Research Highlights & Key Publications
Insular Cortex Circuits and Brain–Body Interactions
Retrieval of Conditioned Immune Response in Male Mice Is Mediated by an Anterior–Posterior Insula Circuit
Kayyal H, Cruciani F, Kolatt Chandran S, Edry E, Schif-Zuck S, Koren T, Yiannakas A, Rolls A, Ariel A, Rosenblum K.
Nature Neuroscience (2025).
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01864-4
Identifies an anterior–posterior insular cortex circuit that is required for the retrieval of conditioned immune responses.
Insular Cortex Neurons Encode and Retrieve Specific Immune Responses
Koren T, Yifa R, Amer M, Krot M, Boshnak N, Ben-Shaanan TL, Azulay-Debby H, Zalayat I, Avishai E, Hajjo H, Schiller M, Haykin H, Korin B, Farfara D, Hakim F, Kobiler O, Rosenblum K, Rolls A.
Cell (2021).
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.10.013
Demonstrates that the insular cortex encodes immune-related information and enables its specific retrieval.
Parvalbumin Interneuron Inhibition onto Anterior Insula Neurons Projecting to the Basolateral Amygdala Drives Aversive Taste Memory Retrieval
Yiannakas A, Kolatt Chandran S, Kayyal H, Gould N, Khamaisy M, Rosenblum K.
Current Biology (2021).
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.010
Shows that inhibitory control of insula-to-amygdala projection neurons is essential for aversive taste memory retrieval.
Activity of Insula-to-Basolateral Amygdala Projecting Neurons Is Necessary and Sufficient for Taste Valence Representation
Kayyal H, Yiannakas A, Kolatt Chandran S, Khamaisy M, Sharma V, Rosenblum K.
Journal of Neuroscience (2019). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0752-19.2019
Demonstrates that insula-to-basolateral amygdala projection neurons causally encode taste valence.
Quinone Reductase 2 (QR2) and Neuromodulation
Specific Quinone Reductase 2 Inhibitors Reduce Metabolic Burden and Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease Phenotype in Mice
Gould NL, Scherer GR, Carvalho S, Shurrush K, Kayyal H, Edry E, Elkobi A, David O, Foqara M, Thakar D, Pavesi T, Sharma V, Walker M, Maitland M, Dym O, Albeck S, Peleg Y, Germain N, Babaev I, Sharir H, Lalzar M, Shklyar B, Hazut N, Khamaisy M, Lévesque M, Lajoie G, Avoli M, Amitai G, Lefker B, Subramanyam C, Shilton B, Barr H, Rosenblum K.
Journal of Clinical Investigation (2023).DOI: 10.1172/JCI162120
Identifies quinone reductase 2 (QR2) as a key metabolic and neuromodulatory target whose inhibition ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease–related phenotypes in mice.
Somatostatin Interneurons of the Insula Mediate QR2-Dependent Novel Taste Memory Enhancement
Gould NL, Kolatt Chandran S, Kayyal H, Edry E, Rosenblum K. eNeuro (2021). DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0152-21.2021
Demonstrates that QR2 signaling in somatostatin interneurons of the insular cortex is required for novel taste learning.
Dopamine-Dependent QR2 Pathway Activation in CA1 Interneurons Enhances Novel Memory Formation
Gould NL, Sharma V, Hleihil M, Kolatt Chandran S, David O, Edry E, Rosenblum K. Journal of Neuroscience (2020).DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1243-20.2020
Shows that dopamine-dependent activation of the QR2 pathway in hippocampal interneurons promotes novel memory formation.
mRNA Translation and Brain Function
eEF2/eEF2K Pathway in the Mature Dentate Gyrus Determines Neurogenesis Level and Cognition. Taha E, Patil S, Barrera I, Panov J, Khamaisy M, Proud CG, Bramham CR, Rosenblum K. Curr Biol. 2020 Sep 21;30(18):3507-3521.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.061. Epub 2020 Jul 23.PMID: 32707059 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.061
Demonstrates that eEF2K pathway regulates neurogenesis in the mature brain
NMDA receptors regulate the firing rate set point of hippocampal circuits without altering single-cell dynamics. Ruggiero A, Heim LR, Susman L, Hreaky D, Shapira I, Katsenelson M, Rosenblum K, Slutsky I. Neuron. 2025 Jan 22;113(2):244-259.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.10.014. Epub 2024 Nov 7. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.10.014
Shows that NMDA receptor via eEF2K pathway regulates firing setpoint
Messenger RNA Translation Defects in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Storkebaum E, Rosenblum K, Sonenberg N. New England Journal of Medicine (2023).
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2215795
Reviews evidence linking dysregulation of mRNA translation to the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases.
eIF2α Controls Memory Consolidation via Excitatory and Somatostatin Neurons
Sharma V, Sood R, Khlaifia A, Eslamizade MJ, Hung T-Y, Lou D, Asgarihafshejani A, Lalzar M, Kiniry SJ, Stokes MP, Cohen N, Nelson AJ, Abell K, Possemato AP, Gal-Ben-Ari S, Truong VT, Wang P, Yiannakas A, Saffarzadeh F, Cuello AC, Nader K, Kaufman RJ, Costa-Mattioli M, Baranov PV, Sonenberg N.
Nature (2020) 586:412–416. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2805-8
Demonstrates that cell-type-specific regulation of eIF2α-dependent translation is required for memory consolidation.
PKR: A Kinase to Remember
Gal-Ben-Ari S, Barrera I, Ehrlich M, Rosenblum K.
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience (2018). DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00480
Reviews evidence supporting PKR as a regulator of synaptic plasticity, metabolism, inflammation, and cognitive function.
Following the extensive research on PKR we established ProteKt (https://www.protektx.com/), which aimed at manipulation of PKR in the brain to treat neurodegenerative diseases
Methods Development
Virally Mediated Expression of a Biologically Active Peptide to Restrain the Nuclear Functions of ERK1/2 Attenuates Learning Extinction but Not Acquisition
Izkovich B, Yiannakas A, Ne’eman S, Kolatt Chandran S, Rosenblum K, Edry E.
Molecular Brain (2025).
DOI: 10.1186/s13041-025-01190-1
Demonstrates the use of viral vectors to deliver functional peptides for selective manipulation of molecular signaling in vivo.
Measuring mRNA Translation in Neuronal Processes and Somata by tRNA-FRET
Koltun B, Ironi S, Gershoni-Emek N, Barrera I, Hleihil M, Nanguneri S, Sasmal R, Agasti SA, Nair D, Rosenblum K.
Nucleic Acids Research (2020) 48:e32.
DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa042
Introduces a method enabling real-time visualization of local mRNA translation in neurons.
For full list of papers please look at: https://scholar.google.com/