Academic Appointments
- Professor of Neurobiology (in Psychiatry, Neurology and Pharmacology) at CUMC
Current Administrative Positions
- Pharmacology
- School of the Arts/Sound Arts
Dave Sulzer is a professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, Pharmacology, and at the School of the Arts at Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute. He attended Michigan State University, studied plant breeding and genetics at the University of Florida, and received a PhD in biology from Columbia University. His lab has published over 200 studies on synaptic function in normal and diseased states that are cited over 40,000 times (h-index 86). He is the founder of the Dopamine Society, the Gordon Conference on Parkinson’s Disease, and the journal Nature Parkinson’s Disease.
He has received awards from the McKnight, Simons, Helmsley, NARSAD, Huntington’s, and Aaron Diamond Foundations and given named lectureships at the National Institutes of Health, Harvard, Yale, UCSF, Emory, UC Irvine, and the Universities of Minnesota, Jerusalem and London and the Portuguese and Austrian Societies for Neuroscience. His students and postdocs have received Fulbright, Marshall, and Regeneron awards for their work in the lab, and past trainees are professors at Columbia, Rutgers, Cornell, Yale, Lund, Pittsburgh, Jefferson, Tufts, Emory, Karolinska, Ecole Normale Superieure, and NYU, while one who runs a pharmaceutical company and one is the science editor at the Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Sulzer's lab investigates the function and alteration of the synapses of the cortex and the basal ganglia including the dopamine system in normal behaviors such as habit formation and action selection, and in diseases of the system. Their work has made fundamental contributions to understanding the roles of these synapses in Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, schizophrenia, autism, and drug addiction. His laboratory developed new optical, electrophysiological and electrochemical methods including the first direct recordings of quantal neurotransmitter release from synapses, the fundamental unit of neurotransmission, and the first optical methods to observe neurotransmitter release and reuptake. His work increased the understanding of the life cycle of synaptic vesicles, cellular structures that package neurotransmitter release.
Among the discoveries and inventions of the laboratory are 1) discovery of co-release of glutamate from dopamine neurons (with Stephen Rayport) 2) introduction of the weak base mechanism of amphetamine action and the first direct measurement of reverse transport, an important property of amphetamine 3) the first recording of quantal neurotransmitter release from CNS synapses, by using amperometry at dopamine terminals 4) discovery of multiple means to alter quantal size, including the effects of L-DOPA, amphetamine, vesicle transporter expression (with Robert Edwards), rebound hyperacidification, and discovery of fusion pore flickering 5) discovery of the biosynthetic pathway of neuromelanin 6) introduction of & the role of autophagic degradation in synaptic development, which may underlie forms of autism, 7) discovery of how alpha-synuclein and other proteins are degraded by chaperone-mediated autophagy, which may underlie forms of Parkinson’s (with Ana Maria Cuervo) 8) the first optical analysis of corticostriatal transmission, showing the role of activity, dopamine, and acetylcholine in synaptic selection (with Nigel Bamford) 9) co-invention of fluorescent false neurotransmitters, the first optical means to observe neurotransmitter release and reuptake from CNS terminals (with Dalibor Sames) 10) discovered the role of glutamate in controlling axonal outgrowth and branching 11) discovery of antigen presentation by neurons targeted in Parkinson’s disease, which may underlie targeted cell death.
The Sulzer lab has published over 140 papers on this research and has received awards from the McKnight, Helmsely, Picower, Michael J Fox, Simons, HDSA Foundations, NIH, and NARSAD.
Departmental Appointments
- Department of Psychiatry
Division of Molecular Therapeutics - Department of Neurology
Division of Movement Disorders
Education and Training
- PhD, 1988 Biology, Columbia
Centers / Institutes / Programs
- Research Laboratories for Parkinson's Disease
Links
Lab Locations
1051 Riverside Drive
1051 Riverside Drive
Unit 1, Kolb-4, Rm 407
New York, NY 10032- Phone:
- (646) 774-5024
- Fax:
- (646) 774-8438
- Email:
- ds43@cumc.columbia.edu
Presentations
Invited conference talks (partial)
Neuronal Autophagy in Health and Disease, Saint Feliu de Guixois, Spain, March 24-27, 2021
International Society for Chromaffin Cell Biology, July, 2021, Hamburg, Germany
Plenary lecture, NEURO2020 Global Summit on Research and Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disorders, Salmanaca, Spain, September 21-24, 2020
2020 Int. Congress of Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders, September 13, 2020
Interspecies Communication Conference (video conference due to COVID), July 18, 2020
Virtual Dopamine Conference (video conference due to COVID), June, 2020
New York Genome Center, January 9, 2020
Kavli Center, Cell Biology of Parkinson’s Disease Genes, Yale University, April 28-19, 2020
CNS Infections and Drug Abuse, Bolger Center, Bethesda MD, April 2, 2020
Society for Neuroscience, Symposia on Parkinson’s disease (October, 2019), Society for Neuroscience (2019), invited lecture (Dmitri Krainc, inviter).
