Dr. Sander Connolly’s research focus is Cerebrovascular Disease.  The laboratory employs experimental models to study the mechanisms of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, with a focus on clinical translation.  His NIH-funded effort has recently identified a specific component of the complement cascade that mediates post-ischemic cerebral injury, and current studies seek to delineate the mechanisms of this injury, and to develop specific techniques of targeting complement and translating these findings to human neuroprotective trials.

Related projects focus on long-term functional outcome and post-ischemic cellular recovery.  An active collaboration with Dr. Carol Troy (Pathology) seeks to understand novel mechanisms of caspase-mediated post-ischemic neuronal cell death/survival.  In addition, recent laboratory studies are underway to study the role of the complement cascade, programmed cell death, and neurogenesis in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, as well.

Clinical research efforts by his laboratory include those concerning vascular re-activation of large and small cerebral vessels through the effects of subarachnoid hemorrhage and other trauma, and the auto-regulation of vessels in relation to arteriovenous malformations and other pathological vascular conditions.  In collaboration with Dr. Eric Heyer (Anesthesiology), the lab has also shown that possession of the ε4 allele of the Apoε gene (originally characterized in Alzheimer’s Diseases) is a risk factor for neurocognitive decline following carotid endarterectomy.  Researchers in the laboratory also play a pivotal role in the international effort to identify genes responsible for the formation of cerebral aneurysms. Finally, in collaboration with Dr. Stephan Mayer (Neurology), the laboratory has continued to examine the pathophysiology of delayed injury following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.