Gabriel Corfas, PhD

Department	Neurology and Otolaryngology F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center
Hospital Title	Senior Associate in Neurology and Otolaryngology Director of Basic Research in Otolaryngology
Academic Title	Professor of Neurology and Otolaryngology
Phone	617-919-2200
Fax	617-919-2772
Email	Gabriel Corfas
Location	300 Longwood Avenue CLS 12256 Boston MA 02115

Research Overview

We are interested in understanding the roles that interactions between neurons and glia, the two fundamental cell types of the nervous system, play in nervous system development, function and maintenance--and in defining the molecular signals that orchestrate these interactions. To investigate these issues, my laboratory employs molecular and cellular biological techniques, as well as genetically modified mice. We have provided compelling evidence that neuron-glia interactions play critical roles in several aspects of nervous system development, including neuronal migration, neuronal and glial differentiation and survival, and the formation and function of synapses. In addition, our work has shown that disruption of neuron-glia interactions may be an important factor in the pathology of various neurological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Ongoing projects in my lab include the study of:

• Molecular mechanisms of radial glia formation and function and their implications for disorders of brain development
• Roles of neuron-glia interactions in synapse formation
• Roles of neuron-glia interactions in peripheral nerve maintenance and function and their involvement in peripheral neuropathies
• Mechanisms of oligodendrocyte development and their relevance to demyelinating and neuropsychiatric disorders
• Roles of neuron-glia interactions in the development and maintenance of the inner ear and their implications in deafness and vestibular disorders
• Signal transduction mechanisms by which erbB receptor activation leads to glial differentiation and function.

About Gabriel Corfas

Gabriel Corfas received an MSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a PhD in Neurobiology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

Key Publications

• Gomez-Casati ME, Murtie JC, Rio C, Stankovic K, Liberman MC, Corfas G. Nonneuronal cells regulate synapse formation in the vestibular sensory epithelium via erbB-dependent BDNF expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2010 Sep 28; 107(39):17005-10.
• Koirala S, Jin Z, Piao X, Corfas G. GPR56-regulated granule cell adhesion is essential for rostral cerebellar development. J Neurosci 2009 Jun 10; 29(23):7439-49.
• Roy K, Murtie JC, El-Khodor BF, Edgar N, Sardi SP, Hooks BM, Benoit-Marand M, Chen C, Moore H, O'Donnell P, Brunner D, Corfas G. Loss of erbB signaling in oligodendrocytes alters myelin and dopaminergic function, a potential mechanism for neuropsychiatric disorders. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2007 May 8; 104(19):8131-6.
• Sardi SP, Murtie J, Koirala S, Patten BA, Corfas G. Presenilin-dependent ErbB4 nuclear signaling regulates the timing of astrogenesis in the developing brain. Cell 2006 Oct 6; 127(1):185-97.
• Corfas G, Roy K, Buxbaum JD. Neuregulin 1-erbB signaling and the molecular/cellular basis of schizophrenia. Nat Neurosci 2004 Jun; 7(6):575-80.
• Chen S, Rio C, Ji RR, Dikkes P, Coggeshall RE, Woolf CJ, Corfas G. Disruption of ErbB receptor signaling in adult non-myelinating Schwann cells causes progressive sensory loss. Nat Neurosci 2003 Nov; 6(11):1186-93.

For a complete list of Dr. Corfas's publications, click here.