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Research Interests
Research on the mechanisms of regeneration of the nervous system is providing exciting new approaches to the repair of damage to the nervous system. I study the nervous system of a snail as a model system in which to learn ways to promote effective recovery following brain damage. In the snail, connections and behaviors are restored during regeneration, and the snail can also generate new nerve cells to rebuild portions of the nervous system that are lost. I and my students use videotaping to document behavioral changes, neurotransmitter immunocytochemistry to characterize anatomical repair, and markers for cell division to document miotic activity in regenerating tissues. I am also interested in blood-borne factors that can promote regeneration and the ability of transplanted nervous tissue to induce extra tentacles and eyes.
Representative Publications
Onken, H., Moffett, S.B. and Moffett, D.F. (2006) The isolated anterior stomach of larval mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti): voltage-clamp measurements with a tubular epithelium. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A, 143, 24-34.
Clark, T.M., Hutchinson, M.J., Huegel, K.L., Moffett, S.B. and Moffett, D.F. (2005) Additional morphological and physiological heterogeity within the midgut of larval Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) revealed by histology, electrophysiology, and effects of Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin. Tissue & Cell 37, 457-468.
Onken, H., Moffett, S.B. and Moffett, D.F. (2004) The anterior stomach of larval mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti): effects of neuropeptides on transepithelial ion transport and muscular motility. J. Exp. Biol. 207, 3731-3739.
Moffett, S. B. 1996. Nervous System Regeneration in the Invertebrates. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg.
Moffett, S. B. 1995. Lessons on transplant survival from a successful model system. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18: 63.
Moffett, S. B. 1995. Neural regeneration in gastropod molluscs. Progress in Neurobiol. 46: 289-330.