Mercedes Paredes, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Neurology and Neuroscience
Developmental and Stem Cell Biology and Biomedical Sciences graduate programs
University of California, San Francisco
Seminar Information
The Paredes Lab studies the cellular and molecular basis of perinatal human brain development with the overarching goal of understanding the cellular and anatomical architecture that underlie the unique functions of the human brain. Our studies also focus on a poorly understood yet clinically important time in brain development, the perinatal period. The lecture will focus on the two classic sites of neurogenesis, at the ventricular wall and in the hippocampus of the developing brain, and how neurogenic processes, such as neuronal migration and stem cell proliferation, change in the neonatal brain. These studies provide new insight into how the complex gyrated brain forms and how this process may be vulnerable to perinatal injury, resulting in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Mercedes Paredes is associate professor in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, and Biomedical Sciences graduate programs at UCSF. Her lab focuses on identifying features of neuronal progenitor proliferation and migration that are unique to the gyrated brain, such as in humans, with an emphasis on the perinatal period. She is also a practicing neurologist that serves epilepsy patients with neurodevelopmental disorders and holds a passion for mentoring UIM (or underrepresented in medicine) in careers in medicine, STEM, and neurology.