Paola Timiras

Full Directory Information

Research Interests

Research in my laboratory is currently investigating the role of hormones, growth factors, and environmental conditions on the physiopathology of neuroglial cells, astrocytes (supporting neuronal metabolism and neurotransmission) and oligodendrocytes (responsible for myelin formation). Steroid hormones (e.g., estrogens) reduce accumulation of amyloid deposits (a hallmark of Alzheimer’s dementia) in neuroblastoma cells; they may act, in synergy with growth factors, through reduced glutamate toxicity and oxidative damage and through stimulated myelinogenesis. Stimulation of neuroglia by growth factors promotes accelerated proliferation with progressive decline in specific enzyme activity, leading to neuroglia de-differentiation, followed by possible transformation into potent precursor cells and ultimately into neuroblasts. Caloric restriction promotes reproduction and longevity in old mice through regulation of hypothalamic signals that protect the number of estrogen-sensitive cells, usually reduced with aging in controls. Administration of curcumin, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory drug, proven to be beneficial in prevention/treatment of early Alzheimer’s dementia in rodents is also effective in tissue culture by inhibiting proliferation and promoting maturation of cultured neuroglial cells, thereby providing more efficient metabolic support for neuronal metabolism. These and other data support evidence for CNS plasticity and neurogenesis under a variety of hormonal and environmental stimuli, at young as well as old age.

Selected Publications

The Aging Phenome: Caloric Restriction and Hormones Promote Neural Cell Survival, Growth, and De-Differentiation. [P.S. Timiras et al. (2004) Mech. Ageing Dev., in press]

Curcumin Affects Proliferation and Maturation of Neuroglia; Influence of Dose and Duration of Administration. [L. Wu et al. (2004) Exper. Gerontol., in press]

A New Role for Neuroglia: Neurogenesis – The Role of Growth Factors in the Growth and Differentiation of Neuroglia. [E. Thung et al. (2004) Exper. Gerontol., in press]

A Survey of Estrogen Receptor-Alpha Immunoreactivity in the Hypothalamus of Young, Old, and Old-Calorie Restricted Female B6D2F1 Mice. [F. Yaghmaie et al. (2004) Exper. Gerontol., in press]

Curcumin Inhibits Dose-Dependently and Time-Dependently Neuroglial Cell Proliferation and Growth. [S.S. Ambegaokar et al. (2003). Neuro. Endocrinol. Lett. 24, 469-473]

Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, 3rd Ed. [P.S. Timiras (Ed.), (2003) CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL]

Effects of estrogens and thyroid hormone on development and aging of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. [K. Higashigawa et al., in Neuroglia in the Aging Brain, J.S. De Vellis (Ed.), (2001) Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, p. 245]

Protective action of 17-b estradiol and tamoxifen on glutamate toxicity in glial cells. [H. Shy, L. Malaiyandi, and P. S. Timiras (2000) Int. J. Dev Neurosci. 18, 289-297]

Last Updated 2004-09-28