Neuro-Immune Interactions in the Central Nervous System, Keystone Symposia, Colorado (June 19-24, 2020)
Gordon Conference on Basal Ganglia, (March 8-13, 2020) Rui Costa, Margaret Rice presenters, Ventura CA
Plenary Speaker, annual meetings of Austrian Neuroscience Association and Austrian Pharmacological Society (September 17-19, 2019, Jorg Striessnig, inviter)
5th World Parkinson Congress (WPC 2019), Kyoto, Japan, (June 5, 2019)
Keynote speaker, Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Parkinson’s Disease (June 22, 2019)
Movement Disorders Journal Conference, Neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s (May 18, 2019)
2018 Annual Grad Student Invitation Seminar, University of Utah (Sept 18, 2018)
Keynote Speaker, inaugural Southeastern Conference on Neurodegeneration, Orlando (September 27, 2018)
Preuss Foundation on Parkinson’s Disease, San Diego (February 27-March 1, 2019)
The Fresco Conference on Synaptic Plasticity, Florence (November 14-16, 2018)
Alpha-synuclein Function Symposium, Lausanne (September 7-9, 2018)
Michael J Fox Foundation Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics Conference, New York (October 30, 2017)
Cell Biology of the Neuron, EMBO Conference, Heraklion, Greece (May 7-10, 2017)
The Optical Revolution in Physiology, 71st Annual Society of General Physiologists, MBL in Woods Hole (Sept. 6-10, 2017)
Presidential Lecture, Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology, Philadelphia (March 2017)
Gordon Conference on Cannabinoid Function in CNS (August, 2017)
Gordon Conference on Parkinson’s Disease (July, 2017)
Mt. Sinai Udall Parkinson’s Conference (February 28, 2017)
Cold Spring Harbor, Chemiexcitation in Human Disease and Aging (February, 2017)
Plenary talk, Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience, Gotenberg Sweden (Andrew Ewing, invitee, May, 2016)
Keynote Address, Van Andel Retreat, Grand Rapids, Michigan (Patrik Brundin, invitee, June 2016)
Neuronal Connectivity in Brain Function: Novel Mechanisms and Therapeutics Targets, NY Academy of Sciences (March 22, 2016), Eric Nestler, invitee
Neurodegeneration Symposia, Baylor (April 11-12, 2016) Huda Zoghbi invitee
Gordon Conference on Synaptic Transmission (June, 2016)
International Conference on Pigment Research, UC Irvine (September, 2015)
Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research (September 25, 2015), Hakeem Lawal, invitee
Stan Fahn Symposium (April, 2015) Columbia
Movement Disorders Society, Plenary lecture, Understanding proteinopathies (June, 2015)
Autophagy in Neurodegeneration & Neuroprotection, Mt. Sinai (April, 2015)
Lancet Neurology Conference, Barcelona, (March 2015)
Keynote Lecture, Wheeler Center, UCSF (January 2015)
NIH Annual Graduate Student Retreat, Keynote Speaker (August, 2014)
Molecular Basis of Addiction, ASMSB, San Diego (April, 2014)
Movement Disorders Society, Miami (March, 2014)
Parkinson’s Disease 2014 Conference, NIH (January, 2014)
Nebraska Research and Innovation Conference, U. Nebraska Medical School Creighton University, Omaha, Plenary talk (October, 2013)
Gordon Conference on Catecholamines (July, 2013)
Dopamine 2013 (Sardinia, May 2013)
International Basal Ganglia Conference, (Eilat, Israel, March, 2013)
Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience (Imperial College London, Sept 2012), plenary talk
Asilomar Conference on Catecholamines (Asilomar, CA, September 2012)
Movement Disorders Society (Dublin, June 19, 2012)
Gordon Conference on Neurobiology of Brain Disorders (Massachusetts, August, 2012)
Disorders of Synaptic Function Symposium (Baylor, Houston TX April, 2012)
Pittcon (Orlando, FL March, 2012)
Simons Foundation (Washington DC, September 18, 2011)
Udall Center Symposia (Washington DC, September 14, 2011)
Gordon Conference on Catecholamines (New Hampshire, July, 2011)
The Vatican, Papal Academy of Sciences (Parkinson’s Disease Conference) (Rome, April 2011)
Canadian Physiological Society (Quebec City, February, 2011)
Society for Neuroscience, NIDA mini convention, “A Fresh Look at Dopamine Release” (November, 2010)
McKnight Foundation for Neuroscience (Aspen, June, 2010)
Neurasyn11, Parkinson’s Disease (Athens, Greece, April, 2010)
XVIII World Federation of Neurology International Parkinson Congress (Miami, Dec 2009)
Canadian Physiological Society (Quebec City, February, 2009)
Gordon Conference on Neuroscience and Brain Disorders (Oxford, August, 2008)
Gordon Conference on Synaptic Transmission (New Hampshire, July, 2008)
National Parkinson’s Foundation Symposia (San Diego, November, 2007)
50 Years of Dopamine, plenary talk (Gothenburg, Sweden, May, 2007)
