Postdocs

Position: Postdoctoral Associate
Advisor: Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth
Education:
- BFA Marymount Manhattan College
- MS Biomedical Sciences - Physiology & Biophysics, Stony Brook University
- Ph.D. Neuroscience, Stony Brook University
Research Interest: My master’s research focused on adult neurogenesis and repair after traumatic brain injury. My dissertation research focused on the molecular and cellular processes of neurodevelopment, especially neurogenesis, as well as comparative and evolutionary neuroscience. The goal of my research was, and is, to understand how receptor-signaling mechanisms, especially that of the NMDA receptor, during embryonic and postembryonic neurogenesis give rise to neurodevelopmental disorders and how those mechanisms might be harnessed for therapeutic purposes to treat both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. In my postdoc, I am exploring the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders in an additional developmental tissue, the neural crest. This work unites and synthesizes all my prior scientific research into a cohesive picture of developmental dysregulation and disease.
My diverse scientific background has informed my research with a holistic perspective on organismal biology and its relationship to function and disease. One of the strengths I bring to my research team is my innovative and integrative thinking that involves searching out novel roads of scientific inquiry and asking questions that strive to unify disparate scientific findings. This approach has led to several unique discoveries and promising avenues of research into the etiology and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Publications:
- Napoli, A.J. and Wollmuth, L.P.(in prep) ‘The unrecognized contribution of neural crest to neurodevelopmental disorders’.
- Napoli, A.J. et al. (in prep) ‘A novel role for NMDA receptors in neural crest development’.
- Napoli, A.J. and Powers, A.S.(invited paper in prep) ‘The importance of being glial’, Brain, Behavior, and Evolution.
- Napoli, A.J., Laderwager, S.,Zoodsma, J.D., Biju,B., Mucollari, O., Schubel, S., Aprea, C., Sayed, A., Morgan, K., Napoli, A., Flanagan, S., Wollmuth, L.P., Sirotkin, H.I. (2024) ‘Developmental loss of NMDA receptors results in supernumerary forebrain neurons through delayed maturation of transit-amplifying neuroblasts’, Scientific Reports, 14:3395, doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53910-7
- Josiah Zoodsma, Emma Keegan, Ashwin A. Bhandiwad, Amalia J. Napoli, Harold A. Burgess, Lonnie P. Wollmuth, and Howard I. Sirotkin (2022) ‘Disruption of grin2B, an ASD-associated gene, produces social deficits in zebrafish’, Molecular Autism, 13:38. Doi:10.1186/s13229-022-00516-3
- Napoli, A. J. and Powers, A. S. (2020) ‘Brain Evolution and Comparative Neuroanatomy’, eLS, (July), pp. 1–14. doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000088.pub4.
- Zoodsma, J.D., Chan, K., Bhandiwad, A.A., Golann, D.R., Liu, G., Syed, S.A., Napoli, A.J., Burgess, H.A., Sirotkin, H.I., Wollmuth, L.P. (2020) ‘A model to study NMDA receptors in early nervous system development’, Journal of Neuroscience, 40(18), pp. 3631–3645. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3025-19.2020.

Graduate Students

Position: PhD Student
Advisor: Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth
Program: Neuroscience
Education:
- A.S. - Suffolk Community College
- B.S. - Stony Brook University
Research Interest:
Publications:
- Napoli, A.J., Aprea, C., … and Wollmuth, L.P. (in prep) ‘A novel role for NMDA receptors in neural crest development’.
- Nebet E.R., Aprea C., Zoodsma J., … and Wollmuth, L.P. Conservation of human NMDA receptor subunits and disease variants in zebrafish. BMC Genomics. 2025 Jul; PREPRINT - Under review https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7151578/v1
- Napoli, A.J.,Laderwager, S.,Zoodsma, J.D., Biju,B., Mucollari, O., Schubel, S., Aprea, C., Sayed, A., Morgan, K., Napoli, A., Flanagan, S., Wollmuth, L.P., Sirotkin, H.I. (2024) ‘Developmental loss of NMDA receptors results in supernumerary forebrain neurons through delayed maturation of transit-amplifying neuroblasts’, Scientific Reports, 14:3395, doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53910-7

