The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Raz Yirmiya, Ph.D.

Research in my laboratory focuses on the role of brain inflammatory processes in regulation of cognition, emotion, neural plasticity and neurogenesis. Specifically, we aim to elucidate the role of microglia and inflammatory cytokines, particularly within the hippocampus, in: 1) Normal physiological neurobehavioral processes, including hippocampal-dependent memory consolidation, neural plasticity, neurogenesis, and the modulation of these processes by environmental enrichment (see left panel in the figure below). 2) The neurobehavioral impairments produced by exposure to various forms of psychological stress, infections, injury and neurodegenerative diseases (see right panel in the figure below); 3) The pathophysiology of major depression. We particularly focus on the causal role of dynamic alterations in hippocampal microglia status and interleukin-1 signaling in chronic unpredictable stress-induced depression and suppressed neurogenesis.