Breeanne Soteros, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Personal Statement:

The precise organization of synapses in the brain anatomically define and link the neural circuits that give rise to all our thoughts, emotions and behaviors. While synapse formation is necessary for the initial establishment of neural circuits, the process of refinement is critical for the specificity and maturation of all neural pathways. Our research seeks to understand mechanisms that govern the maintenance and elimination of synapses in the central nervous system. We utilize various molecular, cellular and behavioral approaches to tease apart the genes that shape the synaptic landscape throughout the lifespan.

Education

Ph.D., Neuroscience
UT Health San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

BA, Psychology
Neuroscience Minor
UT Arlington - Arlington, Texas

Research

synapse pruning	complement cascade
neuropsychiatric disorders	neuroimmunology

Awards & Accomplishments

1st place – Annual Image of Research Photography Competition, March 2020 || https://library.uthscsa.edu/2020/04/2020-image-of-research-winners/

Howard E. Gendleman Travel Award, October 2019

1st place – Three-Minute Thesis Competition, Annual Mikiten Graduate Student Symposium, May 2019

1st place – Outstanding Graduate Student Poster, 17th Annual Center for Biomedical Neuroscience Retreat, May 2019

3rd place – Annual Image of Research Photography Competition, UT Health San Antonio, March 2019

Juror’s Choice Award, NeuroArt Image Contest, MBF Bio, 2018 || https://tinyurl.com/MBFbio-NeuroArt-2018

Outstanding Graduate Student Poster Award – UTHSCSA Pharmacology Annual Graduate Student Symposium, October 2016

Ronald E. McNair Fellowship – University of Texas at Arlington, 2014

Affiliations

Center for Biomedical Neuroscience
Member, Society for Neuroscience
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Publications

Cong, Q., Soteros, B.M., Wollet, M. et al. The endogenous neuronal complement inhibitor SRPX2 protects against complement-mediated synapse elimination during development. Nat Neurosci (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-020-0672-0

Soteros BM, Cong Q, Palmer CR, Sia GM (2018) Sociability and synapse subtype-specific defects in mice lacking SRPX2, a language-associated gene. PLOS ONE 13(6): e0199399. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199399