Allison Najafi

 

Alli graduated from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2012 with a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Before coming to UC Irvine, she studied the nutritional preferences of bullet ants in Costa Rica and exercise-induced behavioral improvements in mouse models of Parkinson’s disease at the University of Southern California. Her current research involves the identification and characterization of a microglia progenitor cell in the adult brain. Alli’s favorite activities include eating copious amounts of candy, make-up contouring, laughing at bad jokes, counterfeiting famous paintings, and dancing through life. She hopes to one day make friends with a slow loris.

Contact: haskella@uci.edu

Publications

Colony stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibition prevents plaque-associated microglia and improves cognition in 3xTg-AD mice. Dagher NN*, Najafi AR*, Neely Kayala KM, Elmore MRP, White T, Medeiros R, West BL, and Green KN. Journal of Neuroinflammation. 2015, 12:139 Click here to Download

Colony-Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor Signaling Is Necessary for Microglia Viability, Unmasking a Microglia Progenitor Cell in the Adult Brain. Elmore MRP*, Najafi AR*, Koike MA, Dagher NN, Spangenberg EE, Rice RA, Kitazawa M, Matusow B, Nguyen H, West BL, Green KN. Neuron. 16 April 2014.

‘Roid rage in rats? Tesosterone effects on aggressive motivation, impulsivity and tyrosine hydroxylase.Wood, R, Armstrong, A, Fridkin, V, Shah, V, Najafi, A, Jakowec, M. Physiology and Behavior. 17 February 2013.