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Full NameDr Gerard O'Keeffe

Anatomy and Neuroscience

University College Cork

Webpage:okeeffelab.com

Email Address:Email hidden; Javascript is required.

Research Fields

cell and developmental biology/regenerative medicine
neuroscience and mental health

Postgrad Medical Specialties

Psychiatry
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Paediatrics

Medical Subspecialties

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Neurology
Neuropsychiatry
Physiology

My Work

Our central aim is to understand the factors important for brain health across the life-span in order to translate this information into new molecular therapies for neuroprotection and neuroregeneration. We are also interested in the molecular cross-talk between the brain and other physiological systems including the role of immune and placenta signals in regulating brain development.

Many of the molecular signals that are active during development can be utilised as therapies to protect the aging brain, so we also aim to use new understanding of molecular signalling to design and develop new therapies for neuroprotection in old age. We use an integrated approach that combines cell biology and bioinformatics approaches with in vivo modelling through to studies in humans. For selected examples of the types work see below.

O’Driscoll DJ, Felice VD, Kenny LC, Boylan GB, O'Keeffe GW. Mild prenatal hypoxia-ischemia leads to social deficits and central and peripheral inflammation in exposed offspring. Brain Behav Immun. 2018 Mar;69:418-427.

Straley ME, Van Oeffelen W, Theze S, Sullivan AM, O'Mahony SM, Cryan JF, O'Keeffe GW. Distinct alterations in motor & reward seeking behavior are dependent on the gestational age of exposure to LPS-induced maternal immune activation. Brain Behav Immun. 2017 Jul;63:21-34.