Gary Steinberg

Clinical Focus

• Neurological Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Neurosurgery, Pediatric

Administrative Appointments

• Chair, Stanford University School of Medicine - Neurosurgery (1995 - present)

Professional Education

Postdoctoral Advisees

Ahmet Arac, Ilina Iordanova

Industry Relationships

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Research Interests

Our laboratory is interested in elucidating the pathophysiology of acute cerebral ischemia and in developing neuroprotective treatments, as well as methods to restore neurologic function after stroke. Using rodent wild type, knock out and transgenic models of focal and global ischemia, we are investigating the physiologic processes leading from decreased blood flow after arterial occlusion to irreversible brain injury. A major focus of our work concerns the role of oxidative stress, inflammation and gene expression on necrotic and apoptotic mechnisms of ischemic cell death. Alterations in cerebral blood flow, neuronal metabolic activity, electrophysiology, and gene/protein expression are examined in relation to neurologic behavior. We are also studying the brain microenvironment during recovery after stroke and the effects of stem cell transplantation and enhanced neurogenesis in promoting recovery of function.

We have been successful in attenuating ischemic cerebral damage by inducing mild brain hypothermia (30-33 degrees C) or overexpression of various genes (glucose transporter, bcl-2, hsp70, calbindin, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, SOD) either before or after stroke. Transplantation of human neural stem cells after experimental stroke results in survival, targeted migration and differentiation into appropriate neuronal and glial cell types, while anti-inflammatory treatment enhances native neurogenesis and gliagenesis following stroke.
Methodologies utilized in the laboratory include microsurgery, light and confocal microscopy, stereology, molecular biology techniques, autoradiography, magnetic resonance imaging, electrophysiology, cerebral blood flow measurements and gene transfer therapy.


Our clinical research efforts focus on novel approaches for treating intracranial aneurysms, intracranial and spinal vascular malformations, occlusive cerebrovascular disease such as Moyamoya disease and stroke. These include advances in microsurgery,...

Publications

• The protective effect of early hypothermia on PTEN phosphorylation correlates with free radical inhibition in rat stroke. Lee SM, Zhao H, Maier CM, Steinberg GK. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2009; 29 (9): 1589-600
• Optimizing the success of cell transplantation therapy for stroke. Bliss TM, Andres RH, Steinberg GK. Neurobiol Dis. 2009
• Netrin-4 enhances angiogenesis and neurologic outcome after cerebral ischemia. Hoang S, Liauw J, Choi M, Choi M, Guzman RG, Steinberg GK. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2009; 29 (2): 385-97
• Adherent self-renewable human embryonic stem cell-derived neural stem cell line: functional engraftment in experimental stroke model. Daadi MM, Maag AL, Steinberg GK. PLoS One. 2008; 3 (2): e1644
• Intracarotid injection of fluorescence activated cell-sorted CD49d-positive neural stem cells improves targeted cell delivery and behavior after stroke in a mouse stroke model. Guzman R, De Los Angeles A, Cheshier S, Choi R, Hoang S, Liauw J, Schaar B, Steinberg G. Stroke. 2008; 39 (4): 1300-6