Dena Howland Dena Howland studies behavioral and anatomical recovery in the injured central nervous system with emphasis on regeneration, neural tissue transplantation, spinal cord injury and repair and locomotor function. Associate Professor of Neuroscience Investigator, McKnight Brain Institute Training Postdoc - University of Florida, Department of Neuroscience and Gainesville VA Medical Center, Mentor: Douglas K. Anderson Ph.D. Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA B.S. Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Contact phone: 352.294.0028 office: MBI L1-100G lab: MBI L2-160 email:howland@mbi.ufl.edu The overall focus of the laboratory is to determine how the spinal cord responds to injury and what interventions may be used to enhance recovery based upon both anatomical and behavioral criteria. A variety of lesion models in both the rat and cat are being used. Our studies have shown that grafts of embryonic spinal cord can promote recovery following spinal cord injury in both developing and adult systems. A variety of neuroanatomical and molecular methods are being used to assess the cellular and axonal interactions that occur between the host and graft. We are also currently studying the expression of several molecules that are know to affect axonal growth during development. The behavioral analyses focuses on several characteristics of locomotion including weight support, balance, interlimb coordination and angular kinematics. Recent Publications Intact aggrecan and chondroitin sulfate-depleted aggrecan core glycoprotein inhibit axon growth in the adult rat spinal cord. Lemons ML, Sandy JD, Anderson DK, Howland DR. Exp Neurol. 2003 Dec;184(2):981-90. Intact aggrecan and fragments generated by both aggrecanse and metalloproteinase-like activities are present in the developing and adult rat spinal cord and their relative abundance is altered by injury. Lemons ML, Sandy JD, Anderson DK, Howland DR. J Neurosci. 2001 Jul 1;21(13):4772-81. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan immunoreactivity increases following spinal cord injury and transplantation. Lemons ML, Howland DR, Anderson DK. Exp Neurol. 1999 Nov;160(1):51-65.