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 7/19/2024

    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

  • Published 1/8/2024

    Amaral DG, Augustinack J, Barbas H, Frosch M, Gabrieli J, Luebke J, Rakic P, Rosene D, Rushmore RJ. The analysis of H.M.'s brain: A brief review of status and plans for future studies and tissue archive. Hippocampus. 2024 Feb; 34(2):52-57. PMID: 38189522.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/1/2023

    He S, Guan Y, Cheng CH, Moore TL, Luebke JI, Killiany RJ, Rosene DL, Koo BB, Ou Y. Human-to-monkey transfer learning identifies the frontal white matter as a key determinant for predicting monkey brain age. Front Aging Neurosci. 2023; 15:1249415. PMID: 38020785.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/1/2023

    Ibañez S, Sengupta N, Luebke JI, Wimmer K, Weaver CM. Myelin dystrophy in the aging prefrontal cortex leads to impaired signal transmission and working memory decline: a multiscale computational study. bioRxiv. 2023 Sep 01. PMID: 37693412.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 72 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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