Research Interests:
The long term goal of the lab is to learn how encephalitic viruses produce neurologic diseases and apply this knowledge to treatment of chronic neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Using encephalitic virus to elucidate aspects of CNS diseases and neuroprotection, the laboratory has studied viral pathogenesis through animal models of CNS viral injury in Borna Disease virus and herpes simplex type 1, with particular focus on neurotransmitter systems. Behavioral pharmacologic, neurochemical, molecular biological and neuroanatomical methods have been used to characterize the viral-induced changes in brain monoamine, peptide, cannabinoid, striatal and limbic circuits that produce vulnerability to seizures, degenerative diseases, movement disorders and drugs of abuse.

Recent Publications:

1. Solbrig, M.V. Koob, G.F. Epilepsy, CNS viral injury and dynorphin. Trnds Pharmacol. Sci. 25:98-103 (2004)
2. Solbrig, M.V. Adrian, R., Baratta, J., Piomelli, D., Giuffrida, A. Role for endocannabinoids in viral-induced dyskinetic and convulsive phenomena. Exp. Neurol.194:355-362 (2005)
3. Solbrig, M.V. Adrian, R., Baratta, J., Lauterborne, J., Koob, G.F. Kappa opioid control of seizures by a virus in an animal model. Brain 129:642-654 (2006)
4. Solbrig, M.V. Adrian, R., Chang, D.Y., Perng, G.-C. Viral risk factor for seizures: pathobiology of dynorphin in herpes simplex viral (HSV-1) seizures in an animal model. Neurobiol. Dis 23:612-620 (2006)
5. Solbrig, M.V. Adrian, R., Wechsler, S.L., Koob, G.F. Activation of potassium M currents have anticonvulsant actions in two rat models of encephalitis. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 555(1):23-29 (2007)
6. Bortolato, M., Solbrig, M.V. The price of seizure control: dynorphins in interictal and postictal psychosis Psychiatry Res. 151(1-2):139-143 (2007)
7. Solbrig, M.V., Bortolato, M. The role of dynorphins in homeostasis: implications for seizures and postictal phenomena . In. Neuropeptide Research Trends B.A. Levine ed. Nova Biomedical New York 169-188 (2007)
8. Glaser , C.A. , Gilliam, S., Honarmand, S., Tureen, J.H., Lowenstein, D.H., Anderson , L.J., Bollen, A., Solbrig, M.V. Refractory Status Epilepticus in suspect encephalitis. Neurocrit Care 9(1):74-82 (2008)
9. Solbrig, M.V. Hasso, A.N., Jay, C.A. CNS viruses-diagnostic approach. Neuroimaging Clinics of North America 18(1):1-18 (2008)
10. Solbrig, M.V. Human pathogenic arenaviruses. Ann Neurol 64(3):355-6 (2008)
11. Solbrig, M.V. Hermanowicz, N. Cannabinoid rescue of striatal progenitor cells in chronic Borna Disease viral encephalitis in rats. J Neurovirol 14(3):252-260 (2008)
12. Solbrig, M.V. Tyler, K.L. Viral Infections In Neurology in Clinical Practice, 5th Edition, W.G. Bradley, R.B. Daroff, G.M. Fenichel and J. Jankovich (eds.) Butterworth-Heinemann, An imprint of Elsevier Inc. Philadelphia 1457-1488 (2008)
13. Solbrig, M.V. Diagnosing encephalitis? Consider HHV-6 (Editorial). Ann Neurol (in press)

Laboratory Members: