Vorhees-Williams-Skelton Lab

Jennifer Daily

The primary focus of Jennifer’s work is identifying novel therapeutics for Angelman syndrome (AS), a genetic disorder that causes severe developmental delay, epilepsy, and movement defects. She is also working to develop a better understanding of the underlying cellular mechanisms of learning and memory that are disrupted in cognitive disorders, such as AS.

Arnold Gutierrez

Arnold studies the cognitive and behavioral impairments produced by exposure to psychostimulants.  He is currently looking at the effects of binge doses of methamphetamine on short-term, working memory.  Using behavioral methods such as the Morris Water Maze and Radial Arm Maze, he is studying how binge doses of methamphetamine affect trial-dependent spatial memory long after exposure to the drug.  He is also involved in examining changes in neurotransmitter systems in creatine transporter deficiency models.

Jillian Hufgard

Jillian is focusing on a global Pde1b knockout by crossing our floxed Pde1b with Cre(CMV) mice and phenotyping for induced immobility, a model of depression.  Later, Floxed mice will be crossed with Cre lines to create brain and cell (neuronal vs. glia) specific knockouts to provide insight into Pde1b’s role in depression as a new target for antidepressant activity.  She is also working on an ADHD model; she is characterizing the genetic defect in these rats and how the phenotype mimics hyperactivity and impulsivity; core symptoms in ADHD.

Charles V. Vorhees, PhD

Professor

Dr. Vorhees’ research is focused on animal models of (1) the cognitive effects of substituted amphetamines (methamphetamine and MDMA) following developmental (prenatal) exposure and of binge-type adult exposure, (2) on developmental stress, lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) on later behavior, (3) on the role of phosphodiesterases (Pde1b and Pde4d) in depression and cognition, (4) on the developmental effects of commonly used antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs (AED) on neurotransmitters and behavior, (5) on the role of Lphn3 in ADHD, (6) on brain regions that mediate egocentric and allocentric learning and memory, (7) on the role of the Slc6A8 carrier in Creatine Transporter Deficiency Syndrome, and (8) on models of other neurological disorders through collaborators with mouse models of autistic-related brain changes, lipid storage diseases, and genes critical for determining cell fate during early brain development.