Jennifer I. Luebke, PhD

Waterhouse Professor & Chair, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

The overall interest of our laboratory is in the functional properties of neurons in the mammalian prefrontal cortex (PFC), which play a central role in higher cognitive abilities such as abstract thinking, problem solving and cognitive flexibility. We seek to gain an understanding of the signaling properties of these neurons (in young and aged monkeys and APP and tau transgenic mice) by examining characteristics such as repetitive action potential firing patterns, synaptic response properties and underlying ionic currents, using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of individual neurons identified under IR-DIC optics. By filling neurons from which recordings are obtained with dyes, we are able to subsequently reconstruct the neurons in 3-D and learn a great deal about important structure-function relationships. Most recently we are working with biomathematicians to perform computational modeling of PFC pyramidal cells using our empirically derived data.

Publications

  • Published 7/10/2025

    Goodliffe J, Rubakovic A, Chang W, Pathak D, Luebke J. Correction: Structural and functional features of medium spiny neurons in the BACHD?N17 mouse model of Huntington's Disease. PLoS One. 2025; 20(7):e0327837. PMID: 40638557.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/1/2025

    LeBlang CJ, Medalla M, Nicoletti NW, Hays EC, Zhao J, Shattuck J, Cruz AL, Wolozin B, Luebke JI. Correction: Reduction of the RNA binding protein TIA1 exacerbates neuroinflammation in tauopathy. Front Neurosci. 2025; 19:1641304. PMID: 40666255.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/23/2025

    Tsolias A, Mojica CA, Yamani R, Khanna SD, Abdullatif SA, Snyder BJ, Chang W, Guillamon-Vivancos T, Goodliffe J, Capriglione AL, Palanca ILT, Martinez J, Campbell JD, Luebke JI, Zeldich E, Medalla M. Transcriptional and functional profiles of muscarinic receptor-expressing neurons in primate lateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices. bioRxiv. 2025 May 23. PMID: 40475401.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/19/2024

    Ibañez S, Sengupta N, Luebke JI, Wimmer K, Weaver CM. Myelin dystrophy impairs signal transmission and working memory in a multiscale model of the aging prefrontal cortex. Elife. 2024 Jul 19; 12. PMID: 39028036.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/28/2024

    Castro-Mendoza PB, Weaver CM, Chang W, Medalla M, Rockland KS, Lowery L, McDonough E, Varghese M, Hof PR, Meyer DE, Luebke JI. Proteomic features of gray matter layers and superficial white matter of the rhesus monkey neocortex: comparison of prefrontal area 46 and occipital area 17. Brain Struct Funct. 2024 Sep; 229(7):1495-1525. PMID: 38943018.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 75 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Boston University, PhD
  • Randolph–Macon College, BS

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