school of medicine home

Office of Research Administration

 

Hong-Wen Deng

Simon Kaja, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Ophthalmology
Associate Director Preclinical Research, Vision Research Center
Adjunct Doctoral Faculty, UMKC School of Medicine
kajas@umkc.edu

www.simonkaja.com

 

 

Research Interests:

Synaptic mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of neurological and visual disorders.

Dr. Kaja’s lab is interested in human neurological diseases and visual disorders, including migraine, cerebellar ataxia, stroke and epilepsy. Using a broad experimental approach, ranging from molecular biology to electrophysiology and imaging, the lab is working towards the identification of novel targets for pharmaceutical intervention for these often devastating diseases.
Current research projects in the lab include the study of the synaptic basis for visual impairments during migraine, as well as synaptic transmission defects in migraine and cerebellar ataxia in general. Another focus is on the development of novel neuroprotective strategies following oxidative stress and ischemia.

 

Selected Publications:

  • Kaja S, Mafe OA, Parikh RA, Kandula P, Reddy CA, Gregg EV, Xin H, Mitchell P, Grillo MA, Koulen P. Distribution and function of polycystin-2 in mouse retinal ganglion cells. Neuroscience 2012; in press. NIHMSID # 342441
  • Burroughs SL, Duncan RS, Rayudu P, Kandula P, Payne AJ, Clark JL, Koulen P, Kaja S. Plate reader-based assays for measuring cell viability, neuroprotection and calcium in primary neuronal cultures. J Neurosci Methods. 2012;203(1):141-52011. PMCID: 3221776
  • Kaja S, Hilgenberg JD, Everett E, Olitsky SE, Gossage J, Koulen P. Effects of dilution and prolonged storage with preservative in a polyethylene container on Bevacizumab (Avastin™) for topical delivery as a nasal spray in anti-hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and related therapies. Hum Antibodies. 2011;20(3):95-101. NIHMSID # 345666
  • Kaja S, Hilgenberg JD, Rybalchenko V, Medina-Ortiz WE, Gregg EV, Koulen P. Polycystin-2 expression and function in adult mouse lacrimal acinar cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011;52(8):5605-11. PMCID: 3176037.
  • Burroughs SL, Kaja S, Koulen P. Quantification of deficits in spatial visual function of mouse models for glaucoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011;52(6):3654-9. PMCID: 3109046.
  • Garg P, Duncan RS,Kaja S, Zabaneh A, Chapman KD, Koulen P. Lauroylethanolamide and linoleoylethanolamide improve functional outcome in a rodent model for stroke. Neurosci Lett. 2011;492(3):134-8. PMCID: 3057422.
  • Kaja S, Duncan RS, Longoria S, Hilgenberg JD, Payne AJ, Desai NM, Parikh RA, Burroughs SL, Gregg EV, Goad DL, Koulen P. Novel mechanism of increased Ca(2+) release following oxidative stress in neuronal cells involves type 2 inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors. Neuroscience. 2011;175:281-91. PMCID: 3038464.
  • Kaja S, Van de Ven RC, Broos LA, Frants RR, Ferrari MD, Van den Maagdenberg AM, Plomp JJ. Severe and progressive neurotransmitter release aberrations in familial hemiplegic migraine type 1 Cacna1a S218L knock-in mice. J Neurophysiol. 2010;104(3):1445-55.
  • Duncan RS, Goad DL, Grillo MA, Kaja S, Payne AJ, Koulen P. Control of intracellular calcium signaling as a neuroprotective strategy. Molecules. 2010;15(3):1168-95. PMCID: 2847496.
  • van den Maagdenberg AM *, Pizzorusso T *, Kaja S *, Terpolilli N *, Shapovalova M, Hoebeek FE, Barrett CF, Gherardini L, van de Ven RC, Todorov B, Broos LA, Tottene A, Gao Z, Fodor M, De Zeeuw CI, Frants RR, Plesnila N, Plomp JJ, Pietrobon D, Ferrari MD. High cortical spreading depression susceptibility and migraine-associated symptoms in Ca(v)2.1 S218L mice. Ann Neurol. 2010;67(1):85-98.
  • Garg P, Duncan RS, Kaja S, Koulen P. Intracellular mechanisms of N-acylethanolamine-mediated neuroprotection in a rat model of stroke. Neuroscience. 2010;166(1):252-62. PMCID: 2830814.
  • Plomp JJ, van den Maagdenberg AM,Kaja S. The ataxic Cacna1a-mutant mouse rolling nagoya: an overview of neuromorphological and electrophysiological findings. Cerebellum. 2009;8(3):222-30. PMCID: 2734259.
  • Kaja S, Van De Ven RC, Frants RR, Ferrari MD, Van Den Maagdenberg AM, Plomp JJ. Reduced ACh release at neuromuscular synapses of heterozygous leaner Ca(v)2.1-mutant mice. Synapse. 2008;62(5):337-44.
  • Kaja S, Hann V, Payne HL, Thompson CL. Aberrant cerebellar granule cell-specific GABAA receptor expression in the epileptic and ataxic mouse mutant, Tottering. Neuroscience. 2007;148(1):115-25.
  • van de Ven RC, Kaja S, Plomp JJ, Frants RR, van den Maagdenberg AM, Ferrari MD. Genetic models of migraine. Arch Neurol. 2007;64(5):643-6.
  • Kaja S, van de Ven RC, van Dijk JG, Verschuuren JJ, Arahata K, Frants RR, Ferrari MD, van den Maagdenberg AM, Plomp JJ. Severely impaired neuromuscular synaptic transmission causes muscle weakness in the Cacna1a-mutant mouse rolling Nagoya. Eur J Neurosci. 2007;25(7):2009-20.
  • Kaja S, Todorov B, van de Ven RC, Ferrari MD, Frants RR, van den Maagdenberg AM, Plomp JJ. Redundancy of Cav2.1 channel accessory subunits in transmitter release at the mouse neuromuscular junction. Brain Res. 2007;1143:92-101.
  • Kaja S, van de Ven RC, Broos LA, Frants RR, Ferrari MD, van den Maagdenberg AM, Plomp JJ. Characterization of acetylcholine release and the compensatory contribution of non-Ca(v)2.1 channels at motor nerve terminals of leaner Ca(v)2.1-mutant mice. Neuroscience. 2007;144(4):1278-87.
  • Todorov B, van de Ven RC, Kaja S, Broos LA, Verbeek SJ, Plomp JJ, Ferrari MD, Frants RR, van den Maagdenberg AM. Conditional inactivation of the Cacna1a gene in transgenic mice. Genesis. 2006;44(12):589-94.
  • Kaja S, Van de Ven RC, Ferrari MD, Frants RR, Van den Maagdenberg AM, Plomp JJ. Compensatory contribution of Cav2.3 channels to acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction of tottering mice. J Neurophysiol. 2006;95(4):2698-704.
  • Kaja S, van de Ven RC, Broos LA, Veldman H, van Dijk JG, Verschuuren JJ, Frants RR, Ferrari MD, van den Maagdenberg AM, Plomp JJ. Gene dosage-dependent transmitter release changes at neuromuscular synapses of CACNA1A R192Q knockin mice are non-progressive and do not lead to morphological changes or muscle weakness. Neuroscience. 2005;135(1):81-95.
  • van den Maagdenberg AM, Pietrobon D, Pizzorusso T,Kaja S, Broos LA, Cesetti T, van de Ven RC, Tottene A, van der Kaa J, Plomp JJ, Frants RR, Ferrari MD. A Cacna1a knockin migraine mouse model with increased susceptibility to cortical spreading depression. Neuron. 2004;41(5):701-10.
  • Kaja S, Yang SH, Wei J, Fujitani K, Liu R, Brun-Zinkernagel AM, Simpkins JW, Inokuchi K, Koulen P. Estrogen protects the inner retina from apoptosis and ischemia-induced loss of Vesl-1L/Homer 1c immunoreactive synaptic connections. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2003;44(7):3155-62.