Faculty Research

Jack M. Parent, MD (parent@umich.edu)
Assistant Professor

Dr. Parent's laboratory research interests involve the biology of neural stem cells in the neonatal and adult mammalian brain and the response of neural stem cells to brain injury. Our laboratory uses a variety of approaches to study mechanisms of brain development, plasticity after epileptic or ischemic brain injury, and the relationship between these two processes. Rodent and more recently zebrafish are used as model systems to explore the following questions: 1) What factors regulate the proliferation, migration, differentiation and survival of postnatally generated neurons and glia? 2) What is the normal function of persistent neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain? 3) Do endogenous neural precursors contribute to disease pathophysiology in temporal lobe epilepsy? 4) Are endogenous or transplanted neural progenitors recruited for brain repair after stroke, and would augmentation of this process improve functional recovery? Our goal is to advance knowledge of the role and regulation of neural stem cells in the neonatal and adult mammalian brain. We aim to use this knowledge to strategically manipulate endogenous or transplanted neural precursors, both to prevent aberrant integration in disease states and promote neural repair after brain injury or degeneration.