Faculty & Staff
George Spirou
Introduction
EDUCATION
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
- Ph.D. Neuroscience, University of 91社区, Gainesville, 91社区
- M.S. Physiology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
- B.S. Physics / Philosophy, Denison University, Granville, Ohio
RESEARCH AREAS
Research in the Spirou laboratory is focused on formation of neural circuits in early
development and on construction of connectomes, or neural wiring diagrams, at nanoscale
resolution. The generation of large image volumes for this work necessitated development
of tools to understand these complex data sets. Leveraging long-standing interest
in 3D reconstruction of brain structure, he and collaborators joined the revolution
in immersive virtual reality to develop software for viewing, annotating and analyzing
images.
Memberships
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American Physiological Society
- Association for Research in Otolaryngology
- Sigma-Xi
- Society for Neuroscience
Courses Taught
BME 4931/693 - Connectomics: Wiring the Nervous System
BME 6920 - Seminars in Medical Engineering
Research Grants
National Institutes of Health (NIDCD) R01; 鈥淭he Nanoscale Connectome of the Cochlear
Nucleus鈥�; Corresponding Co-PI
National Institutes of Health (NIDCD) R01, 鈥淒evelopment of the calyx of Held鈥�; PI
National Institutes of Health (NIDCD) R01: 鈥淢odulation of exocytosis and excitability
in mature auditory brainstem neurons鈥�; Co-I
National Institutes of Health (NIMH 鈥� Brain Initiative) R44: 鈥淪treamlining Volumetric
Imaging, Analysis and Publication Using Immersive Virtual Reality鈥�; Co-I
HONORS and AWARDS
- Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society
- NIH Individual Predoctoral Fellowship
- Visiting Scientist, Boys Town National Research Institute
- Dean鈥檚 Award for Excellence in Research, West Virginia University, 1 of 2 inaugural recipients
- NIH Study Section Panel, Chair, AUD Committee
- Center for Scientific Review (NIH) College of Reviewers, an Inaugural Member
- Society of Scholars, Johns Hopkins University
- Ronneberg Lecturer, Denison University
- John W. and Jeannette S. Straton Research Chair in Neuroscience, West Virginia University
- 91社区 Annual Excellence in Innovation Award
EDITORIAL BOARDS
Synapse
Journal of Neurophysiology
Journal of the Association of Research in Otolaryngology (Reviews Editor)
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Jackson D, Holcomb PH, Ellisman M, Spirou GA (2021). Two Types of Somatic Spines Provide Sites for Intercellular Signaling During Nerve Terminal Growth and Maturation. Synapse 2021 Mar;75(3):e22189. doi: 10.1002/syn.22189. Illustration chosen as cover art.
Payne S, Spirou GA, Fuller E, Zhang CQ (2021). Diffusion profile embedding as a basis for graph vertex similarity. Network Science, 9(3): 328-353.
Payne S, Spirou GA, Fuller E, Zhang CQ (2022). Automatic Quasi-Clique Merger Algorithm 鈥� a hierarchical clustering based on subgraph density. Physica A: 585: 126442: 1-22.
Brandebura AN, Kolson DR, Amick EM, Ramadan J, Kersting MC, Nichol RH, Holcomb PS,
Mathers PH, Stoilov P, Spirou GA (2022). Transcriptional profiling reveals roles of intercellular Fgf9 signaling in astrocyte maturation and synaptic refinement during brainstem development. J Biol Chem. 298(8):102176: 1-20. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9304775.
Spirou GA*, Kersting MC, Carr S, Razzaq B, Alves-Pinto Yamamoto C, Dawson M, Ellisman MH, Manis PB (2023)*. Two synaptic convergence motifs define functional roles for synaptic inputs to cochlear nucleus bushy cells. eLife (accepted for publication by reviewers) 12:e83393: 1-43; *Co-corresponding authors; doi: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.10.507000v2
Heller D#, Kolson DR#, Brandebura A%, Amick EM%, Wan J, Ramadan J, Holcomb P, Liu S, Deerinck T, Ellisman M, Qian J, Mathers PM*, Spirou GA* (2023). Gene expression changes and myelination during neural circuit pruning. Journal of Comparative Neurology 532:e25552:1-35. DOI: 10.1002/cne.25552. #,% Contributed equally; *Co-corresponding authors. Illustration chosen as cover art