Gordon Conference on Catecholamines (Oxford, UK, August, 2007)
Pittcon (Chicago, March 2007)
Parkinson's Disease: Insights From Genetic and Toxin Models (May, 2006), Cold Spring Harbor Banbury Center
World Parkinson’s Congress, (February, 2006), Washington DC
International Society of Chromaffin Cell Biology (January, 2006) Pucon, Chile
Winter Brain Conference (January, 2006), Steamboat Springs, CO
Dopamine Oxidation and Parkinson's Disease, SFN satellite meeting (November, 2005, Washington DC)
Udall Center Conference (NIH, Boston, MA, September, 2005)
Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Disorders (April, 2005, Santiago, Chile)
Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease (New York, December, 2004)
8th Neurodegenerative Disorders Common Molecular Mechanisms Conference (Ocho Rios, Jamaica, March, 2004)
Gordon Conference on Catecholamines (Oxford, August, 2003)
In vivo methods (Stockholm, June, 2003)
National Institute on Neurological Disorders, Cell Biology of Parkinson’s (Bethesda, MD, June, 2003)
Winter Conference on Brain Research (Utah, January, 2003)
National Institute on Drug Abuse, New Issues in Neuroscience (Rockville, MD, Oct, 2002)
Dopamine 2002 (Portland, OR, July, 2002)
Banbury Center, Neurodegenerative Disease Models (Cold Spring Harbor, February, 2002)
Winter Conference on Brain Research (Breckinridge, CO, January, 2002)
FASEB Conference on Drug Dependence (Tuscon, AZ, August, 2001)
Udall Center Conference (NIH, Bethesda, MD, August, 2001)
National Parkinson's Foundation Biannual Symposia (San Diego, November, 2001)
Gordon Conference on Catecholamines (July, 2001)
Society of African Neuroscientists (SONA) (Nairobi, April 2001)
Pittcon (New Orleans, March 2001)
Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience (Dublin, June, 2001)
Winter Conference on Brain Research (Colorado, January, 2001)
Federation for European Neuroscience (Brighton, England, June, 2000)
European Conference on Neurochemistry (Solden, Austria, April, 2002)
Winter Conference on Brain Research (Breckinridge, CO, January, 2000)
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (Acapulco, December 1999)
Gordon Conference on Catecholamines (Oxford, England, July, 1999)
Bonn ‘99: Sixth International Conference on Amino Acids (Bonn, August, 1999)
Winter Conference on Brain Research (Snowmass, CO, January 1999)
Latrotoxins and Secretory Systems (Rome, October, 1999)
Dopamine ‘98 (Strasbourg, July, 1998)
Gordon Conference on Cell Biology of the Neuron (June, 1998)
Plenary speaker for International Conference on in vivo Methods (Tenerife, 1996)
Eighth International Catecholamine Symposium (Asilomar, CA, October, 1996)
National Institute of Health, Approaches in Mammalian Neuronal Culture, Bethesda (1995)
N.I.D.A. 20th Anniversary Symposium (San Diego, 1994)
Invited university seminars / grand rounds (partial)
2021 Tufts University, 11th Annual Neuroscience Seminar May 6
2020 McGill University, Neuroscience for Mental Health Seminar, November 16
2020 Raymond D. Adams Lecture, Mass General Hospital, Dept. Neurology, Harvard University, October 22
2020 Killiam Seminar, Montreal Neurological Institute, September 29
2020 Frontiers in Neuroscience, Emory University, September 18
Virtual Dopamine Conference, May 21, 2020
Dartmouth, Physiology Seminar, March 23, 2020 (by video)
New York University, Fresco Institute Lecture, Dept. Neurology, February 26, 2020
Hebrew University, Youdim Lecture and Finberg Award, January 29, 2020, Tel Aviv
Montefiore / Albert Einstein University, Dept. Neurology Grand Rounds, January 23, 2020, Mark Mehler, presenter
University of Minnesota, April 9, 2019 Distinguished Lecture in Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota
Tulane University, Tulane Brain Institute, New Orleans, Oct 24, 2018, invited by the graduate students, Bruce Bunnell presenter
Graduate Student / Postdoctoral Invitation Neuroscience Seminar, October 19, 2018, Netherlands Institute for Neurosciences, Amsterdam
Neuroscience Seminar, University of Utah, September 18, 2018, invited by the graduate students
Rutgers, Brain Health Institute, August 7, 2018, Gary Aston Jones, presenter
University of Lausanne, March 29, 2018, Claudia Bagni, presenter
University of Rome Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, December, 2017
University Berlin, Dept. Molecular Neurobiology, May 15, 2017, Craig Garner, presenter
University Montreal, Department Neurology, March 2017, Louis Trudeau, presenter
Michigan State University, March 2017, Frederick Manfredsson, presenter
Medical University of South Carolina, Department Neuroscience May 2017, Peter Kalivas, presenter
University of Pennsylvania, Department of Neuroscience, October 2016, William Doyon, presenter
University Paris, Descartes and Institute for Neuroscience and Cognition (May, 2016)
Stanford University, Neuroscience Institute (April 21, 2016), Jun Ding, presenter
UC Irvine (September, 2015) Distinguished Lecture
UCSF (April 2, 2015) Dept Neuroscience, Gladstone, Ken Nakamura, presenter
UCSF (February, 2015) Wheeler Center Keynote Address, Elyssa Margolis, presenter
Cornell University (December, 2014) Progress in Neuroscience, David Eliezer, presenter
Mt Sinai (October 30, 2014) Dept Neuroscience, Rita Goldstein, presenter
Northwestern University (April 2014) Grand Rounds, Dept Neurology, Dimitri Krainc, presenter
Oxford University, Britain (June 18, 2013), Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre
Rutgers (April 17, 2013), Dept Neuroscience, Elizabeth Abercrombie, presenter
Yale University (April 11, 2013) Dept Cellular Molecular Physiology, Erdem Karetekin, presenter
Downstate Medical Center, (January 25, 2013), Brooklyn, Neurology Dept Grand Rounds
University of Maryland (December 11, 2012), Joseph Cheer, presenter
Virginia Commonwealth (Nov 29, 2012) Louis DeFelice, presenter
Keynote Lecture in Cellular Neuroscience, (May 2, 2012) Yale University
Frontiers in Neuroscience lecture (April, 2012), Emory University
Vanderbilt (May 8, 2012) Dept Pharmacology, Randy Blakely, presenter
Pasteur Institute (April 26, 2012), Dept Neuroscience, Uwe Maskos, presenter
University of Iowa (May 15, 2012) Dept Neuroscience
Rutgers UMDNJ (May 10, 2010), Dept Pharmacology and Physiology, Eldo Kuzhikandathil, presenter
Mt. Sinai Medical School (December 3, 2009) Dept. Neuroscience, Zhenyu Yue, presenter
Michigan State University (April 16, 2009) Spring Neuroscience Seminar, invited by the graduate students
Georgetown University (March 17, 2009) Dept. Pharmacology, Howard Federoff, presenter
Albert Einstein University (November 13, 2008), Dept. Neurology Grand Rounds, Mark Mehler, presenter
University of Tennessee Medical School (September 24, 2008), Dept. Neuroscience, Fu Ming Zhou, presenter
Northwestern University (May, 2008) Dept. Neuroscience, James Surmeier, presenter
University of Michigan (April, 2008) Dept. Neuroscience, the Spring Seminar, which is run by the graduate students
University of Washington (May, 2008) Dept. Neurology, Al LaSpada, presenter
UCLA (April, 2008), Dept. Physiology, David Krantz, presenter
Drexel University (December, 2007) Dept. Neuroscience, Graham Ellis-Davies, presenter
Rutgers University (October, 2007) Dept. Neuroscience, James Tepper, presenter
Boston University (September, 2006, Ben Wolozin, presenter
University of Texas, San Antonio, Dept. Neuroscience (April, 2006) Charles Wilson, presenter
University of Pittsburgh, Dept. Physiology (April, 2005, Ed Levitan, presenter)
Medical University of South Carolina, Dept. Neuroscience (March, 2006, Peter Kalivas, presenter)
University of Texas, Houston, Dept. Neuroscience (May, 2005, John Dani, presenter)
University of Vienna, Dept. Pharmacology (May 2005, Harald Sitte, presenter)
UMDNJ, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (March 2005, Patricia Sonsalla, presenter)
Cornell Burke Medical Center, Dept. Neurology (March, 2005, Jin Son, presenter)
Vanderbilt University, Dept. Pharmacology (January, 2005, Aurelio Galli, presenter)
Rutgers University, Neurology Grand Rounds (March 2005, Patricia Sonsalla, presenter)
University of California Medical School, San Francisco, Gallo Center (May, 2004, Antonello Bonci, presenter)
Vollum Institute, University of Oregon (May, 2004) (Laurence Trussell, Craig Jahr, presenters)
Penn State, Dept. Chemistry, Neuroscience (April, 2004, Andrew Ewing, presenter)
Albany Medical Center, Neuroscience (March, 2004, Patricio O’Donnell, presenter)
Harvard MGH, Dept. Neurology (December, 2003) (Jonathan Francis, presenter)
University of Texas Health Service, Neurology, Dallas (October, 2003, Dwight German, presenter)
University of Chicago, Dept. Neurobiology (June, 2003), Dan McGhee, presenter)
Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, Dept. Neuroscience (May, 2003, Karen Duff, presenter)
Chicago Medical School, Dept. Neuroscience (March, 2003, Heinz Steiner, presenter)
Emory University, Dept. Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta (November, 2002, Gregory Berns, presenter)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), N.I.H., Bethesda, MD (October, 2002, Nancy Pilotte, presenter)
McGill University, Dept. Neurology, Montreal (October 2002, Ted Fon, presenter)
National Institute of Mental Health (September, 2002, Dietmar Plenz, presenter)
University of Coimbra, Portugal, Dept. Neuroscience (June, 2002, Emiliana Duarte, Presenter)
University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Dept Psychiatry, (May, 2002, Haley Melakian, presenter)
Boston University, Dept. Pharmacology (May, 2002, Chris Pierce, presenter)
University of Virginia, Dept. Neuroscience, December, 2001 (Jay Hirsch, presenter)
University of Lund, Neurology Department, Wallenberg Center for Neuroscience, December, 2001 (two departmental talks on neurotransmission and neurodegeneration) (Patrik Brundin, presenter)
Wayne State University, Dept. Pharmacology, September, 2001 (Arun Wakade, presenter)
University of Bordeaux, June, 2001 (Francois Gonon, presenter)
Woods Hole, May, 2000 (Greg Gerhardt, presenter)
New York University Medical School, Center for Neural Science, February, 2000 (Margaret Rice, presenter)
University of Texas Medical School, San Antonio, Dept Neuroscience, January, 2000, (Aurelio Galli, presenter)
Rockefeller University, New York, December 1999, (Paul Greengard, presenter)
University of Milan (three departmental talks, Dept Neuroscience, Dept Pharmacology, Dept Neurology, February, 1999, Fabio Fumagalli, Luigi Zecca, and Antonio Malgaroli, presenters)
Yale University, New Haven, Dept Psychiatry (September, 1998, Marina Piccotto,presenter)
Cornell University, Ithaca NY, Dept Biophysics (May 1998, Manfred Lindau, presenter)
University of Tennessee Medical School, Dept Neurology, Memphis (April 1997, James Surmeier, presenter)
Penn State University, Dept of Neuroscience (March, 1997, Andrew Ewing, presenter)
University of California Medical School, San Francisco, Dept of Neurology (October, 1996, Robert Edwards, presenter)
State University of New York, Albany, Dept of Neuroscience (1995, Richard Keller, presenter)
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Dept of Neuroscience (1994. Robert Feldman, presenter)
Patents
Fluorescent False Neurotransmitters, US8337941; 20130190497; by Sulzer and Sames labs
pH-Responsive Fluorescent False Neurotransmitters 9075014, US2013011664 by Sulzer and Sames labs
Teaching Responsibilities
Systems Pharmacology, Columbia University, G8001, neurophysiology, one lecture per year 2019-
Music, Math and Mind, Columbia University, Visual Arts R6020, course director, 14 lectures per year, fall semesters 2016-present
Molecular Pharmacology, one lecture per year G9600, 2007-present
Neuro Bootcamp, one lecture per year to incoming grad students, 2015-present
Neuroscience of neurological and psychiatric disorders, G4100, one lecture per year. 2011-present
Undergraduate Research in Biology, UN3500, faculty reviewer, 2009-present
Molecular Aspects of Synaptic Transmission, Center of Neurobiology and Behavior course G4007, 4 sessions per year on exocytosis, 2005-1018
Basic PD research at Columbia, special lecture, May 11, 2018, Columbia University, Division Movement Disorders
Movement Disorders Society course on Parkinson’s Disease, Burke Center/ NYU, 2015
Basic and Clinical Neurosciences CME course at Columbia University, 2007-2015
Neuroscience and Psychology (Gary Marcus, director), NYU, guest lecture 2011
Rutgers University Basic Neuroscience course (Dmitriy Markov, director) guest lecture 2013
Electrical Engineering, EEG lab, Columbia University (Nima Mesgarani, director) guest lecture October 2014
Sound Arts course, Columbia University School of the Arts (2 lectures per year, 2013-2016) (Douglas Repetto, director)
Neuroscience of drug dependence and reward, seminar/course in conjunction with T32 NIDA training grant, 26-28 lectures per year, 2004-2009.
W/3004/4004 Survey course in Neuroscience (John Koester, Rene Hen, Sam Schacher, director), Neurotransmission lecture, 2008-2017
Mind and Brain Course, course for Psychiatry and Pharmacology Departments, 1 lecture per year on Pleasure, Reward, and Repetitive Behavior and neuroscience of drug dependence, 2003-2006.
Psychiatry course is labeled Neurobiological underpinnings of psychopharmacology.
PGYII training seminar for NYSPI Psychiatric Residents,
Neurotransmission lecture, 2007- present
Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease (New York, December 2004), CME course, director, Charles O’Brien.
Movement disorders research, Neurology Department (one lecture per year, 1995-present).
Seminar on Neuroscience of Drug Abuse, a special course in neuroscience for journalists presented by Columbia University and the New York Times, Columbia University (2002-2004).
