Sanders-Brown Faculty

Stephen Scheff, Ph.D.

Professor, Associate Director

Departmental Affiliation(s):

Anatomy and Neurobiology, Neurology, Psychology and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

Endowed Chair

Mansbach Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease.

Research Focus:

Changes in brain connectivity as a function of both normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Using morphological studies, it is possible to investigate changes in synaptic connections in both limbic and association areas of the brain that reflect alterations in cognitive function. The laboratory uses short postmortem human tissue to try and understand the mechanisms underlying the loss of synaptic connections in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease. Another portion of the laboratory employs animal models of traumatic brain injury to study how normal aging affects the recovery mechanism following neural trauma. These studies are multi-faceted and study not only morphological but also behavioral and neurochemical alterations.

Lab Mission:

To gain a better understanding of normal human aging and changes occurring in mild cognitive impairment leading to the development of pharmacologic therapy to improve the quality of life.

Recent Publications:

Adjan VV, Hauser KF, Bakalkin G, Yakovleva T, Gharibyan A, Scheff SW, Knapp PE. Caspase-3 activity is reduced after spinal cord injury in mice lacking dynorphin: differential effects on glia and neurons. Neuroscience 148: 724-736, 2007.

Bruce-Keller AJ, Dimayuga FO, Reed JL, Wang C, Angers R, Wilson ME, Dimayuga VM, Scheff SW. Gender and estrogen manipulation do not affect traumatic brain injury in mice. J Neurotrauma 24: 203-215, 2007.

Fee DB, Swartz KR, Joy KM, Roberts KN, Scheff NN, Scheff SW. Effects of progesterone on experimental spinal cord injury. Brain Res 1137: 146-152, 2007.

Onifer SM, Rabchevsky AG, Scheff SW. Rat models of traumatic spinal cord injury to assess motor recovery. Ilar J 48: 385-395, 2007.

Rabchevsky AG, Sullivan PG, Scheff SW. Temporal-spatial dynamics in oligodendrocyte and glial progenitor cell numbers throughout ventrolateral white matter following contusion spinal cord injury. Glia 55: 831-843, 2007.

Scheff SW, Price DA, Schmitt FA, DeKosky ST, Mufson EJ. Synaptic alterations in CA1 in mild Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment. Neurology 68: 1501-1508, 2007.

Swartz KR, Fee DB, Joy KM, Roberts KN, Sun S, Scheff NN, Wilson ME, Scheff SW. Gender differences in spinal cord injury are not estrogen-dependent. J Neurotrauma 24: 473-480, 2007.