Alev Erisir is a Turkish-American
neuroscientist
A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist specializing in neuroscience that deals with the anatomy and function of neurons, Biological neural network, neural circuits, and glia, and their Behavior, behavioral, biological, and psycholo ...
.
She is a professor of psychology and the department chair at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
in Charlottesville.
Her primary research areas include synaptic connectivity in the visual and taste systems, neuronal circuit
plasticity
Plasticity may refer to:
Science
* Plasticity (physics), in engineering and physics, the propensity of a solid material to undergo permanent deformation under load
* Behavioral plasticity, change in an organism's behavior in response to exposur ...
, and ultrastructural
neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy is the study of the structure and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defi ...
.
Early life and education
Erisir was born in
Kastamonu
Kastamonu, formerly Kastamone/Castamone () and Kastamon/Castamon (), is a city in northern Turkey. It is the seat of Kastamonu Province and Kastamonu District. , Turkey. Her father was stationed in Kastamonu as a malaria eradication doctor. As an infant, Erisir moved with her family to
Canakkale, Turkey, where she grew up until the age of 11. The family then moved to
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, Turkey, where Erisir completed her secondary education. In 1986, following high school graduation, Erisir attended
Istanbul University
Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...
School of Medicine and received her MD. In 1996, Erisir graduated from the
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...
with a PhD in
Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral neuroscience, also known as biological psychology, biopsychology, or psychobiology,[Psychobi ...](_blank)
.
Research and career
Erisir completed postdoctoral training at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
(NYU)
Center for Neural Science
The Center for Neural Science is a research institution founded in 1989 by members of the New York University Psychology Department, following a major funding drive. Its founder was J. Anthony Movshon, who has been director ever since, with brief ...
. She completed her training under the guidance of Chiye Aoki. In Aoki's laboratory, Professor Erisir trained specifically in Electron Microscopy. After completing her training at NYU, Erisir completed a one-year postdoctoral appointment at
New York Medical College
New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a Private university, private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro University System.
NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the ...
(NYMC)Â in the department of Physiology. Following her time at NYMC, Erisir returned to NYU this time as a Research Assistant Professor.
In 2000, Erisir started working at
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
(UVA) as an assistant professor. In 2013, she was granted professor status at UVA. During her time at UVA, Erisir has served in several administrative roles, including co-director of the neuroscience graduate program, director of the cognitive science program, and director of the neuroscience undergraduate program. In 2016, she was appointed to be the chair of the psychology department at UVA.
At UVA, Erisir's research has consisted of investigating ocular dominance column plasticity using several different techniques, brain stem gustatory circuitry, the aging brain and its pathology, and three-dimensional connectomics.
Erisir conducts studies on cellular mechanisms within the aging brain and neurodegenerative diseases such as
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
.
Her work examines the relationship between hyperactive
oligodendrocyte
Oligodendrocytes (), also known as oligodendroglia, are a type of neuroglia whose main function is to provide the myelin sheath to neuronal axons in the central nervous system (CNS). Myelination gives metabolic support to, and insulates the axons ...
s and cognitive impairments in Alzheimer's mouse models.
Additionally, Erisir's research examines proteins such as
beta-amyloid
Amyloid beta (Aβ, Abeta or beta-amyloid) denotes peptides of 36–43 amino acids that are the main component of the amyloid plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. The peptides derive from the amyloid-beta precursor pro ...
and
tau
Tau (; uppercase Τ, lowercase τ or \boldsymbol\tau; ) is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless alveolar plosive, voiceless dental or alveolar plosive . In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 300 ...
that result in the loss of
synaptic plasticity
In neuroscience, synaptic plasticity is the ability of synapses to Chemical synapse#Synaptic strength, strengthen or weaken over time, in response to increases or decreases in their activity. Since memory, memories are postulated to be represent ...
.
In 2008, Erisir received a University of Virginia Mead Grant, which funded an opportunity for Erisir to take undergraduates to the annual Society of Neuroscience conference. In 2010, she mentored a research project that investigated rodent neural circuitry between the brainstem and the oral cavity. This project was selected by the University of Virginia to receive the "Double Hoo" Grant.
Selected publications
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erisir, Alev
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
People from Kastamonu
Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine alumni
Turkish women physicians
Turkish physicians
Stony Brook University alumni
American women psychologists
University of Virginia School of Medicine faculty
American women neuroscientists
American neuroscientists
American academics of Turkish descent
21st-century American women
21st-century American psychologists