Suzanne Zukin

R. Suzanne Zukin was an American neuroscientist and a professor of neuroscience who directs a research lab as a F. M. Kirby Chair in Neural Repair and Protection and director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Zukin's areas of research include neurodegenerative disorders, ischemia, epigenetics and autism and uses molecular biology approaches to research these disorders. Zukin has made seminal contributions to the understanding of NMDA and AMPA receptor function and activity.

Early career After receiving a bachelor's degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1970, Zukin started her path as a molecular biologist with an understanding of protein structure-function relationships while working on her doctoral dissertation with Donald P. Hollis at Johns Hopkins Medical School. She subsequently pursued postdoctoral work with Daniel E. Koshland Jr. at UC Berkeley where she investigated ligand binding and conformational changes in sensory receptors. Neuroscience career and research In 1977 Suzanne Zukin joined the department of Biochemistry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. and F.M. Kirby Chair in Neural Repair and Protection.

Currently, the lab is pursuing the following research questions related to molecular mechanisms of dysregulation of gene expression of synaptic proteins:

Molecular pathways leading to aberrations in autism and fragile X syndrome: The Zukin lab aims to identify protein expression dysregulation that may result in the phenotypes observed in autism spectrum disorders. The lab has found that the downstream targets of mTORC2, Rho GTPase Rac1 and LIMK exhibit increased expression in a mouse model of autism. Elevated expression of proteins in this pathway are causally related to reduced activity of the actin depolymerizing factor Cofilin, a major determinant of dendritic spine morphology.

F.M. Kirby Chair in Neural Repair and Protection

2014 Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Distinguished Investigator award for "REST-dependent epigenetic remodeling of NMDA receptors as a risk factor in schizophrenia."

Notable research articles