Margarita Behrens, PhD

Research Professor

Computational Neurobiology Laboratory

Salk Institute for Biological Studies - Publications

all Publications


Chien, J.F., Liu, H., Wang, B.A., Luo, C., Bartlett, A., Castanon, R., Johnson, N.D., Nery, J.R., Osteen, J., Li, J., Altshul, J., Kenworthy, M., Valadon, C., Liem, M., Claffey, N., O'Connor, C., Seeker, L.A., Ecker, J.R., Behrens, M.M., Mukamel, E.A. Cell-type-specific effects of age and sex on human cortical neurons. (2024) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.05.013

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Zhou, J., Zhang, Z., Wu, M., Liu, H., Pang, Y., Bartlett, A., Peng, Z., Ding, W., Rivkin, A., Lagos, W.N., Williams, E., Lee, C.T., Miyazaki, P.A., Aldridge, A., Zeng, Q., Salinda, J.L.A., Claffey, N., Liem, M., Fitzpatrick, C., Boggeman, L., Yao, Z., Smith, K.A., Tasic, B., Altshul, J., Kenworthy, M.A., Valadon, C., Nery, J.R., Castanon, R.G., Patne, N.S., Vu, M., Rashid, M., Jacobs, M., Ito, T., Osteen, J., Emerson, N., Lee, J., Cho, S., Rink, J., Huang, H.H., Pinto-Duartec, A., Dominguez, B., Smith, J.B., O'Connor, C., Zeng, H., Chen, S., Lee, K.F., Mukamel, E.A., Jin, X., Margarita Behrens, M., Ecker, J.R., Callaway, E.M. Brain-wide correspondence of neuronal epigenomics and distant projections. (2023) Nature. 624(7991):355-365. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06823-w

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Zemke, N.R., Armand, E.J., Wang, W., Lee, S., Zhou, J., Li, Y.E., Liu, H., Tian, W., Nery, J.R., Castanon, R.G., Bartlett, A., Osteen, J.K., Li, D., Zhuo, X., Xu, V., Chang, L., Dong, K., Indralingam, H.S., Rink, J.A., Xie, Y., Miller, M., Krienen, F.M., Zhang, Q., Taskin, N., Ting, J., Feng, G., McCarroll, S.A., Callaway, E.M., Wang, T., Lein, E.S., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R., Ren, B. Conserved and divergent gene regulatory programs of the mammalian neocortex. (2023) Nature. 624(7991):390-402. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06819-6

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Zu, S., Li, Y.E., Wang, K., Armand, E.J., Mamde, S., Amaral, M.L., Wang, Y., Chu, A., Xie, Y., Miller, M., Xu, J., Wang, Z., Zhang, K., Jia, B., Hou, X., Lin, L., Yang, Q., Lee, S., Li, B., Kuan, S., Liu, H., Zhou, J., Pinto-Duarte, A., Lucero, J., Osteen, J., Nunn, M., Smith, K.A., Tasic, B., Yao, Z., Zeng, H., Wang, Z., Shang, J., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R., Wang, A., Preissl, S., Ren, B. Single-cell analysis of chromatin accessibility in the adult mouse brain. (2023) Nature. 624(7991):378-389. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06824-9

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Liu, H., Zeng, Q., Zhou, J., Bartlett, A., Wang, B.A., Berube, P., Tian, W., Kenworthy, M., Altshul, J., Nery, J.R., Chen, H., Castanon, R.G., Zu, S., Li, Y.E., Lucero, J., Osteen, J.K., Pinto-Duarte, A., Lee, J., Rink, J., Cho, S., Emerson, N., Nunn, M., O'Connor, C., Wu, Z., Stoica, I., Yao, Z., Smith, K.A., Tasic, B., Luo, C., Dixon, J.R., Zeng, H., Ren, B., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R. Single-cell DNA methylome and 3D multi-omic atlas of the adult mouse brain. (2023) Nature. 624(7991):366-377. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06805-y

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Mukamel, E.A., Liu, H., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R. Cell type-specific enrichment of somatic aneuploidy in the mammalian brain. (2023) bioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.18.572285

