Richard Lewis[1] Huganir (born March 25, 1953) is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience[2] and Psychological and Brain Sciences,[3] Director of the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience,[4] and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Brain Science Institute[5] at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has joint appointments in the Department of Biological Chemistry[6] and the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences[7] in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.[8]

Richard L. Huganir
Born (1953-03-25) March 25, 1953 (age 71)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materVassar College (B.S., 1975)
Cornell University (Ph.D., 1982)
Scientific career
FieldsNeuroscience
InstitutionsJohns Hopkins University
Academic advisorsEfraim Racker

Biography edit

Huganir completed his undergraduate work in biochemistry at Vassar College[9] in 1975. He received his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology from Cornell University[10] in 1982 where he performed his thesis research in the laboratory of Efraim Racker.  He was a postdoctoral fellow with the Nobel Laureate, Paul Greengard, at Yale University School of Medicine from 1982-1984. Huganir then moved to the Rockefeller University where he was an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology from 1984-1988. Huganir moved to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1988 as an Associate Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience. Huganir was an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1988-2014. Huganir became the Director or the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience in 2006.

Huganir is currently the Chair of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research Scientific Advisory Committee and a recent member of the NIMH Council and the NIH BRAIN Multi-Council Working Group. Huganir is the past President of the Society for Neuroscience and has served as Treasurer of the Society for Neuroscience.[11]

Research edit

Huganir's career has focused on synapses, the connections between nerve cells, in the brain. Huganir's general approach has been to study molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate neurotransmitter receptors. Huganir's studies have shown that the regulation of receptor function is a major mechanism for the regulation of neuronal excitability and connectivity in the brain and is critical for many higher brain processes including learning and memory and the proper development of the brain and is a major determinant of behavior. Moreover, dysregulation of these mechanisms underlie many neurological and psychiatric diseases in several neurological and psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's, ALS, schizophrenia, autism, intellectual disability, PTSD as well as in chronic pain and drug addiction.[12]

Publications edit

Huganir has published over 300 papers in peer-reviewed journals.[13] He has more than 71,000 citations in Google Scholar and an h-index of 145.

Selected Publications

  • 2004 with GM Thomas, MAPK cascade signaling and synaptic plasticity, in: Nature Reviews Neuroscience. Vol. 5, nº 3; 173-183.
  • 2000 with HK Lee, M Barbarosie, K Kameyama, MF Bear, Regulation of distinct AMPA receptor phosphorylation sites during bidirectional synaptic plasticity, in: Nature. Vol. 405, nº 6789; 955-959.
  • 1997 with PR Brakeman, AA Lanahan, R O'Brien, K Roche, CA Barnes, PF Worley, Homer: a protein that selectively binds metabotropic glutamate receptors, in: Nature. Vol. 386, nº 6622; 284-288.
  • 1997 with H Dong, RJ O'Brien, ET Fung, AA Lanahan, PF Worley, GRIP: a synaptic PDZ domain-containing protein that interacts with AMPA receptors, in: Nature. Vol. 386, nº 6622; 279-284.
  • 1996 with M Symons, JMJ Derry, B Karlak, S Jiang, V Lemahieu, F McCormick, U Francke, A Abo, Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein, a novel effector for the GTPase CDC42Hs, is implicated in actin polymerization, in: Cell. Vol. 84, nº 5; 723-734.
  • 2007 with JD Shepherd, The cell biology of synaptic plasticity: AMPA receptor trafficking, in: Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology. Vol. 23; 613-643.


Honors and awards edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Richard Huganir's CV". Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience". neuroscience.jhu.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  3. ^ "Home". Psychological & Brain Sciences. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  4. ^ "Faculty profile". Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  5. ^ "Brain Science Institute". www.brainscienceinstitute.org. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  6. ^ "Home". biolchem.bs.jhmi.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  7. ^ "Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences". www.hopkinsmedicine.org. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  8. ^ "Richard L. Huganir , Ph.D." Cure Alzheimer's Fund. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  9. ^ "Vassar College". Vassar College. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  10. ^ "Cornell University". www.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  11. ^ "Richard Huganir Appointed President of Society for Neuroscience". Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. July 5, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  12. ^ "Huganir Lab". neuroscience.bs.jhmi.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  13. ^ "Publication List on PubMed". PubMed. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  14. ^ "Young Investigator Award". Society for Neuroscience. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  15. ^ "Members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  16. ^ "Three from Johns Hopkins Elected Fellows of AAAS". The Johns Hopkins University Gazette. November 1, 2004.
  17. ^ "Annual Julius Axelrod Symposium". NIMH. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  18. ^ "Johns Hopkins Scientists Elected Into Institute of Medicine". Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. October 17, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  19. ^ Richard L. Huganir, Ph.D. - 2014 Goldman-Rakic Prizewinner in Cognitive Neuroscience, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2021-05-03
  20. ^ Saralyn Cruickshank (May 21, 2018). "Renowned neuroscientist Richard Huganir named Bloomberg Distinguished Professor". Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  21. ^ "2019 Scolnick Prize Awarded to Richard Huganir". MIT McGovern Institute. 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  22. ^ "Society for Neuroscience 2022 Outstanding Career and Research Achievements". Society for Neuroscience. Retrieved April 27, 2023.

External links edit