Steve C. Danzer , PhD

Over the last two decades, I have sought to elucidate the basic mechanisms underlying the development of temporal lobe epilepsy. My laboratory has been continuously NIH-funded since 2009 (R01NS062806, 2009-2021, mTOR regulation of aberrant neuronal integration and epileptogenesis in epilepsy; R01NS065020, 2009-2024, Identification and reversal of primary and secondary epileptogenic changes; 1R01NS121042, 2022-2026, Anti-epileptogenic role of mTOR activation among hippocampal interneurons). I have been the PI on eight NIH grants, published 83 peer-reviewed publications, and graduated 12 Ph.D. students. Mentees in my lab have received 43 intramural and extramural awards, including seven NIH F awards. I have also served on eight junior faculty mentoring committees, including committees for two K awardees. I currently serve as the director of the Neuroscience Research Center, which has as a primary goal to expand and strengthen neuroscience research at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s, including expanding our research programs in epilepsy.
 
My laboratory examines changes in the structure and function of brain circuitry that drive temporal lobe epileptogenesis. My guiding view is that numerous mechanisms can lead to the development of epilepsy and that, in many patients, the disease reflects the accumulation of multiple pro-epileptogenic changes. In this regard, epilepsy is similar to cancer, with a variety of genetic, cellular and signaling changes driving disease. Correspondingly, I predict that eventual preventatives for epilepsy will resemble current treatments for cancer, in which multiple disease-causing mechanisms are targeted simultaneously, and treatments are modulated over time to preempt evolving disease states. The goal of our research, therefore, is to identify common disease-causing mechanisms that are clinically actionable.

My laboratory examines changes in the structure and function of brain circuitry that drive focal epileptogenesis, with a particular interest in epilepsies driven by gene mutations in the mTOR signaling pathway. The overall goal of our research is to identify common disease-causing mechanisms that are clinically actionable.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Danzer SC

LaSarge, Candi L; McCoy, Carlie; Namboodiri, Devi V; Hartings, Jed A; Danzer, Steve C; Batie, Matthew R; Skoch, Jesse (2023. ) Spatial and Temporal Comparisons of Calcium Channel and Intrinsic Signal Imaging During in Vivo Cortical Spreading Depolarizations in Healthy and Hypoxic Brains.Neurocritical care, , 39 (3 ) ,655-668 More Information

Kraus, Kimberly L; Nawreen, Nawshaba; Godale, Christin M; Chordia, Arihant P; Packard, Ben; LaSarge, Candi L; Herman, James P; Danzer, Steve C (2023. ) Hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors modulate status epilepticus severity.Neurobiology of disease, , 178 ,106014 More Information

Dusing, Mary; LaSarge, Candi L; White, Angela; Jerow, Lilian G; Gross, Christina; Danzer, Steve C (2023. ) Neurovascular Development in Pten and Tsc2 Mouse Mutants.eNeuro, , 10 (2 ) , More Information

Kraus, Kimberly L; Chordia, Arihant P; Drake, Austin W; Herman, James P; Danzer, Steve C (2022. ) Hippocampal interneurons are direct targets for circulating glucocorticoids.The Journal of comparative neurology, , 530 (12 ) ,2100-2112 More Information

LaSarge, Candi L; Pun, Raymund Y K; Gu, Zhiqing; Riccetti, Matthew R; Namboodiri, Devi V; Tiwari, Durgesh; Gross, Christina; Danzer, Steve C (2021. ) mTOR-driven neural circuit changes initiate an epileptogenic cascade.Progress in neurobiology, , 200 ,101974 More Information

LaSarge, Candi L; Pun, Raymund Y K; Gu, Zhiqing; Santos, Victor R; Danzer, Steve C (2019. ) Impact of mTOR hyperactive neurons on the morphology and physiology of adjacent neurons: Do PTEN KO cells make bad neighbors?.Experimental neurology, , 321 ,113029 More Information

Ngwenya, Laura B; Danzer, Steve C (2018. ) Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Neurogenesis.Frontiers in neuroscience, , 12 ,1014 More Information