Neurochemistry course for psychiatric residents at New York State Psychiatric Institute (three years, 6 lectures per year, 1992-94).
Committees / Societies / Memberships
Conference Organizer
1999 Conference Organizer, In Vivo Methods
1999-2015 Organizing Committee, In Vivo Methods
2003 Vice-Chair, Gordon Conference on Catecholamines
2005-2013 Organizing Committee, International Neurotoxicity Society Meeting
2005 Chair, Gordon Conference on Catecholamines
2005 Conference on Autophagy, Hereditary Disease Foundation
2007 Graduate Research Seminar, Gordon Conference on Catecholamines
2009 World Federation of Neurology, Conference on Parkinson’s & Related Disorders
2011 International Catecholamine Symposium
2014-2018 Advisory Committee, Simons Foundation Lecture Series
2015 Founding Chair, Gordon Conference on Parkinson’s disease
2016 Organizing Committee, Dopamine 2016, Vienna
2020 Chair, Dopamine 2020 Conference, co-Founder Dopamine Society (rescheduled May, 2021)
2020 Organizing Committee, Interspecies Communication (originally Rockefeller University, video conference due to COVID)
Society Memberships
founder, Dopamine Society (2019) with Louis Trudeau
Society for Neuroscience, N.Y. Academy of Science, A.A.A.S., American Academy Neurology, Biophysical Society, Organizer for the International Conference on in vivo Methods, seminar organizer for Winter Conference on Brain Research, International Neurotoxicity Society, Chair of Gordon Conference on Catecholamines, Chair of Gordon Conference on Parkinson’s Disease
Editorships
Editorial Board, Journal of Parkinson’s Disease (2017-)
Founding Editor, Nature NPG Parkinson’s Disease (2015-)
Editorial Board, Faculty of 1000 F1000Prime (2014-)
Editor for submissions, Proceedings National Academy of Science USA (2013)
Editorial Board, Basal Ganglia (2011-2016)
Editorial Board, Autophagy (2006-2013)
Editorial Board, Neurotoxicity Research (2002-2013)
Editor for neurotransmission in The Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry (Wiley & Sons, 1999)
Editor Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience (Pfizer, 1999)
Honors and Awards
2021 11th Annual Neuroscience Seminar, Tufts University
2020 Neuroscience for Mental Health Seminar, McGill University
2020 Raymond D. Adams Lecture, Harvard University Mass General Hospital, Dept. Neurology,
2020 Killam Seminar, Montreal Neurological Institute
2020 Frontiers in Neuroscience Seminar, Emory University
2020 Plenary Speaker, NEURO2020 Global Summit on Research and Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disorders, Salmanaca (invited by Queen Sofia) (rescheduled for 2021)
2020 Chair, Dopamine 2020 conference, Montreal (with Louis-Eric Trudeau) (rescheduled for 2021)
2020 Plenary Speaker, Movement Disorders Society, Miami, Florida
2020 Youdim / Finberg Award for research in Psychiatry Hebrew University, Jerusalem
2020 Plenary Speaker, Keystone Meeting on Neuroimmune Reactions in the CNS
2019 founded the Dopamine Society (with Louis-Eric Trudeau, U. Montreal)
2019 Plenary Speaker, joint annual meetings of Austrian Neuroscience Association and Austrian Pharmacological Society
2019 Keynote Speaker, Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Parkinson’s Disease
2019 Distinguished Lecture in Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota
2019 External Scientific Advisory Board, University of Alabama Udall Center
2018 Annual Graduate Student Invitation Seminar, Tulane University
2018 Annual Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Invitation Seminar, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam
2018 Schaefer Award to lab (for research by Maria Minacci)
2018 Keynote Speaker, inaugural Southeastern Neurodegenerative Disease Conference, Orlando, Florida
2018- External Scientific Advisory Board, Johns Hopkins Udall Center
2017 Chair Study Section Department of Defense Parkinson’s Research Program
2017 Presidential Lecture, Society of Neuroimmune Pharmacology
2017 Editorial Board, Journal of Parkinson’s Disease
2016 NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award
2016 Keynote Lecture, Van Andel Retreat, Michigan State University
2016 Plenary Seminar, Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience, U Goteberg, Sweden
2015 Plenary Seminar, Movement Disorders Society, San Diego
2015 2015 Distinguished Lecture, University of California Irvine
2015 Founding Chair, Gordon Conference on Parkinson’s Disease
2015 Founding Editor, Nature (NPG) Parkinson’s Disease
2015 Keynote Seminar, Wheeler Center, UCSF
2015 University of California, Irvine, Medical Scientist Training Program Distinguished Lecture Series
2014 National Institute of Neurological Disorders, Board of Scientific Counselors
2014 Faculty of 1000 Board
2014 Keynote Speaker (with Brad Garton), NIH Annual Graduate Student Retreat
2013 Helmsley Award for Research
2013 Adjunct Professor School of the Arts, Columbia University
2013 Plenary Seminar, Nebraska Research and Innovation Conference, U. Medical School Creighton University
2012 Plenary Seminar, Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience, Imperial College, London
2012 Keynote Lecture in Cellular Neuroscience, Yale University
2012 Frontiers of Neuroscience, Emory University
2012-2018 Board of Scientific Directors, Parkinson’s Disease Foundation
2011 Vatican Lecture (with audience with the Pope) Dopamine and Parkinson’s Disease Symposia, Vatican City
2010 Faculty of 1000
2009 Spring Seminar, Michigan State University
2008 McKnight Award in Neuroscience for Technological Innovation
2008 Spring Symposium Lecture, University of Michigan,
2007 Columbia Integrated Science & Engineering Award (with Dalibor Sames)
2007 Plenary talk, 50 Years of Dopamine, Gothenburg, Sweden
2004 Picower Foundation Award
2003 Cassy Bachner Award, Huntington’s Diseases Society of America
2002 Frontiers of Neuroscience, Emory University
2002 Cutting Edge Seminar, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD
2002 Killam Lecture, McGill University, Montreal
2000 Leadership Award, Huntington's Disease Society of America
1999 NARSAD Independent Investigator Award
1996 James T. Shannon Award, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH
1989 NARSAD Young Investigator Award
1988 Howard Hughes Postdoctoral Award
Research Interests
- Cell biology
- Learning and behavior
- Neurodegeneration and repair
- Neuroimmunology
- Synapses and Circuits
NIH Grants
DOPAMINE SYNAPSES AND OPERANT CONDITIONING (Federal Gov)
Feb 15 2019 - Nov 30 2023
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BASIS FOR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT ASSOCIATED WITH GLUCOCEREBROSIDASE (GBA1) MUTATION (Federal Gov)
Sep 30 2018 - Jul 31 2023
AUTOIMMUNE FEATURES OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS (Federal Gov)
Sep 30 2018 - Jul 31 2023
PATHOLOGICAL STRIATOPALLIDAL NEURONAL ENSEMBLES IN LEARNED MOTOR IMPAIRMENT IN PD (Federal Gov)
Sep 1 2018 - May 31 2023
CELLULAR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM OF PARKINSON S DISEASE PATHOGENESIS (Private)
Nov 1 2018 - Oct 31 2021
REGULATION OF STRIATAL MATURATION BY DOPAMINE AND MACROAUTOPHAGY: IMPLICATIONS FOR NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS (Federal Gov)
Sep 15 2017 - Sep 14 2021
THE STRIATAL CHOLINERGIC INTERNEURONS IN PARKINSON S DISEASE AND TREATMENT (Federal Gov)
May 1 2017 - Feb 28 2021
DEVELOPMENT OF FLUORESCENT FALSE NEUROTRANSMITTERS (Federal Gov)
May 18 2015 - Feb 29 2020
OPTICAL IMAGING OF DOPAMINE KINETICS IN PREFRONTAL CORTEX OF NORMAL AND SCHIZOPHRENIA MODEL MICE (Federal Gov)
Jun 1 2016 - Aug 31 2019
PRESYNAPTIC MECHANISMS IN DOPAMINE NEUROTRANSMISSION (Federal Gov)
Sep 30 2013 - Aug 31 2019
REGULATION OF STRIATAL NEURONS DEVELOPMENTAL MATURATION BY MTOR/AUTOPHAGY AND DOPAMINE (Private)
Aug 1 2017 - Jul 31 2019
IMPAIRED MTOR-MACROAUTOPHAGY AND NEUROCOGNITIVE DEFICITS IN TUBEROUS SCLEROSIS COMPLEX (Federal Gov)
Jun 15 2016 - Jul 14 2019
OPTICAL IMAGING OF DOPAMINE KINETICS IN PREFRONTAL CORTEX OF NORMAL AND SCHIZOPHRENIA MODEL MICE (Federal Gov)
Jul 1 2016 - Jun 30 2019
EFFECTS OF CANNABIS ON NEURONAL TRANSLATION (Federal Gov)
Apr 1 2016 - Mar 31 2019
WILLIAM L. RICHTER FAMILY FOUNDATION AWARD (Private)
Dec 1 2016 - Nov 30 2018
CELLULAR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF PARKINSON S DISEASE PATHOGENESIS (Private)
Sep 1 2015 - Oct 31 2018
PRESYNAPTIC MECHANISMS IN DOPAMINE NEUROTRANSMISSION (Federal Gov)
Sep 30 2013 - Aug 31 2018
PRESYNAPTIC MECHANISMS IN DOPAMINE NEUROTRANSMISSION (Federal Gov)
Sep 30 2013 - Aug 31 2018
EFFECTS OF CANNABIS ON NEURONAL TRANSLATION (Federal Gov)
Apr 1 2016 - Mar 31 2018
DEVELOPING A TETRAMER LIBRARY AS A BIOMARKER FOR AUTOIMMUNITY IN PARKINSON S DISEASE (Private)
Jun 14 2016 - Dec 31 2017
NEUROINFLAMMATION VIA T-CELL RESPONSE IN PARKINSON S AND LEWY BODY DISEASES (Private)
Jan 1 2016 - Dec 31 2017
AUTOPHAGY PATHWAY AS A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGET IN AUTISM (Private)
Sep 1 2016 - Aug 31 2017
NEURONAL TRANSLATION IN TSC2+/-AND FMR1-/Y MUTANT ASD MOUSE MODELS (Private)
Jul 1 2015 - Jun 30 2017
PARKINSON S DISEASE FOUNDATION (PDF) RESEARCH CENTER GRANT (Private)
Jul 1 2016 - Jun 30 2017
OPTICAL ANALYSIS OF CORTICAL DOPAMINE TRANSMISSION (Private)
