Grateful to @bbrfoundation.bsky.social and its donors for supporting our research on how astrocytes and microglia shape synapse development, and how this may go awry in schizophrenia. Congratulations to @cmedwards.bsky.social too!

UMass Chan Medical School@umasschan.bsky.social · 2d ago

Two early-career scientists at UMass Chan—Caitlyn Edwards, PhD, and Travis Faust, PhD—are 2026 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator grantees: https://direc.to/pywL @cmedwards.bsky.social @dgordonwinder.bsky.social @travisfaust.bsky.social @bbrfoundation.bsky.social

Travis E. Faust, PhD, is one of 15 early-career scientists selected for a @simonsfoundation.org Fellows-to-Faculty award. The award will support Dr. Faust’s transition to an independent faculty position and research on brain development and autism: https://direc.to/pgGg @travisfaust.bsky.social

Travis Faust receives Simons Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty award to advance research on brain development and autism

The Fellows-to-Faculty award will provide $600,000 over three years to support Faust’s research.

direc.to

Very excited to be selected for a @simonsfoundation.org Fellows-to-Faculty Award supporting transition to independence and work on microglia–astrocyte communication, synaptic remodeling, and autism. Grateful to the mentors, collaborators, labmates, and trainees who helped me get here! direc.to/pgGd

Travis Faust receives Simons Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty award to advance research on brain development and autism

The Fellows-to-Faculty award will provide $600,000 over three years to support Faust’s research.

umassmed.edu

Do psychiatric symptoms in epilepsy always arise from seizures? In ALDH7A1 models, seizure risk traced to the liver; mood-related behavior to astrocytes. One gene. Two tissues. Two pathophysiologies. Neither begins in neurons. New in Science Advances: doi.org/10.1126/scia... 1/11

Astrocyte redox imbalance underlies prelimbic neuronal hypoactivity and maladaptive affective behaviors in epilepsy

Astrocyte antioxidant imbalance reduces neuronal activity, driving depression-like behavior in epilepsy dissociable from seizures.

doi.org

🚨🚨ATTENTION NEUROSCIENCE POSTDOCS!!🚨🚨 UMass Chan’s Department of Neurobiology is searching for applicants for our inaugural UMass ChanNELS series! For more information and to apply: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

A study by Dorothy P. Schafer, PhD, and Travis E. Faust, PhD, in Cell explains how cell types in the brain communicate in response to changes in sensory input to remodel synapses: direc.to/nJHH Alzheimer’s and ALS patients have synaptic damage. @travisfaust.bsky.social @cp-cell.bsky.social

UMass Chan scientists show how the non-neuronal brain cells communicate to coordinate rewiring of brain

A study by Dorothy P. Schafer, PhD, and Travis E. Faust, PhD, explains how two different cell types in the brain communicate in response to changes in sensory input.

direc.to

Thrilled to share our new paper @cp-cell.bsky.social: “Microglia–astrocyte crosstalk regulates synapse remodeling via Wnt signaling.” This work demonstrates the necessity of glia–glia communication and coordination during synapse remodeling. 🔗 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... Faust et al., Cell 2025

Faust, Brenner et al. @harvardmed.bsky.social show that type I IFN signaling contributes to #arthritis pathogenesis in obesity through activation and expansion of CD8 T cells in visceral adipose tissue and synovium. rupress.org/jem/article/... #Autoimmunity

Thrilled to announce that my lab is now open at Ohio State! We study astrocytes as gene therapy targets for brain repair after ischemic stroke and in vascular dementia, developing new viral tools along the way. If you're interesting in joining or collaborating, please reach out! gleichmanlab.com

go.bsky.app/Lyzro3M !WELCOME! thought we might need a starter pack for all those coming over from the birdhouse - here's a GliaSky list. apologies for missing many of you - please do reply to get added and remember to repost so the newbies can find us!