Arafa, Salwa R; LaSarge, Candi L; Pun, Raymund Y K; Khademi, Shadi; Danzer, Steve C (2019. ) Self-reinforcing effects of mTOR hyperactive neurons on dendritic growth.Experimental neurology, , 311 ,125-134 More Information

Hosford, Bethany E; Rowley, Shane; Liska, John P; Danzer, Steve C (2017. ) Ablation of peri-insult generated granule cells after epilepsy onset halts disease progression.Scientific reports, , 7 (1 ) ,18015 More Information

Rowley, Shane; Sun, Xiaofei; Lima, Isabel V; Tavenier, Alexandra; de Oliveira, Antonio Carlos Pinheiro; Dey, Sudhansu K; Danzer, Steve C (2017. ) Cannabinoid receptor 1/2 double-knockout mice develop epilepsy.Epilepsia, , 58 (12 ) ,e162-e166 More Information

Santos, Victor R; Pun, Raymund Y K; Arafa, Salwa R; LaSarge, Candi L; Rowley, Shane; Khademi, Shadi; Bouley, Tom; Holland, Katherine D; Garcia-Cairasco, Norberto; Danzer, Steve C (2017. ) PTEN deletion increases hippocampal granule cell excitability in male and female mice.Neurobiology of disease, , 108 ,339-351 More Information

LaSarge, Candi L; Pun, Raymund Y K; Muntifering, Michael B; Danzer, Steve C (2016. ) Disrupted hippocampal network physiology following PTEN deletion from newborn dentate granule cells.Neurobiology of disease, , 96 ,105-114 More Information

Hosford, Bethany E; Liska, John P; Danzer, Steve C (2016. ) Ablation of Newly Generated Hippocampal Granule Cells Has Disease-Modifying Effects in Epilepsy.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, , 36 (43 ) ,11013-11023 More Information

LaSarge, Candi L; Santos, Victor R; Danzer, Steve C (2015. ) PTEN deletion from adult-generated dentate granule cells disrupts granule cell mossy fiber axon structure.Neurobiology of disease, , 75 ,142-50 More Information

Hofacer, Rylon D; Deng, Meng; Ward, Christopher G; Joseph, Bernadin; Hughes, Elizabeth A; Jiang, Connie; Danzer, Steve C; Loepke, Andreas W (2013. ) Cell age-specific vulnerability of neurons to anesthetic toxicity.Annals of neurology, , 73 (6 ) ,695-704 More Information

Hester, Michael S; Danzer, Steve C (2013. ) Accumulation of abnormal adult-generated hippocampal granule cells predicts seizure frequency and severity.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, , 33 (21 ) ,8926-36 More Information

Pun, Raymund Y K; Rolle, Isaiah J; Lasarge, Candi L; Hosford, Bethany E; Rosen, Jules M; Uhl, Juli D; Schmeltzer, Sarah N; Faulkner, Christian; Bronson, Stefanie L; Murphy, Brian L; Richards, David A; Holland, Katherine D; Danzer, Steve C (2012. ) Excessive activation of mTOR in postnatally generated granule cells is sufficient to cause epilepsy.Neuron, , 75 (6 ) ,1022-34 More Information

Murphy, Brian L; Danzer, Steve C (2011. ) Somatic translocation: a novel mechanism of granule cell dendritic dysmorphogenesis and dispersion.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, , 31 (8 ) ,2959-64 More Information

Murphy, Brian L; Pun, Raymund Y K; Yin, Hulian; Faulkner, Christian R; Loepke, Andreas W; Danzer, Steve C (2011. ) Heterogeneous integration of adult-generated granule cells into the epileptic brain.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, , 31 (1 ) ,105-17 More Information

Walter, Cynthia; Murphy, Brian L; Pun, Raymund Y K; Spieles-Engemann, Anne L; Danzer, Steve C (2007. ) Pilocarpine-induced seizures cause selective time-dependent changes to adult-generated hippocampal dentate granule cells.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, , 27 (28 ) ,7541-52 More Information

Epilepsy, Focal cortical dysplasia, Tuberous Sclerosis

steve.danzer@cchmc.org