Mar 15 2016 - Mar 14 2017
PARKINSONS DISEASE FOUNDATION RESEARCH CENTER GRANT (Private)
Jul 1 2000 - Jun 30 2016
MECHANISMS OF SUBSTANTIA NIGRA NEURONAL DEATH IN PARKINSON S DISEASE (Private)
Sep 1 2012 - Aug 31 2015
IDENTIFICATION OF AUTOIMMUNITY IN PARKINSON S (Private)
Sep 1 2014 - Aug 31 2015
MECHANISMS OF DOPAMINE NEURON DEGENERATION (Federal Gov)
Aug 1 2000 - Jul 31 2015
PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE OF LYSOSOMAL LRRK2 IN THE REGULATION OF CMA (Private)
Jul 1 2013 - Jun 30 2015
ALTERED ASTROCYTE-NEURON INTERACTIONS AND EPILEPTOGENESIS IN TUBEROUS SCLEROSIS COMPLEX DISORDER (Federal Gov)
Jun 1 2012 - May 31 2015
ALCOHOL AND DOPAMINE RELEASE: CELLULAR AND SYNAPTIC MECHANISMS (Federal Gov)
Jul 15 2010 - Apr 30 2015
ALCOHOL AND DOPAMINE RELEASE: CELLULAR AND SYNAPTIC MECHANISMS (Federal Gov)
Jul 15 2010 - Apr 30 2015
MECHANISMS OF PARKINSON S DISEASE PATHOGENESIS (Private)
Oct 15 2011 - Oct 14 2014
CHARACTERIZATION OF A SELECTIVE LACK OF MACROAUTOPHAGY IN DIRECT PATHWAY MEDIUM SPINY NEURONS (Private)
Jul 1 2014 - Aug 31 2014
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT IN STEM CELL BIOLOGY (Private)
Jul 1 2010 - Jun 30 2014
PARKINSON S DISEASE FOUNDATION RESEARCH CENTE (Private)
Jul 1 2000 - Jun 30 2014
PARKINSONS DISEASE FOUNDATION RESEARCH CENTER GRANT (Private)
Jul 1 2000 - Jun 30 2014
IMPLICATIONS OF ANTIGEN PRESENTATION BY DOPAMINERGIC NEURONS IN AN AAV2-SYNUCLEIN MOUSE MODEL OF PARKINSON S DISEASE (Private)
Jun 1 2013 - May 31 2014
MECHANISMS OF SUBSTANTIA NIGRA NEURONAL DEATH IN PARKINSON S DISEASE (Private)
Oct 15 2011 - Oct 14 2013
GLUCOCEREBROSIDASE AND MITOCHONDRIAL AUTOPHAGY IN DOPAMINERGIC NEURONS (Private)
Jul 1 2011 - Sep 30 2013
ABERRANT SYNAPTIC FORM AND FUNCTION DUE TO TSC-MTOR-RELATED MUTATION IN AUTISM (Private)
Jul 1 2010 - Jun 30 2013
PARKINSONS DISEASE FOUNDATION (PDF) RESEARCH CENTER GRANT 2012-2013 (Private)
Jul 1 2009 - Jun 30 2013
BASIC NEUROSCIENCE TRAINING GRANT AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (Federal Gov)
Jul 1 2010 - Jun 30 2013
BASIC NEUROSCIENCE TRAINING GRANT AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (Federal Gov)
Jul 1 2010 - Jun 30 2013
PRESYNAPTIC PLASTICITY OF VESICULAR DOPAMINE RELEASE (Federal Gov)
Jul 15 2012 - Apr 30 2013
GLYT1 INHIBITORS PROMOTE DOPAMINERGIC STRIATAL SPROUTING (Private)
Jul 1 2011 - Jun 30 2012
RHYTHMICITY AND SYNCHRONY IN THE BASAL GANGLIA (Federal Gov)
Aug 1 2010 - Jul 31 2011
ABERRANT SYNAPTIC FUNCTION DUE TO TSC MUTATION IN AUTISM (Private)
Jul 1 2008 - Jun 30 2011
SPECTRA-PHYSICS MAI TAI HP LASER (Federal Gov)
Mar 25 2010 - Mar 24 2011
Lab Members
- Francesca Garretti,
- Yaqian (Heather) Xu,
- Adrien T. Stanely ,
- Avery McGuirt,
- Michael Post,
- Irena Pigulevskiy,
- Stefano Cataldi,
- Benjamin Hobson,
- Mahalakshmi Somayaji,
- Eugene Mosharov,
- Yelena Kanter,
- Sejoon Choi,
- Ori Lieberman,
- Vanessa Morales,
Publications
Lieberman, O.J., M.D. Frier, A.F. McGuirt, C.J. Griffey, E. Rafikian, M. Yang, A. Yamamoto, A. Borgkvist, E. Santini, and D. Sulzer. 2020. Cell-type-specific regulation of neuronal intrinsic excitability by macroautophagy. eLife. 9. PMID: 31913125
David Sulzer, Roy Alcalay, Francesca Garretti, Lucien Cote, Ellen Kanter, Christopher Liong, Carla Oseroff, John Pham, Myles B Dillon, Chelsea Carpenter, Daniela Weiskopf, Elizabeth Phillips, Simon Mallal, Bjoern Peters, April Frazier, Cecilia S. Lindestam Arlehamn, Alessandro Sette (2017). T cells of Parkinson's disease patients recognize alpha-synuclein peptides. Nature, 546:656-661. PMID:28636593
Tang, G., Gudsnjk K., Kuo S-H, Cotrina M, Rosokliga G., Sonders M, Kanter E., Barnard C, Yamamoto A, Yue Z, Champagne F, Dwork, A. J., Goldman J., Sulzer, D. (2014) Dendritic spine pruning defects in autism mediated by neuronal loss of macroautophagy. Neuron, 83:1-13. PMID: 25155956
Cebrian, C., Budhu, S., Zucca, F.A., Mauri, Pl, Mandelbaum, J., Scherzer, C., Vonsattel, J.P., Zecca, L., Loike, J.D., Sulzer, D. (2014) MHC-I expression renders catecholaminergic neurons susceptible to T-cell mediated degeneration. Nature Communications, 16:1-14. PMID:24736453
Daniela B. Pereira, Yvonne Schmitz, Jozsef Meszaros, Paolomi Merchant, Gang Hu, Shu Li, Adam Henke, Jose E. Lizardi-Ortiz, Richard J. Karpowicz Jr, Mark Sonders, Ellen Kanter, Pamela C. Rodriguez, Eugene Mosharov, Dalibor Sames, David Sulzer (2016) Imaging individual synapses with novel fluorescent false neurotransmitter FFN200 reveals a low density of active striatal dopamine terminal. Nature Neuroscience, 19:578-586. PMID:26900925
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov
