Tufts University · NeuroscienceAstrocyte Health and Aging Lab
Chris G Dulla · Medford, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Chris G. Dulla's lab at Tufts University focuses on understanding how astrocytes, a type of brain cell, change as we age and in conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The lab has identified a new type of astrocyte called atypical astrocytes (AtAs) that lose important functions, which might contribute to neurological issues. They are exploring how vascular health and blood-brain barrier integrity relate to these changes and how they affect overall brain function during aging and disease.
astrocytesAlzheimer's Diseaseagingvascular dysfunctionblood-brain barrierglutamate homeostasisneuroinflammationcell physiologysynaptic functionmolecular phenotyping
Research Aims
3AIM 01Identify the molecular and cellular characteristics of atypical astrocytes in aging and Alzheimer’s Disease.
AIM 02Investigate the effects of atypical astrocytes on synaptic function and ionic homeostasis.
AIM 03Examine the role of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in the formation of atypical astrocytes.
Skills the Lab Values
immunohistochemistryelectrophysiologycell culturefluorescence-activated cell sortingWestern blottingRNA sequencinganimal modelsdata analysis in Rmicroscopyexperimental design
Output against the department
Publications89bottom 28% of dept.480th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.3kbottom 15% of dept.573rd of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.