Sharyn Rossi, PhD

Contact: srossi@brightfocus.org

Sharyn Rossi received her PhD in anatomy and neurobiology from the University of California, Irvine, where she studied stem cell replacement therapies for the treatment of spinal cord injury. She continued her post-doctoral work at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children studying spinal muscular atrophy, and Johns Hopkins University, using optogenetics to investigate how transplanted stem cells integrate into brain circuitry after traumatic brain injury.  

Prior to joining BrightFocus Foundation, Dr. Rossi was a senior research scientist at the National Institute on Aging, using neuroimaging, light-sheet microscopy, and novel interventions to investigate changes in the brain during normal cognitive aging.  

At BrightFocus, she uses her multidisciplinary background in central nervous system injury and mechanisms of aging to implement research initiatives, initiate and maintain institutional collaborations, and foster relationships with scientists and key stakeholders, while overseeing an active portfolio of more than $45 million consisting of 167 grants spanning 14 countries.

Education & Training

• PhD, Anatomy and Neurobiology, summa cum laude | University of California, Irvine 

• Bachelor of Science, Behavioral Neuroscience, summa cum laude | