Scientist Profile – Professor Jennifer Luebke
Illuminating the structure and function of individual brain cells
Jennifer Luebke, Ph.D. –Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology
The Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, led by Professor Jennifer Luebke (Center for Systems Neuroscience), employs multiple approaches to understand how specific features of individual neurons enable the area-specific functions of different brain regions. Their research also sheds light on why certain regions of the brain are more susceptible than others to the effects of normal and pathological aging.
Professor Luebke discussed several examples of the methods her lab uses to study the structure and function of individual neurons. She also talked about her three favorite novels, and why a particular swing set in childhood helped grow her fascination with science.
How would you describe your research and the goals of your lab?
My lab is involved in several highly collaborative projects, and what ties them all together is the cortical neuron. More specifically, our studies aim to better understand both the function and the structure of individual neurons in different brain areas and in different species, mainly the mouse and the monkey but also the human.
One reason that studying individual neurons is so important is that it helps us understand how different brain regions function in the way they do. For instance, some of our research compares neurons from the primary visual cortex, which processes sensory information, to neurons from the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in higher order association functions like memory and cognition. By studying the functional and structural differences in the neurons and the circuits that they form from these two regions, we can better understand differentiated functions in the regions themselves.
Studying differences in the function and structure of individual neurons also helps us better understand the neurodegeneration that results in certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia and changes that occur as part of the natural aging process in some individuals. We want to know, for instance, why the neurons in the prefrontal cortex are so susceptible to the degeneration caused by Alzheimer’s disease, yet the neurons in other brain areas, like the visual cortex, are more typically spared.
What techniques do you use to study the structure and function of individual neurons?
We use many methodological approaches, but most of our experiments begin with studying the function and structure of individual neurons in vitro (i.e. “in a dish”). We cut living brain tissue into slices just 300 microns thick, allowing us to visualize the neurons using a microscopy technique called infrared DIC (Differential Interference Contrast) optics. We can record activity from specific neurons, learning about their physiological properties, after which we can process the tissue slices to see the neurons’ structure.
Another method we employ with help from our collaborators involves computational modeling. After modeling the individual neurons, those neurons can be integrated into computer-based circuit models, at small and then larger scales, allowing us to study how hundreds of neurons function together as a circuit.
Can you describe an example of a project you’re working on now?
One project I’m excited about is a collaboration with two other BU faculty, Chand Chandrasekaran and Maria Medalla, using a process called optogenetic manipulation. This involves using genetically engineered viruses to integrate light-sensitive proteins into the neuron that allow us to “turn on” the neuron by shining a specific wavelength of light. By activating the neurons in this way, which can be done both in vivo (in living animals) and in vitro (in a dish), we can study how they functionally interact with surrounding neurons.
Another project involves single-neuron modeling and is led by a postdoc in my lab, Nil Sengupta. Action potentials are how neurons send signals via axons, but this process can be disrupted when the insulating myelin around axons is damaged, as seen in aging and diseases like multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer’s. Using computer models of brain cells with extensive axons, we studied how branching and myelin damage affect signal flow. We found that damage near branch points causes more severe disruptions, but some recovery is possible through myelin repair mechanisms. These findings help us better understand how signal transmission in the brain may break down under various pathological conditions and how it might be restored.
When did you know that you wanted to be a neuroscientist?
I was an undergraduate when I realized I wanted to pursue neuroscience specifically, but I was very interested in science even as a small child. For a writing assignment in third grade, I wrote that I wanted to be a scientist so I could invent things to clean up pollution.
One reason I developed a childhood interest in science is that I received some early exposure to it that was rather unique. My father’s government job required that we live abroad for a few years at a time, but our home base was Bethesda, Maryland, and we lived just three blocks away from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) campus. Most of our neighbors were NIH scientists, and I often overheard them chatting with my folks about their research. There was also this great swing set on the NIH campus that my friends and I would visit. We’d swing until it was dark outside, and that’s when we could see inside the labs very well—I remember being so intrigued by these glowing purple lights, and all that glassware.
What is a fact about you that surprises people?
People are often surprised when I tell them I’m a citizen of both the U.S. and Switzerland. My mom was Swiss, so it’s an important part of my background and culture. My family, as I mentioned, often lived abroad when I was growing up, and much of my childhood was spent in Europe.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
I would want the power of supersonic flight, so I could travel quickly to any place I wanted to go. I’d also enjoy the ability to travel backward and forward in time.
Do you have a favorite book?
I have quite a few favorite books. At the moment, three come to mind, which are East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and The Stand by Stephen King—I reread The Stand every few years.
Interview conducted and edited by Jim Cooney