Professor, Biology
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., UCLA
Department Chair,
Neuroscience
Appointed In
2005
Office
Bioscience 208B
Hours
MWF: 10:30am-11:30am or by appointment
Prof. Thompson’s research explores the causes and potential treatments for neurological diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. This involves a combination of techniques including histology, pharmacology, genetic engineering, and stem cell fusion.
Instagram: @oxy.ktlab
Research Description
The Thompson Lab investigates the use of cell-based therapies to treat severe brain conditions. Our primary areas of research include:
- Epilepsy Models and Treatment: Using engineered cell lines and stem cells to treat epilepsy in rodent models.
- Neurodegenerative Disorders: Researching the causes and potential treatments for epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions using multiple methods including histological, biochemical, and molecular techniques.
- Neural Cell lines and Stem Cell Biology: Studying genetically engineered and embryonic stem cells as a source for cell replacement strategies, including genetic manipulation and neural differentiation.
- Cell Fusion experiments: Modeling the fusion between neuronal cells and stem cells in order to reveal the basic mechanisms that are involved.
Students learn:
- Cell culture techniques
- Biochemical assays
- Histopathology
- electrophysiology
- Modeling human neurological disease
Courses
Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology (Bio 130)
Neurobiology (Bio 333)
Research Methods in Biology (Bio 290)
Select Publications
- Transplantation of neurogenic-fusionogenic embryonic stem cells modified to overexpress GABA into a model of temporal lobe epilepsy: Promises and potential pitfalls. Medical Research Archives, 2023,
- Kerry W. Thompson, Michelle Kanemori, Emily Kimes, Evthokia Hobbs, Jennifer Phan, Travis Wilson, Alex Wertheimer, Taylor Yoshida, Diana Flores-Barnett, Minji Kang, and Cameron Auyang
- Interictal aggression in rats with chronic seizures after an early life episode of status epilepticus Epilepsia Open, 2023
- Lucie Suchomelova, Kerry W. Thompson, Roger A. Baldwin, Jerome Niquet, and Claude G. Wasterlain
- Status epilepticus and early development: Neuronal injury, neurodegeneration, and their consequences. Epilepsia Open, 2022
- Treatment of early life status epilepticus: What can we learn from animal models? Epilepsia Open, 2018
- Acute and long-term effects of brivaracetam and brivaracetam-diazepam combinations in an experimental model of status epilepticus. Epilepsia, 2017
- Jerome Niquet, Lucie Suchomelova, Kerry Thompson, Henrik Klitgaard, Alain Matagne, and Claude Wasterlain
- Neurogenic Stem Cells Have the Capacity to Disperse Widely and Fuse with Host Neurons in Adult Rats. Journal of Stem Cell Research and Transplantation, 2014
- Kerry W Thompson
- Emily Kimes, Michele Kanemori, Daniella Amri, Ashley Noone, Jerika Barron, Ashley Saito, Omar Cortez-Toledo, Ellie Cortez-Toledo, David Arrizon, Johanna Quist, Yohualli Balderas, Melissa Miranda, Tina Tran, Frances Kim, and Kerry Thompson