Yangzhong Huang

The goal of my research is to elucidate the molecular and signaling mechanisms underlying epilepsy, a common and commonly devastating neurological disorder. There are two major objectives of my current work. I aim to understand the mechanisms by which brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor tyrosine kinase TrkB transform the brain from normal to epileptic, a process termed epileptogenesis; and to develop peptide and small molecule inhibitors of TrkB signaling for prevention and disease modification of temporal lobe epilepsy.