Dorothy P. Schafer

Dorothy P. "Dori" Schafer is an assistant professor in the department of neurobiology at University of Massachusetts Medical School. Her research focuses on the role of microglia in the development of synapses and brain circuits as well as the maintenance of synaptic plasticity.

Early life and education

Schafer earned a BA in Neuroscience from Mount Holyoke College in 2001. She completed her PhD in 2008 at the University of Connecticut, where she worked with Matthew Rasband at the University of Connecticut Health Center. From 2008 to 2014, Schafer worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Beth Stevens's lab at Boston Children's Hospital.[1]

In January 2015, Schafer was hired as a tenure-track assistant professor of neurobiology at UMass Medical School.[2]

Research

Microglia-synapse interactions

Schafer has studied the phagocytic function of microglia, which is required for synaptic pruning of the connections between the retina and the lateral geniculate nucleus, as well as other highly organized pathways in the healthy central nervous system. The pruning ability of microglia is dependent on complement component 3.[3] Schafer's current research includes ablating genes of interest in microglia to determine their effects on synaptic structure as well as behavior.[1]

Microglial cytokine signaling also modulates synaptic function by regulating neurotransmitter receptor expression, which can directly impact neurotransmission.[4] Alongside Beth Stevens, Schafer has proposed an expansion to the tripartite synapse model of neural function called the quad-partite synapse.[5]

Neurological disease

Microglia are implicated in the development of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases such as autism, schizophrenia, ALS, and MS. In a MECP2-null mouse model of Rett syndrome, Schafer demonstrated that microglia contributed to disease by excessively pruning presynaptic inputs, thereby disrupting vulnerable neural circuits.[6] Microglia functioned primarily as "secondary responders" which were excessively activated by disease, a mechanism which may be conserved in other models of neurodegeneration like Alzheimer's disease.

Awards

Schafer has received funding and recognition for her academic work, including the following awards:[7]

References
  1. "Dorothy (Dori) Schafer, Ph.D. - Principal Investigator". Schafer Lab, UMMS. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  2. "Spotlight on Faculty Positions". Nature. Springer Nature. 2015-09-09. doi:10.1038/nj0454.
  3. Schafer DP, Lehrman EK, Kautzman AG, Koyama R, Mardinly AR, Yamasaki R, et al. (2012). "Microglia sculpt postnatal neural circuits in an activity and complement-dependent manner". Neuron. 74 (4): 691–705. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2012.03.026. PMC 3528177. PMID 22632727.
  4. Werneburg S, Feinberg PA, Johnson KM, Schafer DP (2017). "A microglia-cytokine axis to modulate synaptic connectivity and function". Curr Opin Neurobiol. 47: 138–145. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2017.10.002. PMC 5797987. PMID 29096242.
  5. Schafer DP, Lehrman EK, Stevens B (2013). "The "quad-partite" synapse: microglia-synapse interactions in the developing and mature CNS". Glia. 61 (1): 24–36. doi:10.1002/glia.22389. PMC 4082974. PMID 22829357.
  6. Schafer DP, Heller CT, Gunner G, Heller M, Gordon C, Hammond T, et al. (2016). "Microglia contribute to circuit defects in Mecp2 null mice independent of microglia-specific loss of Mecp2 expression". eLife. 5. doi:10.7554/eLife.15224. PMC 4961457. PMID 27458802.
  7. "Dorothy Schafer - Profiles RNS". UMass Profiles Research Networking Software. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  8. Bard, Megan (2016-10-05). "Schafer lab receives Hood Foundation grant to study how microglia regulate development of brain circuitry". UMass Medical School Communications. Worcester, MA. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  9. "Recipients of the MARIAN KIES Memorial Award". American Society for Neurochemistry. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
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