Gavin R Rumbaugh

Gavin R Rumbaugh, Ph.D.

Professor

Department: SR-NEURO-RUMBAUGH LAB
Business Phone: (561) 228-3461
Business Email: gavinrumbaugh@ufl.edu

About Gavin R Rumbaugh

Additional Positions:
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
2012 – 2019 · Scripps Research
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
2010 – 2012 · Scripps Research

Accomplishments

Young Investigator Award
2009 · NARSAD
Faculty Research Award
2009 · American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
Alabama Health Sciences Foundation Scholar
2006 · Alabama Health Sciences Foundation
National Research Scholar Award
2002 ·
NCAA/NAIA Academic All-America
1996 · Westminster College

Research Profile

The goal of my lab is to understand how synaptic connections contribute to development and function of neural circuits that underlie memory and cognition. Presently, we are focused on two major research areas:

1) We have identified several genes that are critical regulators of synaptic function. These genes also increase the risk for developing neurodevelopmental disorders of cognition and sociability, such as intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. These genes encode proteins that regulate synaptic properties during critical periods of neurodevelopment. Current studies in the lab are aimed at understanding how disruptions in synaptic properties during these developmentally sensitive periods lead to alterations in cognition, memory and sociability. Based on these studies, we hope to develop novel therapeutic strategies to improve brain function in patents with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability.

2) Alterations in synaptic connections are implicated in nearly all brain disorders. In particular, synapse loss is a particularly profound problem in brain disorders that attack cognitive function, such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. Our lab has initiated a research program aimed at discovering novel mechanisms that trigger increases in neural connectivity as a strategy to combat these illnesses. We believe that increasing connectivity among neurons in networks that mediate critical cognitive processes, such as memory and executive function, will lead to significant improvements in patients with these types of mental disorders. Our approach is to combine the vast chemical resources at TSRI with a novel neuron-based screening platform that was created in the Department of Neuroscience at Scripps Florida. We expect that this combined technology will facilitate the discovery novel chemical probes that trigger increases in synaptic connectivity. These probes will then serve as developmental platforms for future generations of drugs that treat a wide range of brain disorders.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0001-6360-3894

Publications

2022
Author response: Endogenous Syngap1 alpha splice forms promote cognitive function and seizure protection
. [DOI] 10.7554/elife.75707.sa2.
2022
Endogenous Syngap1 alpha splice forms promote cognitive function and seizure protection
eLife. 11 [DOI] 10.7554/elife.75707.
2021
Syngap1 regulates experience-dependent cortical ensemble plasticity by promoting in vivo excitatory synapse strengthening
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118(34) [DOI] 10.1073/pnas.2100579118. [PMID] 34404727.
2019
Author response: Re-expression of SynGAP protein in adulthood improves translatable measures of brain function and behavior
. [DOI] 10.7554/elife.46752.029.
2019
Re-expression of SynGAP protein in adulthood improves translatable measures of brain function and behavior
eLife. 8 [DOI] 10.7554/elife.46752.
2018
SYNGAP1 heterozygosity disrupts sensory processing by reducing touch-related activity within somatosensory cortex circuits
Nature Neuroscience. 21(12):1-13 [DOI] 10.1038/s41593-018-0268-0. [PMID] 30455457.
2005
Ribosomal S6 kinase 2 interacts with and phosphorylates PDZ domain-containing proteins and regulates AMPA receptor transmission.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 102(42):15006-11 [PMID] 16217014.
Endogenous Syngap1 Alpha Splice Forms Promote Cognitive Function and Seizure Protection
. [DOI] 10.1101/2021.12.05.471306.
Re-expression of SynGAP Protein in Adulthood Improves Translatable Measures of Brain Function and Behavior in a Model of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
. [DOI] 10.1101/474965.

Grants

Jan 2023 ACTIVE
Intersection of causal neurodevelopmental disorder risk genes, cortical circuit function, and cognitive processing required for behavioral adaptions
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIMH
Sep 2022 ACTIVE
Neurodevelopmental Disorder Risk Gene Regulation of Intrinsic Membrane Excitability: A Rheostat that Tunes Dendritic Morphogenesis to Regulate Circuit Assembly During Development
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIMH
Apr 2022 – May 2023
SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency being linked to developmental epileptic encephalopathy and identification of a small molecule SYNGAP1 up-regulator
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: PRAXIS PRECISION MEDICINES
Apr 2022 – Dec 2022
Circuit-level substrates of ASD-related cognitive and behavioral impairments
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIMH
Apr 2022 ACTIVE
Integrated Platform for Discovery and Validation of Probes that Restore Protein Expression in Single-Gene Causes of Autism and Related Disorders
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIMH
Apr 2022 ACTIVE
Molecular and cellular basis for autism spectrum disorders caused by exacerbated translation
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIMH
Apr 2022 ACTIVE
Causal Interactions between genetic risk, precise cortical connectivity, and autismassociated behaviors
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NINDS
Apr 2022 ACTIVE
Myosin II regulation of actin dynamics and the selective vulnerability of methamphetamine- and opioid-associated memory
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIDA
Apr 2022 ACTIVE
Drug Discovery for First-In-Class Myosin 10 Inhibitors as a Novel Target for Glioblastoma
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NINDS
Apr 2022 – Oct 2022
Human Neuron Dysfunction Associated with Presumed Disease-Causing SYNGAP1 Variants
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: LEON & FRIENDS

Education

Ph.D. in Biophysics and Pharmacology
2000 · Georgetown University

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(561) 228-3461
Emails:
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
Location B311
130 SCRIPPS WAY BLDG 3B3
JUPITER FL 33458