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Tian, W., Zhou, J., Bartlett, A., Zeng, Q., Liu, H., Castanon, R.G., Kenworthy, M., Altshul, J., Valadon, C., Aldridge, A., Nery, J.R., Chen, H., Xu, J., Johnson, N.D., Lucero, J., Osteen, J.K., Emerson, N., Rink, J., Lee, J., Li, Y.E., Siletti, K., Liem, M., Claffey, N., O'Connor, C., Yanny, A.M., Nyhus, J., Dee, N., Casper, T., Shapovalova, N., Hirschstein, D., Ding, S.L., Hodge, R., Levi, B.P., Keene, C.D., Linnarsson, S., Lein, E., Ren, B., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R. Single-cell DNA methylation and 3D genome architecture in the human brain. Link to free full-text https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf5357 [Pubmed] (2023) Science. 382(6667):eadf5357. DOI: 10.1126/science.adf5357

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Li, Y.E., Preissl, S., Miller, M., Johnson, N.D., Wang, Z., Jiao, H., Zhu, C., Wang, Z., Xie, Y., Poirion, O., Kern, C., Pinto-Duarte, A., Tian, W., Siletti, K., Emerson, N., Osteen, J., Lucero, J., Lin, L., Yang, Q., Zhu, Q., Zemke, N., Espinoza, S., Yanny, A.M., Nyhus, J., Dee, N., Casper, T., Shapovalova, N., Hirschstein, D., Hodge, R.D., Linnarsson, S., Bakken, T., Levi, B., Keene, C.D., Shang, J., Lein, E., Wang, A., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R., Ren, B. A comparative atlas of single-cell chromatin accessibility in the human brain. (2023) Science. 382(6667):eadf7044. DOI: 10.1126/science.adf7044

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Xie, F., Armand, E.J., Yao, Z., Liu, H., Bartlett, A., Behrens, M.M., Li, Y.E., Lucero, J.D., Luo, C., Nery, J.R., Pinto-Duarte, A., Poirion, O.B., Preissl, S., Rivkin, A.C., Tasic, B., Zeng, H., Ren, B., Ecker, J.R., Mukamel, E.A. Robust enhancer-gene regulation identified by single-cell transcriptomes and epigenomes. (2023) Cell Genom. 3(7):100342. DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100342

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Zemke, N.R., Armand, E.J., Wang, W., Lee, S., Zhou, J., Li, Y.E., Liu, H., Tian, W., Nery, J.R., Castanon, R.G., Bartlett, A., Osteen, J.K., Li, D., Zhuo, X., Xu, V., Miller, M., Krienen, F.M., Zhang, Q., Taskin, N., Ting, J., Feng, G., McCarroll, S.A., Callaway, E.M., Wang, T., Behrens, M.M., Lein, E.S., Ecker, J.R., Ren, B. Comparative single cell epigenomic analysis of gene regulatory programs in the rodent and primate neocortex. (2023) bioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.08.536119

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Li, J., Pinto-Duarte, A., Zander, M., Cuoco, M.S., Lai, C.Y., Osteen, J., Fang, L., Luo, C., Lucero, J.D., Gomez-Castanon, R., Nery, J.R., Silva-Garcia, I., Pang, Y., Sejnowski, T.J., Powell, S.B., Ecker, J.R., Mukamel, E.A., Behrens, M.M. Dnmt3a knockout in excitatory neurons impairs postnatal synapse maturation and increases the repressive histone modification H3K27me3. (2022) Elife. 11. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.66909

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Luo, C., Liu, H., Xie, F., Armand, E.J., Siletti, K., Bakken, T.E., Fang, R., Doyle, W.I., Stuart, T., Hodge, R.D., Hu, L., Wang, B.A., Zhang, Z., Preissl, S., Lee, D.S., Zhou, J., Niu, S.Y., Castanon, R., Bartlett, A., Rivkin, A., Wang, X., Lucero, J., Nery, J.R., Davis, D.A., Mash, D.C., Satija, R., Dixon, J.R., Linnarsson, S., Lein, E., Behrens, M.M., Ren, B., Mukamel, E.A., Ecker, J.R. Single nucleus multi-omics identifies human cortical cell regulatory genome diversity. (2022) Cell Genom. 2(3). DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2022.100107

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Liu, H., Zhou, J., Tian, W., Luo, C., Bartlett, A., Aldridge, A., Lucero, J., Osteen, J.K., Nery, J.R., Chen, H., Rivkin, A., Castanon, R.G., Clock, B., Li, Y.E., Hou, X., Poirion, O.B., Preissl, S., Pinto-Duarte, A., O'Connor, C., Boggeman, L., Fitzpatrick, C., Nunn, M., Mukamel, E.A., Zhang, Z., Callaway, E.M., Ren, B., Dixon, J.R., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R. DNA methylation atlas of the mouse brain at single-cell resolution. (2021) Nature. 598(7879):120-128. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03182-8

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Zhang, Z., Zhou, J., Tan, P., Pang, Y., Rivkin, A.C., Kirchgessner, M.A., Williams, E., Lee, C.T., Liu, H., Franklin, A.D., Miyazaki, P.A., Bartlett, A., Aldridge, A.I., Vu, M., Boggeman, L., Fitzpatrick, C., Nery, J.R., Castanon, R.G., Rashid, M., Jacobs, M.W., Ito-Cole, T., O'Connor, C., Pinto-Duartec, A., Dominguez, B., Smith, J.B., Niu, S.Y., Lee, K.F., Jin, X., Mukamel, E.A., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R., Callaway, E.M. Epigenomic diversity of cortical projection neurons in the mouse brain. (2021) Nature. 598(7879):167-173. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03223-w

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Li, Y.E., Preissl, S., Hou, X., Zhang, Z., Zhang, K., Qiu, Y., Poirion, O.B., Li, B., Chiou, J., Liu, H., Pinto-Duarte, A., Kubo, N., Yang, X., Fang, R., Wang, X., Han, J.Y., Lucero, J., Yan, Y., Miller, M., Kuan, S., Gorkin, D., Gaulton, K.J., Shen, Y., Nunn, M., Mukamel, E.A., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R., Ren, B. An atlas of gene regulatory elements in adult mouse cerebrum. (2021) Nature. 598(7879):129-136. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03604-1

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Yao, Z., Liu, H., Xie, F., Fischer, S., Adkins, R.S., Aldridge, A.I., Ament, S.A., Bartlett, A., Behrens, M.M., Van den Berge, K., Bertagnolli, D., de Bézieux, H.R., Biancalani, T., Booeshaghi, A.S., Bravo, H.C., Casper, T., Colantuoni, C., Crabtree, J., Creasy, H., Crichton, K., Crow, M., Dee, N., Dougherty, E.L., Doyle, W.I., Dudoit, S., Fang, R., Felix, V., Fong, O., Giglio, M., Goldy, J., Hawrylycz, M., Herb, B.R., Hertzano, R., Hou, X., Hu, Q., Kancherla, J., Kroll, M., Lathia, K., Li, Y.E., Lucero, J.D., Luo, C., Mahurkar, A., McMillen, D., Nadaf, N.M., Nery, J.R., Nguyen, T.N., Niu, S.Y., Ntranos, V., Orvis, J., Osteen, J.K., Pham, T., Pinto-Duarte, A., Poirion, O., Preissl, S., Purdom, E., Rimorin, C., Risso, D., Rivkin, A.C., Smith, K., Street, K., Sulc, J., Svensson, V., Tieu, M., Torkelson, A., Tung, H., Vaishnav, E.D., Vanderburg, C.R., van Velthoven, C., Wang, X., White, O.R., Huang, Z.J., Kharchenko, P.V., Pachter, L., Ngai, J., Regev, A., Tasic, B., Welch, J.D., Gillis, J., Macosko, E.Z., Ren, B., Ecker, J.R., Zeng, H., Mukamel, E.A. A transcriptomic and epigenomic cell atlas of the mouse primary motor cortex. (2021) Nature. 598(7879):103-110. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03500-8

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Bakken, T.E., Jorstad, N.L., Hu, Q., Lake, B.B., Tian, W., Kalmbach, B.E., Crow, M., Hodge, R.D., Krienen, F.M., Sorensen, S.A., Eggermont, J., Yao, Z., Aevermann, B.D., Aldridge, A.I., Bartlett, A., Bertagnolli, D., Casper, T., Castanon, R.G., Crichton, K., Daigle, T.L., Dalley, R., Dee, N., Dembrow, N., Diep, D., Ding, S.L., Dong, W., Fang, R., Fischer, S., Goldman, M., Goldy, J., Graybuck, L.T., Herb, B.R., Hou, X., Kancherla, J., Kroll, M., Lathia, K., van Lew, B., Li, Y.E., Liu, C.S., Liu, H., Lucero, J.D., Mahurkar, A., McMillen, D., Miller, J.A., Moussa, M., Nery, J.R., Nicovich, P.R., Niu, S.Y., Orvis, J., Osteen, J.K., Owen, S., Palmer, C.R., Pham, T., Plongthongkum, N., Poirion, O., Reed, N.M., Rimorin, C., Rivkin, A., Romanow, W.J., Sedeño-Cortés, A.E., Siletti, K., Somasundaram, S., Sulc, J., Tieu, M., Torkelson, A., Tung, H., Wang, X., Xie, F., Yanny, A.M., Zhang, R., Ament, S.A., Behrens, M.M., Bravo, H.C., Chun, J., Dobin, A., Gillis, J., Hertzano, R., Hof, P.R., Höllt, T., Horwitz, G.D., Keene, C.D., Kharchenko, P.V., Ko, A.L., Lelieveldt, B.P., Luo, C., Mukamel, E.A., Pinto-Duarte, A., Preissl, S., Regev, A., Ren, B., Scheuermann, R.H., Smith, K., Spain, W.J., White, O.R., Koch, C., Hawrylycz, M., Tasic, B., Macosko, E.Z., McCarroll, S.A., Ting, J.T., Zeng, H., Zhang, K., Feng, G., Ecker, J.R., Linnarsson, S., Lein, E.S. Comparative cellular analysis of motor cortex in human, marmoset and mouse. (2021) Nature. 598(7879):111-119. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03465-8

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Gao, C., Liu, J., Kriebel, A.R., Preissl, S., Luo, C., Castanon, R., Sandoval, J., Rivkin, A., Nery, J.R., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R., Ren, B., Welch, J.D. Iterative single-cell multi-omic integration using online learning. (2021) Nature Biotechnology. DOI: 10.1038/s41587-021-00867-x

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Zhu, C., Zhang, Y., Li, Y.E., Lucero, J., Behrens, M.M., Ren, B. Joint profiling of histone modifications and transcriptome in single cells from mouse brain. (2021) Nature Methods. DOI: 10.1038/s41592-021-01060-3

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Fang, R., Preissl, S., Li, Y., Hou, X., Lucero, J., Wang, X., Motamedi, A., Shiau, A.K., Zhou, X., Xie, F., Mukamel, E.A., Zhang, K., Zhang, Y., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R., Ren, B. Comprehensive analysis of single cell ATAC-seq data with SnapATAC. (2021) Nature Communications. 12(1):1337. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21583-9

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Lavery, L.A., Ure, K., Wan, Y.W., Luo, C., Trostle, A.J., Wang, W., Jin, H., Lopez, J., Lucero, J., Durham, M.A., Castanon, R., Nery, J.R., Liu, Z., Goodell, M., Ecker, J.R., Behrens, M.M., Zoghbi, H.Y. Losing Dnmt3a dependent methylation in inhibitory neurons impairs neural function by a mechanism impacting Rett syndrome. (2020) Elife. 9. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.52981

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Zhu, C., Yu, M., Huang, H., Juric, I., Abnousi, A., Hu, R., Lucero, J., Behrens, M.M., Hu, M., Ren, B. An ultra high-throughput method for single-cell joint analysis of open chromatin and transcriptome. (2019) Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 26:1063–1070. DOI: 10.1038/s41594-019-0323-x

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Amodeo, D.A., Lai, C.Y., Hassan, O., Mukamel, E.A., Behrens, M.M., Powell, S.B. Maternal immune activation impairs cognitive flexibility and alters transcription in frontal cortex. (2019) Neurobiology of Disease. 125:211-218. DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.01.025

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Luo, C., Rivkin, A., Zhou, J., Sandoval, J.P., Kurihara, L., Lucero, J., Castanon, R., Nery, J.R., Pinto-Duarte, A., Bui, B., Fitzpatrick, C., O'Connor, C., Ruga, S., Van Eden, M.E., Davis, D.A., Mash, D.C., Behrens, M.M., Ecker, J.R. Robust single-cell DNA methylome profiling with snmC-seq2. (2018) Nature Communications. 9(1):3824. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06355-2

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Wang, X., Pinto-Duarte, A., Behrens, M.M., Zhou, X., Sejnowski, T.J. Ketamine independently modulated power and phase-coupling of theta oscillations in Sp4 hypomorphic mice. (2018) PLOS One. 13(3):e0193446. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193446

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Luo, C., Keown, C.L., Kurihara, L., Zhou, J., He, Y., Li, J., Castanon, R., Lucero, J., Nery, J.R., Sandoval, J.P., Bui, B., Sejnowski, T.J., Harkins, T.T., Mukamel, E.A.*, Behrens, M.M.*, Ecker, J.R.* Single-cell methylomes identify neuronal subtypes and regulatory elements in mammalian cortex. (2017) Science. 357(6351):600-604. DOI: 10.1126/science.aan3351

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Khan, A., de Jong, L.A., Kamenski, M.E., Higa, K.K., Lucero, J.D., Young, J.W., Behrens, M.M.*, Powell, S.B.* Adolescent GBR12909 exposure induces oxidative stress, disrupts parvalbumin-positive interneurons, and leads to hyperactivity and impulsivity in adult mice. (2017) Neuroscience. 345:166-175. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.11.022

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Jadi, M.P., Behrens, M.M., Sejnowski, T.J. Abnormal Gamma Oscillations in N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Hypofunction Models of Schizophrenia. (2016) Biological Psychiatry. 79(9):716-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.005

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Wang, X., Pinto-Duarte, A., Behrens, M.M., Zhou, X., Sejnowski, T.J. Characterization of spatio-temporal epidural event-related potentials for mouse models of psychiatric disorders. (2015) Scientific Reports. 5:14964. DOI: 10.1038/srep14964

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Barnes, S.A., Pinto-Duarte, A., Kappe, A., Zembrzycki, A., Metzler, A., Mukamel, E.A., Lucero, J., Wang, X., Sejnowski, T.J., Markou, A.*, Behrens, M.M.* Disruption of mGluR5 in parvalbumin-positive interneurons induces core features of neurodevelopmental disorders. (2015) Molecular Psychiatry. 20(10):1161-72. DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.113

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Powell, S.B., Khan, A., Young, J.W., Scott, C.N., Buell, M.R., Caldwell, S., Tsan, E., de Jong, L.A., Acheson, D.T., Lucero, J., Geyer, M.A., Behrens, M.M. Early Adolescent Emergence of Reversal Learning Impairments in Isolation-Reared Rats. (2015) Developmental Neuroscience. 37(3):253-62. DOI: 10.1159/000430091

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Lister, R.*, Mukamel, E.A., Nery, J.R., Urich, M., Puddifoot, C.A., Johnson, N.D., Lucero, J., Huang, Y., Dwork, A.J., Schultz, M.D., Yu, M., Tonti-Filippini, J., Heyn, H., Hu, S., Wu, J.C., Rao, A., Esteller, M., He, C., Haghighi, F.G., Sejnowski, T.J., Behrens, M.M.*, Ecker, J.R.* Global epigenomic reconfiguration during mammalian brain development. (2013) Science. 341(6146):1237905. DOI: 10.1126/science.1237905

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Ji, B., Wang, X., Pinto-Duarte, A., Kim, M., Caldwell, S., Young, J.W., Behrens, M.M., Sejnowski, T.J., Geyer, M.A., Zhou, X. Prolonged Ketamine Effects in Sp4 Hypomorphic Mice: Mimicking Phenotypes of Schizophrenia. (2013) PLOS One. 8(6):e66327. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066327

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Wang, X., Pinto-Duarte, A., Sejnowski, T.J., Behrens, M.M. How Nox2-containing NADPH oxidase affects cortical circuits in the NMDA receptor antagonist model of schizophrenia. (2013) Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. 18(12):1444-62. DOI: 10.1089/ars.2012.4907

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Powell, S.B., Sejnowski, T.J., Behrens, M.M. Behavioral and neurochemical consequences of cortical oxidative stress on parvalbumin-interneuron maturation in rodent models of schizophrenia. (2012) Neuropharmacology. 62(3):1322-31. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.01.049

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Amitai, N., Kuczenski, R., Behrens, M.M., Markou, A. Repeated phencyclidine administration alters glutamate release and decreases GABA markers in the prefrontal cortex of rats. (2012) Neuropharmacology. 62(3):1422-31. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.01.008

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Volman, V., Behrens, M.M., Sejnowski, T.J. Downregulation of parvalbumin at cortical GABA synapses reduces network gamma oscillatory activity. (2011) Journal of Neuroscience. 31(49):18137-48. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3041-11.2011

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Loomis, W.F., Behrens, M.M., Williams, M.E., Anjard, C. Pregnenolone sulfate and cortisol induce secretion of acyl-CoA-binding protein and its conversion into endozepines from astrocytes. (2010) Journal of biological chemistry. 285(28):21359-65. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M110.105858

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Kinney, J.W., Sanchez-Alavez, M., Barr, A.M., Criado, J.R., Crawley, J.N., Behrens, M.M., Henriksen, S.J., Bartfai, T. Impairment of memory consolidation by galanin correlates with in vivo inhibition of both LTP and CREB phosphorylation. (2009) Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. 92(3):429-38. DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2009.06.005

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Behrens, M.M., Sejnowski, T.J. Does schizophrenia arise from oxidative dysregulation of parvalbumin-interneurons in the developing cortex? (2009) Neuropharmacology. 57(3):193-200. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2009.06.002

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Dugan, L.L., Ali, S.S., Shekhtman, G., Roberts, A.J., Lucero, J., Quick, K.L., Behrens, M.M. IL-6 mediated degeneration of forebrain GABAergic interneurons and cognitive impairment in aged mice through activation of neuronal NADPH oxidase. (2009) PLOS One. 4(5):e5518. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005518

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Lodge, D.J., Behrens, M.M., Grace, A.A. A loss of parvalbumin-containing interneurons is associated with diminished oscillatory activity in an animal model of schizophrenia. (2009) Journal of neuroscience . 29(8):2344-54. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5419-08.2009

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Behrens, M.M., Ali, S.S., Dugan, L.L. Interleukin-6 mediates the increase in NADPH-oxidase in the ketamine model of schizophrenia. (2008) Journal of Neuroscience. 28(51):13957-66. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4457-08.2008

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Zhang, Y., Behrens, M.M., Lisman, J.E. Prolonged exposure to NMDAR antagonist suppresses inhibitory synaptic transmission in prefrontal cortex. (2008) Journal of Neurophysiology. 100(2):959-65. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00079.2008

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Behrens, M.M.*, Ali, S.S., Dao, D.N., Lucero, J., Shekhtman, G., Quick, K.L., Dugan, L.L.* Ketamine-induced loss of phenotype of fast-spiking interneurons is mediated by NADPH-oxidase. (2007) Science. 318(5856):1645-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1148045

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Ali, S.S., Xiong, C., Lucero, J., Behrens, M.M., Dugan, L.L., Quick, K.L. Gender differences in free radical homeostasis during aging: shorter-lived female C57BL6 mice have increased oxidative stress. (2006) Aging Cell. 5(6):565-74. DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2006.00252.x

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Davis, C.N., Tabarean, I., Gaidarova, S., Behrens, M.M., Bartfai, T. IL-1beta induces a MyD88-dependent and ceramide-mediated activation of Src in anterior hypothalamic neurons. (2006) J. Neurochem. 98(5):1379-89. DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03951.x

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Davis, C.N., Mann, E., Behrens, M.M., Gaidarova, S., Rebek, M., Rebek, J., Bartfai, T. MyD88-dependent and -independent signaling by IL-1 in neurons probed by bifunctional Toll/IL-1 receptor domain/BB-loop mimetics. (2006) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 103(8):2953-8. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0510802103

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Sanchez-Alavez, M., Tabarean, I.V., Behrens, M.M., Bartfai, T. Ceramide mediates the rapid phase of febrile response to IL-1beta. (2006) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 103(8):2904-8. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0510960103

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Kinney, J.W., Davis, C.N., Tabarean, I., Conti, B., Bartfai, T., Behrens, M.M. A specific role for NR2A-containing NMDA receptors in the maintenance of parvalbumin and GAD67 immunoreactivity in cultured interneurons. (2006) Journal of Neuroscience. 26(5):1604-15. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4722-05.2006

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Tabarean, I.V., Conti, B., Behrens, M.M., Korn, H., Bartfai (2005) Neuroscience. 135(2):433-449. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.06.053

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Badie-Mahdavi, H., Behrens, M.M., Rebek, J., Bartfai, T. Effect of galnon on induction of long-term potentiation in dentate gyrus of C57BL/6 mice. (2005) Neuropeptides. 39(3):249-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2004.12.010

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Badie-Mahdavi, H., Lu, X., Behrens, M.M., Bartfai, T. Role of galanin receptor 1 and galanin receptor 2 activation in synaptic plasticity associated with 3',5'-cyclic AMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation in the dentate gyrus: studies with (2005) Neuroscience. 133(2):591-604. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.02.042

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Conti, B., Sugama, S., Lucero, J., Winsky-Sommerer, R., Wirz, S.A., Maher, P., Andrews, Z., Barr, A.M., Morale, M.C., Paneda, C., Pemberton, J., Gaidarova, S., Behrens, M.M., Beal, F., Sanna, P.P., Horvath, T., Bartfai, T. Uncoupling protein 2 protects dopaminergic neurons from acute 1,2,3,6-methyl-phenyl-tetrahydropyridine toxicity. (2005) Journal of Neurochemistry. 93(2):493-501. DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2005.03052.x

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Lu, X., Barr, A.M., Kinney, J.W., Sanna, P., Conti, B., Behrens, M.M., Bartfai, T. A role for galanin in antidepressant actions with a focus on the dorsal raphe nucleus. (2005) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 102(3):874-9. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0408891102

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Dubé, C., Vezzani, A., Behrens, M., Bartfai, T., Baram, T.Z. Interleukin-1beta contributes to the generation of experimental febrile seizures. (2005) Ann. Neurol. 57(1):152-5. DOI: 10.1002/ana.20358

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Tabarean, I.V., Behrens, M.M., Bartfai, T., Korn, H. Prostaglandin E2-increased thermosensitivity of anterior hypothalamic neurons is associated with depressed inhibition. (2004) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 101(8):2590-5. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0308718101

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Kim, H.J., Hwang, J.J., Behrens, M.M., Snider, B.J., Choi, D.W., Koh, J.Y. TrkB mediates BDNF-induced potentiation of neuronal necrosis in cortical culture. (2003) Neurobiol. Dis. 14(1):110-9.

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Viviani, B., Bartesaghi, S., Gardoni, F., Vezzani, A., Behrens, M.M., Bartfai, T., Binaglia, M., Corsini, E., Di Luca, M., Galli, C.L., Marinovich, M. Interleukin-1beta enhances NMDA receptor-mediated intracellular calcium increase through activation of the Src family of kinases. (2003) Journal of Neuroscience. 23(25):8692-700.

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Bartfai, T., Behrens, M.M., Gaidarova, S., Pemberton, J., Shivanyuk, A., Rebek, J. A low molecular weight mimic of the Toll/IL-1 receptor/resistance domain inhibits IL-1 receptor-mediated responses. (2003) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 100(13):7971-6. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0932746100

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Heidinger, V., Manzerra, P., Wang, X.Q., Strasser, U., Yu, S.P., Choi, D.W., Behrens, M.M. Metabotropic glutamate receptor 1-induced upregulation of NMDA receptor current: mediation through the Pyk2/Src-family kinase pathway in cortical neurons. (2002) Journal of Neuroscience. 22(13):5452-61. DOI: 20026565

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Manzerra, P., Behrens, M.M., Canzoniero, L.M., Wang, X.Q., Heidinger, V., Ichinose, T., Yu, S.P., Choi, D.W. Zinc induces a Src family kinase-mediated up-regulation of NMDA receptor activity and excitotoxicity. (2001) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 98(20):11055-61. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.191353598

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Moreno-Bueno, G., Calés, C., Behrens, M.M., Fernández-Renart, M. Isolation and characterization of casein kinase I from Dictyostelium discoideum. (2000) Biochemical Journal. 349(Pt 2):527-37. DOI: 10.1042/0264-6021:3490527

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Sheline, C.T., Behrens, M.M., Choi, D.W. Zinc-induced cortical neuronal death: contribution of energy failure attributable to loss of NAD(+) and inhibition of glycolysis. (2000) Journal of Neuroscience. 20(9):3139-46.

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Behrens, M.M., Strasser, U., Heidinger, V., Lobner, D., Yu, S.P., McDonald, J.W., Won, M., Choi, D.W. Selective activation of group II mGluRs with LY354740 does not prevent neuronal excitotoxicity. (1999) Neuropharmacology. 38(10):1621-30. DOI: 10.1016/s0028-3908(99)00098-2

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Behrens, M.M., Strasser, U., Koh, J.Y., Gwag, B.J., Choi, D.W. Prevention of neuronal apoptosis by phorbol ester-induced activation of protein kinase C: blockade of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. (1999) Neuroscience. 94(3):917-27. DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(99)00212-2

