
• 1992 Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Hoffman La Roche Inc., Nutley NJ. Dr. John Connor, mentor
• 1986 Predoctoral Fellowship of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Argentina. Dr. Agustín Aoki, mentor