Position: MD/PhD Student
Advisor: Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth
Program: MSTP - Neuroscience
Education:
- A.A. Bard College
- B.S. New York University
Research Interest: I have long been interested in the development of innovative treatments that target the underlying causes of neurological disorders, with a particular emphasis on epilepsy. As an undergraduate in the Tsien Lab, I investigated the balance of excitatory and inhibitory activity in the hippocampus, a common seizure focus in the brain, as well as the mechanism via which cannabidiol (CBD) produces an anti-seizure effect; excitingly, CBD is now offered as a treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy. Currently, for my thesis work in the Wollmuth Lab, I am studying the role of the NMDA receptor subunits in neurodevelopment and seizure pathogenesis, hoping to uncover novel targets to treat seizures due to developmental dysregulation.
Publications:
- Nebet E.R., Aprea C., Zoodsma J., … and Wollmuth, L.P. Conservation of human NMDA receptor subunits and disease variants in zebrafish. BMC Genomics. 2025 Jul; PREPRINT - Under review https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7151578/v1
- Chamberland S., Grant G., Machold R., Nebet E.R., Tian G., … and Tsien R.W. Functional specialization of hippocampal somatostatin-expressing interneurons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2024 Apr; 121(17):e2306382121. (PMCID: PMC11047068)
- Chamberland S., Nebet E.R., Valero M., … Tsien R.W. Brief synaptic inhibition persistently interrupts firing of fast-spiking interneurons. Neuron. 2023 Feb; S0896- 6273(23)00065-X. (PMCID: PMC10121938)
- Rosenberg E., Chamberland S., Bazelot M., Nebet E.R., Wang X., … and Tsien R.W. Cannabidiol modulates excitatory-inhibitory ratio to counter hippocampal hyperactivity. Neuron. 2023 Feb; S0896-6273(23)00066-1.

Position: MD/PhD Student
Advisor: Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth
Program: MSTP - Neuroscience
Education:
• B.A. Hunter College, City University of New York
Research Interest:
I am interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological disorders and translating these discoveries into targeted therapies. My previous research experiences in therapeutic discovery and cancer biology fostered an interest in the biochemical pathways that drive human disease and the development of precision treatments. Currently, my thesis research in the Wollmuth Lab focuses on the role of NMDA receptor dysfunction in neurodevelopment and seizure pathogenesis using zebrafish models of GRIN disorders. Through this work, I hope to identify disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets that improve outcomes for patients with epilepsy and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Publications:
- Aung TN, Singh A, Espinoza G, Zhang C, Jiang T, Kenchappa D, Bracero Y, Rakhade S, Sultana S, Shukla S, Nghiem E, Abbruzzese M, Kuang C, Geskin L, Entenberg D, Gartrell R, Ferringer T, Leung L, Moon JY, Horst B, Nastiuk K, Rimm D, Chang R, Saenger Y. (2025) Pathomic immune biomarkers define recurrence risk in early-stage melanoma. Oncologist, 30(10):oyaf327. https://doi.org/10.1093/oncolo/oyaf327
- Bteich F, Desai K, Zhang C, Kaur A, Levy RA, Bioh L, Wang A, Sultana S, Kaubisch A, Kinkhabwala M, Bellemare S, Fidvi S, Kanmaniraja D, Berkenblit R, Moon JY, Adedimeji A, Tow CY, Saenger Y. (2024) Immunotherapy Efficacy in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Diverse and Underserved Population in the United States. J. Hepatocell. Carcinoma, 2024(11), 257-269. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHC.S436804
- McDermott M, Cerullo AR, Parziale J, Achrak E, Sultana S, Ferd J, Samad S, Deng W, Braunschweig AB, Holford M. (2021). Advancing Discovery of Snail Mucins Function and Application. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 9, 854. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2021.734023

Position: PhD Student
Advisor: Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth
Program: Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology
Education:
Research Interest:
Publications:

Position: MD/PhD Student
Advisor: Dr. Markus Reissland
Co-Mentor: Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth
Program: MSTP - Neuroscience
Education:
Research Interest:
Publications: