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

• Tanelian A, Nankova B, Miari M, et. al. "Microbial composition, functionality, and stress resilience or susceptibility: unraveling sex-specific patterns." Biology of sex differences, 15(1), (2024) 20. doi: 10.1186/s13293-024-00590-7
• Tanelian A, Nankova B, Hu F, et. al. "Effect of acetate supplementation on traumatic stress-induced behavioral impairments in male rats." Neurobiology of stress, 27(), (2023) 100572. doi: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100572
• Sabban EL, Serova L, Nahvi RJ, et. al. "Potential benefits of intranasal neuropeptide Y include sustained extinction of fear memory." Journal of neuroendocrinology, 35(11), (2023) e13279. doi: 10.1111/jne.13279
• Tanelian A, Nankova B, Cheriyan A, et. al. "Differences in gut microbiota associated with stress resilience and susceptibility to single prolonged stress in female rodents." Neurobiology of stress, 24(), (2023) 100533. doi: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100533
• Nahvi RJ, Tanelian A, Nwokafor C, et. al. "Transcriptome profiles associated with resilience and susceptibility to single prolonged stress in the locus coeruleus and nucleus accumbens in male sprague-dawley rats." Behavioural brain research, 439(), (2023) 114162. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114162
• Knox DK, Sabban EL, Morinobu S, et. al. "Editorial: Examining Mechanisms via Which Traumatic Stress Leads to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Using Animal Models: Advantages, Pitfalls, and Future Directions." Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 16(), (2022) 966147. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.966147
• Tanelian A, Nankova B, Miari M, et. al. "Resilience or susceptibility to traumatic stress: Potential influence of the microbiome." Neurobiology of stress, 19(), (2022) 100461. doi: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100461

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