E-MAIL: liaox020@umn.edu
Research Interests:
Plasticity of dendritic spines, which are mostly excitatory glutamatergic synapses, plays important roles in learning and memory. Addiction is believed to be a pathological form of learning. Our studies reveal that MORs modulate the stability of dendritic spines. We focus on the molecular and cellular mechanism underlying opioid addiction, particularly opioid-induced changes in the morphology and function of dendritic spines.
Selected Publications:
(For a comprehensive list of recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)
- Braun NJ, Yao KR, Alford PW, Liao D. Mechanical injuries of neurons induce tau mislocalization to dendritic spines and tau-dependent synaptic dysfunction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Nov 2:202008306.
- Teravskis PJ, Ashe KH, Liao D. The accumulation of Tau in postsynaptic structures: A common feature in multiple neurodegenerative diseases? Neuroscientist. 2020 May 9:1073858420916696.
- Teravskis PJ, Oxnard BR, Miller EC, Kemper L, Ashe KH, Liao D. Phosphorylation in two discrete tau domains regulates a stepwise process leading to postsynaptic dysfunction. J Physiol. 2019 Jun 13. doi: 10.1113/JP277459.
- Teravskis PJ, Covelo A, Miller EC, Singh B, Martell-Martínez HA, Benneyworth MA, Gallardo C, Oxnard BR, Araque A, Lee MK, Liao D. A53T mutant alpha-synuclein induces tau dependent postsynaptic impairment independent of neurodegenerative changes. J Neurosci. 2018;38:9754-9767.
- Liao D, Miller EC, Teravskis PJ. Tau acts as a mediator for Alzheimer's disease-related synaptic deficits. Eur J Neurosci. 2014 Apr;39(7):1202-13.
- Lou X, Zhang J, Liu S, Xu N, Liao DJ. The other side of the coin: the tumor-suppressive aspect of oncogenes and the oncogenic aspect of tumor-suppressive genes, such as those along the CCND-CDK4/6-RB axis. Cell Cycle. 2014;13:1677-1693.
- Miller EC, Teravskis PJ, Dummer BW, Zhao X, Huganir RL, Liao D. Tau phosphorylation and tau mislocalization mediate soluble Aβ oligomer-induced AMPA glutamate receptor signaling deficits. Eur J Neurosci. 2014;39:1214-1224.
- Liao D, Miller EC, Teravskis PJ. Tau acts as a mediator for Alzheimer's disease-related synaptic deficits. Eur J Neurosci. 2014;39(7):1202-1213.
- Miller EC, Zhang L, Dummer BW, Cariveau DR, Loh H, Law PY, Liao D. Differential modulation of drug-induced structural and functional plasticity of dendritic spines. Mol Pharmacol. 2012;82:333-343.
Former Graduate Students:
Katie Wiens (Ph.D. 2006, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Eric Miller (Ph.D. 2013,Neurscience, University of Minnesota).