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Behrens, M.M., Strasser, U., Lobner, D., Dugan, L.L. Neurotrophin-mediated potentiation of neuronal injury. (1999) Microsc. Res. Tech. 45(4-5):276-84. DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0029(19990515/01)45:4/5<276::AI

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Behrens, M.M., Strasser, U., Choi, D.W. Gö 6976 is a potent inhibitor of neurotrophin-receptor intrinsic tyrosine kinase. (1999) J. Neurochem. 72(3):919-24. DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1999.0720919.x

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García-Gallo, M., Behrens, M.M., Renart, J., Díaz-Guerra, M. Expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors using vaccinia virus causes excitotoxic death in human kidney cells. (1999) J. Cell. Biochem. 72(1):135-44.

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Strasser, U., Lobner, D., Behrens, M.M., Canzoniero, L.M., Choi, D.W. Antagonists for group I mGluRs attenuate excitotoxic neuronal death in cortical cultures. (1998) European Journal of Neuroscience. 10(9):2848-55. DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.1998.00291.x

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Martínez, J.L., Behrens, M.M., Moratilla, C., Renart, J. Oleoylanilide, a possible causative agent of toxic oil syndrome, interferes with the cytoskeleton in a neuronal cell line. (1997) Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 19(2):147-50.

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Boland, K., Behrens, M., Choi, D., Manias, K., Perlmutter, D.H. The serpin-enzyme complex receptor recognizes soluble, nontoxic amyloid-beta peptide but not aggregated, cytotoxic amyloid-beta peptide. (1996) Journal of Biological Chemistry. 271(30):18032-44. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.271.30.18032

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Hewett, S.J., Misko, T.P., Keeling, R.M., Behrens, M.M., Choi, D.W., Cross, A.H. Murine encephalitogenic lymphoid cells induce nitric oxide synthase in primary astrocytes. (1996) Journal of Neuroimmunology. 64(2):201-8.

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Gwag, B.J., Koh, J.Y., Chen, M.M., Dugan, L.L., Behrens, M.M., Lobner, D., Choi, D.W. BDNF or IGF-I potentiates free radical-mediated injury in cortical cell cultures. (1995) Neuroreport. 7(1):93-6.

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Behrens, M.M., Martínez, J.L., Moratilla, C., Renart, J. Apoptosis induced by protein kinase C inhibition in a neuroblastoma cell line. (1995) Cell Growth & Differentiation. 6(11):1375-80.

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Franco, E., Behrens, M.M., Díaz-Guerra, M., Renart, J. Structure and expression of a polyubiquitin gene from the crustacean Artemia. (1994) Gene Expression. 4(1-2):19-28.

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Mazón, M.J., Behrens, M.M., Morgado, E., Portillo, F. Low activity of the yeast cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit Tpk3 is due to the poor expression of the TPK3 gene. (1993) European Journal of Biochemistry. 213(1):501-6. DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1993.tb17787.x

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Schwandner, W.R., Jiménez, B., Schwartz, A., Weijer, C.J., Behrens, M., Mazón, M.J., Fernández-Renart, M. Chemotactic stimulation of aggregation-stage Dictyostelium cells induces rapid changes in energy metabolism, as measured by succinic thiokinase phosphorylation. (1993) Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 1176(1-2):175-82. DOI: 10.1016/0167-4889(93)90194-t

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Mazón, M.J., Behrens, M.M., Portillo, F., Piñón, R. cAMP- and RAS-independent nutritional regulation of plasma-membrane H+-ATPase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. (1989) J. Gen. Microbiol. 135(6):1453-60. DOI: 10.1099/00221287-135-6-1453

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Behrens, M.M., Mazón, M.J. Yeast cAMP-dependent protein kinase can be associated to the plasma membrane. (1988) Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 151(1):561-7. DOI: 10.1016/0006-291x(88)90631-6

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Education

BS, Biochemistry, University of Chile
MS, Biochemistry, University of Chile
PhD, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University Autonoma, Spain
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Washington University School of Medicine


Awards & Honors

  • The Kavli Institute for Brain And Mind Innovative Research Grant, 2018
  • NARSAD Young Investigator Award, 2009
  • Daniel X. Freedman Award Honorable Mention, 2008
  • NARSAD Young Investigator Award, 2004
  • European Molecular Biology Organization Fellowship, 1991
  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Fellowship, 1989
  • Federation of European Biochemical Societies Predoctoral Fellowship, 1988