Assistant Professor with LAT. Dr. Noor studies mechanisms underlying the paradoxical effects of acute morphine treatment for peripheral neuropathy in prenatal alcohol exposed (PAE) adult mice. Ongoing research interests include mechanisms underlying PAE-altered neuroimmune responses, with a particular focus on peripheral immune cell interactions with central nervous system (CNS) microglia and astrocytes and its relevance to CNS injury models. Prior training and research involved identifying the T cell and glial role during parasitic infection in the brain; and neuroimmune responses in ischemic preconditioning and stroke, with a focus on the contribution of the innate immune receptor, TLR4, and interferon (IFN) signaling in microglial activation. Dr. Noor routinely applies methods related to brain and spinal tissue analysis using flow cytometry. Dr. Noor is an active participant in the New Mexico Alcohol Research Center.
Laboratory Research Staff. Ms. Sun has been working in the Milligan lab for 8 years, and has made substantial technical and intellectual contributions to a number of research projects including recent work characterizing allodynia susceptibility in prenatal alcohol exposed male and female mice. Ms. has developed expertise in behavioral analysis of sensitivity to light touch in a number of rodent models of neuropathy, and performs benchtop biochemical assays such as protein and mRNA analysis. Ms. Sun is also integral to the laboratory’s day-to-day research functioning, and often trains undergraduate and graduate students on various research methods applied in the Milligan lab.
Laboratory Research Staff. Ms. Oropeza has been focused on understanding Mechanisms of Glucocorticoid Resistance in Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, and contributes to the conceptual framework related to how circadian rhythms influence neuroimmune and stress hormone factors in PAE offspring. Ms. conducts performs a number of critical assays including mRNA expression analysis, and performs cell culture experiments with Dr. Noor and is developing skills related to confocal microscopy.
Graduate student, 3rd yr: Ms Ruffaner-Hanson has been focused on understanding mechanisms of glucocorticoid resistance in prenatal alcohol exposure, with a particular emphasis on the brain stress-response system and transcriptional regulation of stress peptides and neuroimmune TLR4 pathway markers.
Ms Ruyak studies the effect of prenatal opioid exposure on placental TLR4 signaling pathways. Exposure to opioids during gestation may alter placental and fetal development resulting in dysregulated neurobehaviors at birth (e.g. neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome [NOWS]) and in later life. It is well documented that neurologic, respiratory, and feeding difficulties, low birth weight, and seizures occur more frequently among infants with NOWS significantly increasing hospital length of stay. While opioids are known to cross the placental barrier, their effects on the placenta and fetus are not well characterized. A recent discovery that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) binds and becomes activated by opioids offers a framework to examine the consequences of opioid-mediated adverse immune signaling consequences. Furthermore, TLR4 activation has recentlyextended to include perturbing the action of neurotransmitters such as serotonin (5-HT), which has been implicated in NOWS. The goal of Dr. Ruyak’s research is to understand the sex-specific effect of prenatal opioid exposure (POE) on human placental immune and serotonin function through TLR4 activation in order to inform sex-based prevention and treatment approaches for NOWS. Dr. Ruyak routinely collaborates and works closely with the Milligan lab and the NMARC.