Sue A. Aicher, Ph.D.
- Professor of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, School of Medicine
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine
Biography
Dr. Aicher has a long-standing interest in primary afferent sensory systems and how sensory information leads to physiological and behavioral changes in the organism. She has done extensive work using various histological methods and is recognized for her anatomical studies of neural circuits. Her training in psychology and behavior informs her approach to seeking understanding of how neural circuits modulate behavior. The lab focuses on the cellular mechanism underlying normal and pathophysiological functions in neural circuits including pain and autonomic reflex pathways, as well as neural substrates of addiction. These studies use a variety of techniques including tract tracing, multi-label immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy, behavioral and physiological measurements, and single neuron activity in the brain. Dr. Aicher also collaborates extensively with colleagues at OHSU within her department, across OHSU, the US, and in Australia.
The Aicher lab is currently funded by grants from the National Eye Institute; the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Grant #s: R33 EY032468 (Aicher. Galor, co-PIs); U01 EY024680 (Aicher, Morgans, Largent-Milnes, co-PIs); R01 DA055645 (Sorg, Bronw, Aicher, co-PI); R01 HL146833 (Habecker, PI); RF1 MH127343 (Ribelayga, Morgans, Massey, Aicher, co-PIs)
Education and training
-
Degrees
- Ph.D., 1989, University of Iowa
Memberships and associations:
- Editorial Board, The Journal of Comparative Neurology
- Editorial Board, Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy
Areas of interest
- Pain pathways & mechanisms
- Neuroanatomy
- Neural substrates of addiction
Publications
Publications
Sex differences in photophobic behaviors following cortical spreading depression in rats
CephalalgiaActivating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) increase in trigeminal ganglion neurons in female rats after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)-like corneal abrasion
Neurobiology of PainHypertension-induced heart failure disrupts cardiac sympathetic innervation
American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory PhysiologyIschemia-reperfusion myocardial infarction induces remodeling of left cardiac-projecting stellate ganglia neurons
American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory PhysiologyPerineuronal Nets in the Rat Medial Prefrontal Cortex Alter Hippocampal–Prefrontal Oscillations and Reshape Cocaine Self-Administration Memories
Journal of NeuroscienceProspective cohort study investigating frequency and risk factors for acute pain 1 day after refractive surgery
BMJ Open OphthalmologyRemyelination protects neurons from DLK-mediated neurodegeneration
Nature communicationsTear Proteins Altered in Patients with Persistent Eye Pain after Refractive Surgery
Journal of Proteome ResearchExperimental design considerations for studies of human tear proteins
Ocular SurfaceGlial TGFβ activity promotes neuron survival in peripheral nerves
Journal of Cell BiologyLight-dependent changes in the outer plexiform layer of the mouse retina
Frontiers in OphthalmologyNeuronal ER-plasma membrane junctions couple excitation to Ca2+-activated PKA signaling
Nature communicationsOcular Pain after Refractive Surgery
OphthalmologyAnalysis of Rod/Cone Gap Junctions from the Reconstruction of Mouse Photoreceptor Terminals
eLifeDiscoidin domain receptor regulates ensheathment, survival and caliber of peripheral axons
Development (Cambridge)Distinct morphology of cardiac- and brown adipose tissue-projecting neurons in the stellate ganglia of mice
Physiological reportsDistinct roles for the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease-causing endosomal regulators Mtmr5 and Mtmr13 in axon radial sorting and Schwann cell myelination
Human molecular geneticsNicotinamide Riboside Alleviates Corneal and Somatic Hypersensitivity Induced by Paclitaxel in Male Rats
Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual ScienceResveratrol increases tear production and ocular pain after corneal abrasion in male, but not female, rats using a photorefractive keratectomy model
Experimental Eye ResearchSubcellular localization of D2 receptors in the murine substantia nigra
Brain Structure and FunctionCocaine memory reactivation induces functional adaptations within parvalbumin interneurons in the rat medial prefrontal cortex
Addiction BiologyDedicated C-fiber vagal sensory afferent pathways to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus
Brain researchDiurnal changes in perineuronal nets and parvalbumin neurons in the rat medial prefrontal cortex
Brain Structure and FunctionProgram evaluation of trauma-informed yoga for vulnerable populations
Evaluation and Program PlanningSex differences in the expression of the endocannabinoid system within V1M cortex and PAG of Sprague Dawley rats
Biology of sex differencesPRC2 Acts as a Critical Timer That Drives Oligodendrocyte Fate over Astrocyte Identity by Repressing the Notch Pathway
Cell ReportsAcute hyperalgesia and delayed dry eye after corneal abrasion injury
Pain ReportsCocaine exposure modulates perineuronal nets and synaptic excitability of fast-spiking interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex
eNeuroLacrimal gland denervation alters tear protein composition and impairs ipsilateral eye closures and corneal nociception
Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual ScienceEndogenous opioids regulate moment-to-moment neuronal communication and excitability
Nature communications