Morgan Bridi, BS, PhD

Assistant Professor

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Department of Neuroscience

Classification:

Faculty

Assistant Professor

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (SOM)

Classification:

Faculty

• BS, West Virginia University
• BS, West Virginia University
• PhD, University of Pennsylvania

[2024]

• Montgomery KR, Bridi MS, Folts LM, Marx-Rattner R, Zierden HC, Wulff AB, Kodjo EA, Thompson SM, Bale TL. (2024). Chemogenetic activation of CRF neurons as a model of chronic stress produces sex-specific physiological and behavioral effects. Neuropsychopharmacology. doi: 10.1038/s41386-023-01739-5. PMID: 37833589.

[2021]

• Frei JA, Niescier RF, Bridi MS, Durens M, Nestor JE, Kilander MBC, Yuan X, Dykxhoorn DM, Nestor MW, Huang S, Blatt GJ, Lin YC. (2021). Regulation of Neural Circuit Development by Cadherin-11 Provides Implications for Autism. Eneuro, 7;8(4):ENEURO.0066-21.2021.
• Brandenburg C, Smith LA, Kilander MBC, Bridi MS, Lin YC, Huang S, Blatt GJ. (2021). Parvalbumin subtypes of cerebellar Purkinje cells contribute to differential intrinsic firing properties. Mol Cell Neurosci., 115:103650.

[2020]

• Bridi MS & Schoch H., Florian C, Poplawski SG, Banerjee A, Hawk JD, Hahn CG, Havekes R, Spruston N, & Abel T (2020). The transcriptional co-repressor SIN3A regulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity via Homer1/mGluR5 signaling. The Journal of Clinical Investigation: Insight; 2020, 5(5): e92385.
• Bridi M, Shin S, Huang S, & Kirkwood A. (2020). Dynamic recovery from depression enables rate encoding in inhibitory synapses. iScience, 2020, 23(3): 100940. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100940.
• Shen W, Kilander M, Bridi M, Frei J, Niescier R, Huang S, & Lin YC. (2020). Tomosyn regulates the small RhoA GTPase to control the dendritic stability of neurons and the surface expression of AMPA receptors. The Journal of Neuroscience Research.

[2017]

• Bridi M, Park SM, & Huang S. (2017). Developmental disruption of GABAAR-meditated inhibition in Cntnap2-KO mice. eNeuro, v.4(5); Sep-Oct 2017.
• Kronberg G, Bridi M, Abel T, & Parra LC. (2017). Direct current stimulation modulates LTP and LTD: Activity dependence and dendritic effects. Brain Stimulation, 10(1): 51-58.
• Bridi MS, Hawk JD, Chatterjee S, Safe S, & Abel T. (2017). Pharmacological activators of the NR4A nuclear receptors enhances LTP in a CREB/CBP-dependent manner. Neuropsychopharmacology, 42(6): 1243-1253.

[2013]

• Bridi MS & Abel T. (2013) The NR4A orphan nuclear receptors mediate transcription-dependent hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 105: 151-158.

[2012]

• Hawk JD, Bookout AL, Poplawski SG, Bridi M, Rao AJ, Sulewski ME, Kroener BT,Nr4a nuclear receptors support memory enhancement by histone deacetylase inhibitors. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 122(10): 3593-3602.

 

I was born in Beckley, WV, and attended West Virginia University as an undergraduate and have now returned to Morgantown as an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience in the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. During my years away from the state, I obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the Hussman Institute for Autism and the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore, MD.

My lab’s primary goal is to investigate how the brain's circuits and synapses (especially those made by inhibitory neurons) develop and change under typical and atypical/aversive/challenging conditions. We study sensory and stress circuitry in the context of neurodevelopmental conditions, stroke, and early-life adversity, asking both basic scientific questions and questions relevant to human health. The lab relies on mice as model organisms, and uses techniques that include immunohistochemistry, microscopy, behavior, in vivo biosensor imaging, and ex vivo electrophysiology, so that we can investigate from the single-cell level to the entire animal.

Research topics include:

· Measuring and manipulating activity in stress-responsive hypothalamic nuclei to improve post-stroke outcomes

· The role of canonical stress-signaling pathways and molecules in sensory circuits and sensory processing.

· Inhibitory maturation and development in stress and sensory circuits in models of neurodevelopmental disorders.

 

Training Environment

My mentoring style is not one-size fits all. I recognize that some trainees need a more hands-on approach and want lots of management, while others need more independence and self-guidance. In either case, my goal is the same: to help my students achieve mastery of their topic and the techniques required, and to get them to that personal moment of clarity and greater understanding. I value independence in my trainees, and I value mistakes, as it is all part of the growth process. I prefer to start with lots of hands-on guidance, demonstrating and transmitting lab skills, while building up a knowledge base through regular meetings and independent reading. I also have an open-door policy and like to have regular one-on-one meetings, to discuss progress, opportunities, and ongoing questions.