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Faculty Detail     Name RITA COWELL   Campus Address SC 729 Zip 0017 Phone 205-975-7466 E-mail rcowell@uab.edu Other websites

Faculty Appointment(s) Appointment Type Department Division Rank Primary  Psychiatry   Psych - Behavioral Neurobiology Assistant Professor Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Assistant Professor Secondary  Neurobiology  Neurobiology Assistant Professor Center  Civitan International Research Center  Civitan International Research Center Assistant Professor Center  Medicine  Comprehensive Diabetes Ctr Assistant Professor Center  General Clinical Research Center  Comprehensive Neuroscience Center Assistant Professor Center  Ctr for Glial Bio in Med  Ctr for Glial Bio in Med Assistant Professor Center  Neurology   Ctr Neurodegeneration & Exp Ther (CNET) Assistant Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology  Cellular and Molecular Biology Program  Medical Scientist Training Program  Neuroscience  Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine

Biographical Sketch  1997 B.S. in Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 2002 Ph.D. in Neuroscience, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 2002-6 Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurology, University of Michigan 2006-present Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, UAB

Society Memberships Organization Name Position Held Org Link American Association for the Advancement of Science       Endocrine Society      Society for Neuroscience

Research/Clinical Interest Title Transcriptional regulation of interneuron-specific genes in development and neurodegeneration Description Fast-spiking interneurons in the cortex and hippocampus exert strong control over the firing of pyramidal cell populations, forming the cellular basis for coordinated movement and learning and memory. Little is known about the transcriptional pathways that support these functions. The Cowell lab has discovered a transcriptional pathway that controls the expression of genes involved in calcium homeostasis, synchronous neurotransmitter release, and neuron structure specifically in fast-spiking interneurons, and the lab is investigating 1) how this pathway is disrupted in animal models of movement disorders (Huntington Disease) and 2) what components make up the transcriptional complexes that induce these genes. The lab uses a variety of technical strategies to address these questions including targeted overexpression and knockdown approaches in cell culture and transgenic animal models, quantitative RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, behavioral testing, electrophysiology, immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporter assays, and Western blotting. The lab also uses adenoviral vectors to reconstitute members of this transcriptional pathway as a strategy to rescue behavioral deficits in animal models. It is our hope that these experiments will ultimately reveal novel pathways for the development of pharmaceutical interventions to improve the lives of patients with neurological disorders.

Selected Publications  Publication PUBMEDID Ma D, Li S, Lucas EK, Cowell RM, Lin JD. (2010) Neuronal inactivation of PPARg Coactivator 1a (PGC-1a) protects mice from diet-induced obesity and leads to degenerative lesions. J. Biol. Chem. 285:39087-95.  20947495  Lucas EK, Markwardt S, Gupta S, Meador-Woodruff JH, Lin JD, Overstreet-Wadiche L, Cowell RM. (2010) Parvalbumin deficiency and GABAergic dysfunction in mice lacking PGC-1a. J. Neurosci. 30:7227-35.   20505089  Cowell RM, Talati P, Blake KR, Meador-Woodruff JH, Russell JW. (2009) Identification of novel targets for PGC-1a and histone deacetylase inhibitors in neuroblastoma cells. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 379:578-82.   19118529  Cowell RM, Blake KR, Inoue T, Russell JW. (2008) Regulation of PGC-1a and PGC-1a-responsive genes with forskolin-induced Schwann cell differentiation. Neurosci. Lett. 439:269-274.  18538475  Cowell RM, Blake KR, Russell JW. (2007) Localization of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1a to GABAergic neurons during maturation of the rat brain. J. Comp. Neurol. 502:1-18. Cover image.   17335037  Cowell RM, Xu H, Parent JM, Silverstein FS. (2006) Microglial expression of chemokine receptor CCR5 during rat forebrain development and after perinatal hypoxia-ischemia. J. Neuroimmunol. 173:155-65.  16516309  Cowell RM, Plane JM, Silverstein FS. (2003) Complement activation contributes to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in neonatal rats. J. Neurosci. 23:9459-68.  14561876  Cowell RM, Silverstein FS. (2003) Developmental changes in the expression of chemokine receptor CCR1 in the rat cerebellum. J. Comp. Neurol. 457:7-23.  12541321  Cowell RM, Xu H, Galasso JM, Silverstein FS. (2002) Hypoxic-ischemic injury induces macrophage inflammatory protein-1a expression in immature rat brain. Stroke. 33:795-801.  11872906  Galasso JM, Miller MJ, Cowell RM, Harrison JK, Warren JS, Silverstein FS. (2000) Acute excitotoxic injury induces MCP-1 expression and recruitment of CCR2-immunoreactive microglia in neonatal rat brain. Exp. Neurol.165:295-305.  10993690  First Prev   1 2 of  2  Next Last

Keywords Transcription, Huntington Disease, movement disorders, GABA, Neuroanatomy, Metabolism, Mitochondria, Neurobiology

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