Joseph P. Bressler

Biography

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: Dr. Bressler received his bachelor's of science degree in biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1973 and his doctoral degree in physiology from Rutgers University in 1978. His post-doctoral training at UCLA was in neurosciences, where he studied the involvement of glial cells in response to toxic agents. After his post-doctoral training, Dr. Bressler continued his studies on glial cells at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Dr. Bressler has been a research scientist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute since 1988. RESEARCH SUMMARY: The influence of the environment on neurodevelopment has been known for centuries, but the identification of specific toxicants in the environment and the mechanism in which they interfere with neurodevelopment is poorly understood. To better understand interactions between toxicants and the neurodevelopment, our laboratory has taken two approaches. First, we have been identifying transporters that mediate the uptake of toxicants through the intestine and into the brain. Second, we are examining the effect of toxicants on the regulation of apoptosis. In the developing brain, apoptosis is a natural process for removing neurons that fail to make synaptic connections. Our results suggest that very low concentrations of methyl mercury and other heavy metals interfere with apoptosis. In preventing neuronal death, neural pathways might fail to form and neurodevelopment would suffer.

Research Interest

Environmental Health