Christine Byrd-Jacobs
Hi! Welcome to my website.
I am the Dean of the Graduate College at Western Michigan University, where I provide leadership for graduate education and support graduate student needs. I oversee the talented staff of the Graduate College, who work hard everyday to help students.
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I am also a full professor of Biological Sciences and a neuroscientist who studies the ability of the adult brain to recover from damage and disease, using the zebrafish olfactory system as a model. I supervise graduate and undergraduate students and help them become accomplished researchers.
Latest News from the Byrd Lab
Current Students
Bonnie Corpus, PhD student
John Rozofsky, PhD student
Abdulaziz Shebrain, undergraduate student
Nivetha Pasupathy, undergraduate student
Eric Oliver, undergraduate student
Gabe Vanderwoude, undergraduate student
Congratulations to recent graduates
from the Byrd Lab!
Dr. Tara Maser recently graduated wither her PhD; her dissertation work was performed in collaboration with Dr. Andre Venter from Chemistry. Well done, Tara!
Dr. Susanne Var received her PhD and is a postdoctoral fellow
at the University of Minnesota!
Dr. Erika Calvo-Ochoa completed her postdoctoral fellowship and is an
assistant professor at Hope College!
Jackson Scheib finished his master's degree is in a doctoral program
at the University of Minnesota!
Recent Publications and Presentations
*=Graduate Student co-author; **=Undergraduate co-author​; +=Postdoc co-author
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Ali, M.M.*, A. Shebrain**, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2023. Phagocytic response patterns to chemical ablation of the olfactory epithelium in adult zebrafish. Kalamazoo Community Medical and Health Sciences Research Day.
Ebendick, B.E.*, S. Var*, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2023. Neuroplasticity in the zebrafish olfactory bulb after immune modulation. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.
Ebendick, B.E.*, S. Var*, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2023. Immune modulation effects on neuroplasticity in zebrafish. Michigan Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting.
Ebendick-Corpus, B.E.*, S.R. Var*, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2023. The effects of immune modulation on the recovery rate of zebrafish olfactory glomeruli after deafferentation. Kalamazoo Community Medical and Health Sciences Research Day.
Rozofsky, J.*, J.M. Pozzuto*, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2023. Potential sexual dimorphisms in mitral cell dendritic structure with growth, injury and recovery in adult zebrafish. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.
Rozofsky, J. J. Pozzuto, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2023. Potential sex differences in mitral cell dendritic morphology following injury and recovery. Kalamazoo Community Medical and Health Sciences Research Day.
Ebendick-Corpus, B.E.*, S.R. Var*, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2022. The effects of immune modulation on the recovery rate of zebrafish olfactory glomeruli after deafferentation. Michigan Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting.
Rozofsky, J.P.*, J.M. Pozzuto*, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2022. Potential sex differences in mitral cell dendritic morphology following injury and recovery. Michigan Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting.
Maser, T.L.*, C.A. Byrd-Jacobs, A.R. Venter. 2021. Chemical profiling of zebrafish olfactory epithelium regeneration after chemical insult using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. American Society for Mass Spectrometry Annual Conference.
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Calvo-Ochoa, E.+, C.A. Byrd-Jacobs, and Stefan H. Fuss. 2021. Diving into the streams and waves of constitutive and regenerative olfactory neurogenesis: insights from zebrafish. Cell and Tissue Research 383: 227-253.
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Var, S.R.* and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2020. Role of macrophages and microglia in zebrafish regeneration. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21: 4768-4784. Awarded as a Top Downloaded Paper of IJMS in 2020!
Scheib, J.J.* and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2020. Zebrafish astroglial morphology in the olfactory bulb is altered with repetitive peripheral damage. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 14:article 4; doi 10.3389.fnana.2020.00004.
Var, S.R.* and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2019. Microglial response patterns following damage to the zebrafish olfactory bulb. IBRO Reports 7:70-79.
Calvo-Ochoa, E. and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2019. The olfactory system of zebrafish as a model for the study of neurotoxicity and injury: Implications for neuroplasticity and disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20(7):1639-1657. Featured on cover.
Pozzuto, J.M.*, C. L. Fuller*, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2019. Deafferentation-induced alterations in mitral cell dendritic morphology in the adult zebrafish olfactory bulb. Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes 51: 29-40 doi.org/10.1007/s10863-018-9772-x
Scheib, J.J.**, J.M. Pozzuto*, and C.A. Byrd-Jacobs. 2019. Reversible deafferentation of the zebrafish olfactory bulb with wax plug insertion. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 311:47-56.
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MY CURRENT AREAS OF RESEARCH IN CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
My research explores the potential of the adult brain to recover from damage, using methods that reduce sensory input to the olfactory part of the brain, the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb exhibits a high degree of plasticity naturally and has tremendous potential for recovery from damage. The zebrafish is a good model system for our studies because teleosts have well-established regeneration abilities. A better understanding of the degenerative and regenerative responses of the adult brain is important in clinical applications for recovery from injury and disease.
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Areas we are currently investigating include the following:
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How does the olfactory organ affect the maintenance of the structure and function of the olfactory bulb in adults? Using permanent or reversible deafferentation methods, we remove or decrease sensory input to the brain and examine resulting changes in brain structure and function. Recent efforts include examining changes in dendritic structure of mitral cells and alterations in neurogenesis patterns.
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Does the immune response to neuronal damage hinder or help regeneration of adult brain structures? Examining the microglia of the olfactory bulb allows us to explore their role in neural plasticity. Microglia respond to damage and release a number of factors, and we are exploring these to determine if the microglial response facilitates regeneration or prevents it.
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Are some olfactory sensory neuron subtypes in the olfactory organ more susceptible to damage and others more resistant? Following exposure to various chemicals, some cells in the nose die and others are spared, suggesting that there are differential effects on sensory neuron subtypes. This line of research relates to neuroprotection as well as the ability of fish to survive in polluted waters.
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