Home Department: Biology
Supported by: Vicky Rogers
Mentor: Tony Wyss-Coray, Neurology

Kelly is investigating the mechanism by which seizures impair hippocampal function. Seizures increase secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the adult hippocampus, and a significant amount of adult hippocampal VEGF comes from neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs). Kelly uses the Novel Object Location task in mice to test if NSPC-VEGF is protective against hippocampal-dependent spatial-memory loss after seizure.

Poster presented at the Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Symposium on August 24, 2016:

Effects of Kainic Acid and NSPC-Derived VEGF on Immature Neuron Activation

Kelly Chen¹, Elizabeth Kirby¹, Tony Wyss-Coray¹
[Department of Neurology¹, Stanford University]