Esther Louise Sabban, Ph.D., is currently investigating the mechanisms that regulate neurotransmitters. Long-term abnormalities in catecholamine neurotransmission are involved in a number of prevalent diseases such as stress, cardiovascular disorders, Parkinson's disease and depression. Dr. Sabban's laboratory is focused on elucidating molecular mechanism of stress related disorders and possible therapies. While the physiological responses to stress are critical for survival, they increase the allostatic load and are associated with greater incidence of many widespread diseases, such as neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular disorders. Dr. Sabban is also studying animal models for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Education

• Ph.D., New York University
• M.S., Hebrew University

Honors and Awards

• The Sidney E. Frank Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Research

• Preclinical studies on prophylactic, early intervention or treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) in the single prolonged stress, animal PTSD model. Her lab was the first to provide proof of concept that intranasal delivery to the brain of neuropeptide Y or melanocortin 4 receptor antagonists prevented development of many of the PTSD associated impairments. The molecular, behavioral and neuroendocrine effects of the traumatic stress, with and without their intranasal delivery to the brain, are being investigated, with focus on key brain regions involved in mediating the stress response such as the noradrenergic center in the locus coeruleus, the hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex.
• Molecular adaptations of peripheral and central catecholaminergic systems to acute and chronic stress exposure, and influence of estrogen. They are exploring new aspects of the regulation of adrenal medulla by stress, specifically the role of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) family members and of various components of the renin-angiotensin system.

Publications

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