News and Updates
We are very proud that Drs. Decourt Guindon and Singer have been selected to represent TTUHSC at legislative sessions in Austin. Drs. Decourt and Singer presented on translational and clinical research on brain health and dementias at the Texas Dementia Symposium on February 20 in Austin in support of the supporting the Dementia Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) bill. Dr. Singer was invited back to testify on the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) bill HB 5 to the House Public Committee on Public Health at the State Capitol on March 10. Dr. Guindon testified about THC as a resource witness for HB 28 in House State Affairs at the State Capitol on April 7.
Congratulations to Dr. Singer on receiving the Excellence in Research Award at the TTU Faculty Awards Ceremony! What an incredible achievement!
Congratulations Dr Volker Neugebauer, Dr. Takaki Kiritoshi, and Dr. Vadim Yakhnitsa on receiving the NIH/NCCIH Intramural Scientific Achievement Merit Award! Your dedication and contributions to the field are truly inspiring, and this recognition is well-deserved. Wishing you all continued success!
Congratulations to Mariacristina Mazzitelli for being accepted into the prestigious 2025 International Astrocyte School! Out of a competitive pool of applicants, she is among the fortunate 35 students chosen to participate in this exclusive, one, week course, taking place from April 6-13 in Bertinoro, Italy. This is an incredible achievement and a wonderful opportunity for professional and academic growth. Well done!
It is with great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Volker Neugebauer on his appointment of the Grover E. Murray Professorship. This is the highest honor Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center can present to a professor. Congratulations on a well deserved award! To read the Daily Dose article, please click here or click here to read the article on the KCBD website.
Congratulations to Dr. Volker Neugebauer on being one of twelve TTUHSC faculty in the top 2% of the World's Scientists Rankings. The list was released, in the fall, by Stanford University/Elsevier's sixth edition. To read the article, click here.
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Michael Blanton has been chosen to receive the "Unsung Hero" award for his immense contributions to our students, faculty, and staff. Congratulations, Dr. Blanton!
It is with great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Volker Neugebauer on being this year's Douglas M. Stocco Scholarship/Research Award Recipient. Congratulations Dr. Neugebauer!
Congratulations to Dr. Igor Ponomarev on being awarded tenure by the Board of Regents! We greatly appreciate his hard work and commitment to the department and institution.
Congratulations to Ph.D. Students Brent Kisby (Mentor, Dr. Ponomarev) and Praneetha Panthagani (Mentor, Dr. Susan Bergeson), on being chosen for a travel award to the Behavior, Biology and Chemistry meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
Congratulations to Brent Kisby, Ph.D. Student in the Translational Neuroscience and Pharmacology Graduate Concentration, the recipient of Reid L. Norman & Cynthia Jumper Excellence in TNP Scholarship.
CTNT's 9th Annual Symposium | April 16th, 2025
Please mark your calendars for next year's symposium, which will be held on Wednesday, April 16th. Distinguished Keynote Speaker will be Dr. David Jett, Program Director, Office of Neural Exposome & Toxicology, Division of Translational Research, NIH, NINDS.
CTNT's 8th Annual Symposium | April 17th
The Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics (CTNT) and Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA) held their 8th Annual Symposium on Brain Health on Wednesday, April 17th. This event featured Distinguished Keynote Speaker: Shreaya Chakroborty, Ph.D., Program Director, Translational Research Branch Division of Neuroscience, NIH National Institute on Aging. Additional talks were given by CTNT members and a poster session was held with several monetary awards given for the best poster presentations.
Thank you to all who attended and participated. This event couldn't have been a success without you!
Please click here for this year's program.
We are thrilled to welcome our new members to the department! We are excited to have you on board and look forward to supporting you as you pursue your goals. Together, we will achieve great things!
- Susan Miller, Research Administrator II
- Shadt Skawratananond (Dr. Josh Lawrence's lab)
- Julian Cardenas (Dr. Igor Ponomarev's lab)
- Katia Azarfar (Dr. Boris Decourt's lab)
The Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience would like to welcome the following faculty:
- Jonathan Singer, Ph.D.
We look forward to working alongside them and know their expertise will be a great addition to our team!
We'd like to welcome the following students to the Translational Neuroscience and Pharmacology Concentration:
- Adam Baker, (Fall 2024), Adam will be joining Dr. Josh Lawrence's lab.
- Abena Dwamena, (Summer 2024), Abena will be joining Dr. Hongmin Wang's lab.
- Tenley Lehman, (Summer 2023), Tenley will be joining Dr. Patrick Reynold's lab.
Current Grants
NIDA-1R01DA044999-01A1
September 2018 - July 2023
“Mechanisms of cannabinoid tolerance”
R01NS109255
"Pronociceptive and antinociceptive opioid mechanisms in the central nucleus of the
amygdala"
NIH R01 AG071859-01A1
January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2026
"Transcriptional Dysfunction in Dentate Gyrus Cell Types: Roles of Retinoic Acid Responsive
Genes in Protection Against Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis"
PI Josh Lawrence, Co-I Igor Ponomarev, expected to receive $1,872,220
NIH R01 AG073826-01A1
August 1, 2022 - April 30, 2027
"The hippocampal dentate gyrus in aging and Alzheimer's disease: boosting transcription
of retinoic acid-sensitive genes through HDAC inhibition and vitamin A supplementation"
PI Josh Lawrence, expected to receive $3,158,615.
Garrison Family Foundation
"Examining Effects of Respite and Individual Clinical Interventions on Biopsychosocial
Outcomes in Informal Caregivers of Dementia Patients"
NIH/NINDS R01 NS129552
September 20, 2022 - July 31, 2027
“Brain Circuits of Migraine Pain”
PI (Contact), Frank Porreca (University of Arizona), MPI, Edita Navratilova (University
of Arizona), MPI, Volker Neugebauer, expected to receive $3,118,625 (TTUHSC subcontract
$1,235,720)
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) research grant
September 1, 2022 - August 31,2023
“Implementing Individual Mental Health Treatment and Respite for Hispanic Informal
Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia”
PI, Jonathan Singer, TTU, MPI, Volker Neugebauer, expected to receive $14,000
Garrison Family Foundation
January 15, 2021 - November 30, 2026
“Increasing Mental Health Services for Low Income and Minority Informal Caregivers
of Dementia Patients: A GIA and TTU Collaboration”
PI, Volker Neugebauer, expected to receive $75,000
NIH/NINDS R01 NS038261
December 15, 2021 - November 30, 2026
"Amygdala Pain Mechanisms"
PI, Volker Neugebauer, MPI, Igor Ponomarev, expected to receive $2,757,940
NIH/NINDS R01 NS120395
Impact Score: 10, Percentile: 1.0
August 1, 2021 - July 31, 2026
"A prolactin-mediated neuroendocrine link between stress-induced latent sensitization
and female-selective pain"
PI (Contact), Frank Porreca (University of Arizona), MPI, Edita Navratilova (University
of Arizona), MPI, Volker Neugebauer, expected to receive $2,297,350 (TTUHSC subcontract
$921,815)
USDA/NIFA 2021-67017-34026
January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023
"Ginger root extract for neuropathic path"
PI (Contact), Chwan-Li (Leslie) Shen, MPI, Volker Neugebauer, expected to receive
$500,000
NIH/NINDS R01 NS118731
August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2025
"Trans-Synaptic Signaling Complex in Amygdala Pain Mechanisms"
PI (Contact), Shashank David (Creighton University), MPI, Volker Neugebauer, expected
to receive $2,674,615 (TTUHSC Subcontract $ 733,450)
NIH/NINDS R01 NS109255
August 15, 2019 - June 30, 2024
"Pronociceptive and Antinociceptive Opioid Mechanisms in the Central Nucleus of the
Amygdala"
PI (Contact), Edita Navratilova (University of Arizona), PI, Guangchen Ji, Co-I, Volker
Neugebauer, expected to receive $2,544,148 (TTUHSC subcontract $1,253,415)
NIH/NIAAA R01 AA027096
July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2023
“The Neuroimmune Model of Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Transition to Alcohol Use
Disorder"
PI, Igor Ponomarev, Co-I, Volker Neugebauer, expected to receive $2,868,750 (original
start date, 09/10/2018; transferred to TTUHSC on 07/01/19)
NIH/NINDS R01 NS106902
April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2023
“Stress-Induced Descending Facilitation from Amygdala Kappa Opioid Receptors in Functional
Pain”
PI (Contact), Frank Porreca (University of Arizona), MPI, Volker Neugebauer, expected
to receive $ 2,740,180 (TTUHSC subcontract $ 1,295,245)
1R01-HL172709-01
December 01, 2023 - November 30, 2027
"Role of HIV gp120 and Nef in Transcriptome Dysregulation and Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling"
Almodovar, S (PI), Ponomarev, I (Co-PI)
NIH/NIAAA R03 AA028370
May 1, 2020 - March 31, 2022
"Effects of chronic alcohol consumption on the synaptic translatome"
NIH/NIAAA R01 AA027096
September 10, 2018 - June 30, 2023
"The neuroimmune model of excessive alcohol consumption: Transition to Alcohol Use
Disorder"
PI, Igor Ponomarev, Co-I, Volker Neugebauer, expected to receive $2,868,750 (original
start date, 09/10/2018; transferred to TTUHSC on 07/01/19)
NIH/NINDS R01 NS038261
December 15, 2021- December 14, 2026
"Amygdala Pain Mechanisms"
PI, Volker Neugebauer, MPI, Igor Ponomarev, expected to receive $2,757,940
NIH/NIA R01 AG071859-01A1
January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2026
"Transcriptional Dysfunction in Dentate Gyrus Cell Types: Roles of Retinoic Acid Responsive
Genes in Protection Against Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis"
PI Josh Lawrence, Co-I Igor Ponomarev, expected to receive $1,872,220
Foundation for Prader-Willi Research
April 15, 2022 – April 14 2023
"MAGEL2 role in adaptive stress response: New insights into MAGEL2 function and pathogenesis
of PWS"
MPI Igor Ponomarev, 10% effort, $30,000 (Direct Cost).
Got Questions?
We're here to help. Contact us if you have questions.
Michelle Beltran
Administrative Assistant
806.743.4199
michelle.beltran@ttuhsc.edu