ANAT BIEGON, PhD
Professor of Neurology
Primary Department
Neurology
Training
Bachelors Degree
Chemistry
Tel Aviv University, Israel
Masters Degree
Biochemistry
Tel Aviv University, Israel
PhD
Neurobiology
Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel
Post-Doctoral
Neuroendocrinology
Rockefeller University, NYC, NY
Research Interests
- Brain response to traumatic, ischemic or inflammatory insults
- Sex differences and gonadal hormone modulation of brain function in health and disease
- Development and validation of radiopharmaceuticals for non invasive imaging of neurotransmitter and hormone markers in the brain
Preclinical/postmortem studies:
1. Markers of neuroinflammation and neuroplasticity in hippocampus and basal ganglia of subjects who died with Alzheimer’s disease and matched, non-demented controls: Autoradiographic and immunohistochemical studies
2. Effects of maternal immune activation (an animal model of schizophrenia and autism) on neuroinflammation and neuroreceptor markers in brains of male and female offspring: Autoradiographic and immunohistochemical studies
3. Effects of mild traumatic brain injury on neurological status, working memory, neuroinflamation and neuroreceptor markers in mice subjected to single or repeated cuncussion.
PET imaging studies:
1. Brain Aromatase Availability in Steroid Users: a PET Study Using [C-11]Vorozole
The major goal of this project is to use positron emission tomography and the radiotracer [11C]vorozole for the evaluation of the effect of steroid abuse on regional brain aromatase (supported by NIDA)
2. Assessing the role of [11C]vorozole in the detection of aromatase in breast cancer
Specific aims: Evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the C11 labeled aromatase inhibitor vorozole in the detection of aromatase in breast cancer patients.(Supported by NCI)
3. Neuroinflammation, NMDA receptors and cognitive function in chemobrain
The goal of this project is to evaluate the effect of chemotherapy on cognitive function measured by neuropsychological tests and on neuroinflammation and NMDA receptors using PET with the radiotracers [11C]PK11195 and [11C]CNS5161 (supported by NCI)
Other projects performed with outside collaborators:
1. Sex differences in hippocampal volume, metabolism and amylind deposition in healthy individuals, those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Quantitative MRI of the developing fetal brain in utero: effects of genetic and environmental insults on fetal brain morphology, regional volumes and water diffusivity
3. Profiling the placebo responder: Neuropsychological, genetic and imaging studies comparing placebo responders to non-responders in an experimental pain paradigm.
Recent Publications
-
Kravitz E., Gaisler-Salomon I., Biegon A. Hippocampal Glutamate NMDA receptor loss tracks progression in Alzheimer’s disease: quantitative autoradiography in postmortem human brain. PLoS One 8(11):e81244. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081244 (2013) PMCID: PMC3842934
-
Pareto, D, Biegon A, Alexoff D, Carter P, Shea C, Muensch L, Fowler, J Kim S-W, and Logan, J. In vivo imaging of brain aromatase in female baboons: [11C]vorozole kinetics and effect of menstrual cycle. Molecular Imaging 12:518-524 (2013)
-
Logan, J. Pareto, D. Fowler, J. Biegon, A. Kinetic Analysis of [11C]Vorozole Binding in the Human Brain with PET. Molecular Imaging in press (2014)
-
Gaisler-Salomon I, Kravitz E, Feiler Y, Safran M, Biegon A, Amariglio N, Rechavi G. Hippocampus-specific deficiency in RNA editing of GluA2 in Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging. Mar 1. pii: S0197-4580(14)00224-3. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging. 02.018. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID:24679603. (2014)
- Hoffmann C, Weisz B, Lipitz S, Yaniv G, Katorza E, Bergman D, Biegon A. Regional apparent diffusion coefficient values in 3rd trimester fetal brain. Neuroradiology. Apr 20. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24748534 (2014)
-
Biegon A, Alexoff D, Kim SW, Logan J, Pareto D, Schlyer D, Wang GJ, Fowler J. Aromatase Imaging with [N-methyl-C-11]vorozole PET in Healthy Men and Women. J Nucl Med. 2015 Feb 19. pii: jnumed.114.150383. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID:25698781.
Positions and Honors
Positions
1982-1983 Visiting Scientist, Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. NJ
1983-1988 Senior Scientist, Isotope Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
1988-1990 Associate Professor, Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science
1990-1991 Research Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, NYU Medical Center
1991-1992 Staff Physiologist, Center for Functional Imaging, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
1992-1994 Director, Dept. of Pharmacology, Pharmos Ltd.
1994-1999 Vice President, Research and Development, Pharmos Corp. Israel-USA
1996-1998 Visiting Professor, Dept of Psychology, Tel Aviv University
1999-2003 Staff Biochemist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
2003-present Senior Scientist, Medical Dept., Brookhaven National Laboratory
2004-2012 Adjunct professor, Dept. Psychology, SUNY at Stony Brook
2012-present Professor of Neurology, SUNY at Stony Brook
Honors
1980-1982 Chaim Weizmann Postdoctoral Fellowship.
1983-1986 Charles E. Revson Career Development Chair
1985 (winter) CIBA Foundation Bursary at Yale University, Department of Psychiatry
1986-1989 John. L. Tishman Career Development Chair
1991 French Government Visiting Fellowship for Senior Scientists
2008 DOE/BNL Science and Technology Award