Our Research Team
Front Row (L to R)- Heng-Yong Nie PhD (Research scientist- Surface Science Western), Leo Lau PhD (Director- Surface Science Western), Raymond Thomas PhD. (postdoctoral fellow), Derrick MacFabe MD (Director- Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism Research Group), Mary Jane Walzak (Research Scientist- Surface Science Western), Jessica Benzaquen (MSc. Student), Lisa Huynh (Work Study Student)
Middle Row (L to R)- Fred Possmayer PhD (Biochemistry/Obstetrics and Gynecology), Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp PhD (Psychology), Sandy Shultz MSc (PhD student), Melissa Meeking (MSc student), Jennifer Mepham (MSc student), Kelly Foley MSc (PhD student), Lisa Tichenoff (Research and Administrative Manager)
Rear Row (L to R)- Donald Peter Cain PhD (Psychology), Francis Boon (Chief Behavioral Technologist), Roy Taylor (Chief Neuropathology Technologist)
Faculty Members:
Dr. Derrick MacFabe (M.D.), Director and Assistant Professor
Departments of Psychology (Neuroscience) & Psychiatry (Division of Developmental Disabilities)
Dr. MacFabe’s background includes both basic and clinical neurological sciences. His expertise includes: cellular mechanisms of intra- and intercellular communication in brain physiology and its implications in stroke, epilepsy, neurodegeneration and neurotrauma as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. He has a particular interest in the role of pre and post natal infectious processes in the etiology and behaviours of autism spectrum disorders. As a principal investigator within the group, he is actively contributing to the development of novel animal models as well as the role of genetics, biochemistry and environment on the identification and possible treatments of autism spectrum disorders.
Dr. Donald Peter Cain (Ph.D.)
Professor – Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science and Graduate Program in Neuroscience
Dr. Cain is an established researcher in the neurobiology of learning, memory and epilepsy. Dr. Cain’s laboratory is presently testing the behavioral and EEG properties of compounds involved in the animal model of autism. Dr. Cain will continue to contribute to the development and testing of novel neurobehavioral assays.
Dr. Martin Kavaliers (Ph.D.)
Professor – Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science and Graduate Program in Neuroscience
The primary interests of Dr. Kavaliers include sex differences in the regulation of behavior, pain mechanisms, stress responses, learning and memory and the role of infectious agents on behavior. Dr. Kavaliers has contributed to the ongoing studies examining compounds which contribute to autistic-like behavior in animals and will continue to contribute to the development of animal models for autism and related disorders.
Dr. Leo Lau (Ph.D.), Professor, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy and Dept. of Chemistry, Director of Surface Science Western, University of Western Ontario.
Dr. Lau is an expert in materials chemistry and engineering. Through novel techniques including time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) nanotechnology we are capable of imaging and analyzing multiple autism associated metabolic intermediates.
Dr. Klaus- Peter Ossenkopp (Ph.D.)
Department of Psychology – Professor and Chair, Faculty of Social Science and Graduate Program in Neuroscience
Dr. Ossenkopp has an established research history focussing on the neurobehavioral effects of inflammatory compounds, neural regulation of feeding and the development novel complex neurobehavioral assays. At the present time Dr. Ossenkopp is actively contributing to the development of our novel animal model of autism.
Dr. Fred Possmayer (Ph.D.), Professor Emeritus, University of Western Ontario
Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Biochemistry,CIHR Group in Fetal and Neonatal Health and Development
Dr. Possmayer is a world-reknowned expert in the role of infective processes in membrane lipid metabolism, cell signaling and oxidative stress in early fetal life. He is actively contributing to the biochemical aspects of the rodent model.
Dr. Jim Staples, Associate Professor, Department of Biology/Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry,University of Western Ontario.
Dr. Staples is an expert on the role of enviromental factors and diet on mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism, and their relation to motor activity. He is examining the effect of autism related gut metabolic factors on energy metabolism and behaviour in our rodent model.
Research Staff:
Lisa Tichenoff (BSc.)
Francis Boon, Research Technologist – Animal Facility Social Science Centre
Mr. Boon has over 18 years of experience as Chief Research Technologist of the Psychobiology Group in the Department of Psychology at UWO. His techniques include animal stereotactic neurosurgery, CNS drug microinjection, EEG/ behavioral analysis, histology, rodent colony breeding for developmental studies, and the execution of complex behavioral assays for spatial memory, epilepsy, and movement disorders. Mr. Boon is responsible for the neurosurgical and epilepsy aspect of our behavioral model and the training of graduate students.
Roy Taylor, Immunopathology Chief Technologist
Mr. Taylor has extensive experience in immunological and in situ neuropathological techniques utilizing fresh frozen, fixed or paraffin embedded tissues, and is responsible for the management, of our “autism model tissue library.
Students:
Jessica Benzaquen (M.Sc. candidate- Neuroscience)
Jessica is examining gender differences in social behaviour and place preference in our novel rodent model of autism.
Kelly Foley M.Sc. (Ph.D. candidate- Neuroscience)
Kelly is examining the effect of repeated early exposures of gut short chain fatty acids, modeling recurrent antibiotic resistant gut clostridial infections, on behavior, neuropathology and fatty acid metabolism in our autism model, which will form the basis of her ongoing Thesis
Melissa Meeking (M.Sc. candidate- Neuroscience)
Melissa is examining obsessive compulsive behaviour and object fixation in our novel rodent model of autism.
Jennifer Mepham (M.Sc. candidate- Neuroscience)
Jennifer Mepham is investigating the role of lipids and fatty acid metabolic intermediates on behaviour in our rodent model of autism.
Sandy Clarence Richard Schultz (Ph.D. Candidate - Neuroscience)
Mr. Shultz is completing his Ph.D. Thesis, co-supervised by Dr. Cain and Dr. MacFabe examining the neuroplastic and neuroprotective effects of gut metabolic products in our rodent model.
Dr. Raymond Thomas, Ph.D. (Post Doctoral Fellow)
Dr. Thomas is a post doctoral fellow investigating the role of lipid and mitochondrial function in the autism rodent model.
Collaborators and Associated Faculty:
Dr. Marco Aztori (Ph.D.), Laboratory of Synaptic and Cellular Physiology, University of Texas (Dallas)
Dr. Sydney Finegold, UCLA, Division of Infectious Disease, Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics.
Dr. Richard Frye (M.D., Ph.D), Pediatric Neurology, University of Arkansas
Dr. Elizabeth Hampson (Ph.D.)
Professor – Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science and Graduate Program in Neuroscience
As a neuropsychologist , Dr. Hampson studies the effects of reproductive and adrenal hormones in the nervous system and in particular, how hormones can influence behavior and cognition. These influences are exerted during the developmental period or in post-pubertal adults and may play a role in autism. Dr. Hampson’s research ranges from studies of normal healthy individuals, to people with endocrine conditions, to people taking hormones exogenously (e.g. estrogen replacement therapy). Dr. Hampson has contributed to the ongoing effort to develop an animal model of autism.
Dr. Martha Herbert (M.D.,Ph.D.). Director : The Brain Development Disorders Project, Harvard University.
Dr. Jeanette Holden (Ph.D.), Principal Investigator and Project Leader – Autism Spectrum Disorders – Canadian-American Research ConsortiumDepartment of Psychiatry and Physiology, Queen’s University.
Dr. Valerie Hu (Ph.D.), Professor, Department of Biochemistry, The George Washington University.
Dr. Edmund La Gamma (M.D.), Chief, Professor of Pediatrics, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Westchester Medical Centre New York Medical College.
Dr. Bistra Nankova (Ph.D.), Associate Professor, Director, Developmental Neuroscience Lab, Westchester Medical Centre New York Medical College.
Dr. David Sherry (Ph.D.), Professor, Psychology and Chair-Neurosciences, University of Western Ontario.
Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe (Ph.D.), Assistant Professor, Faculty of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Guelph
Also from this web page:
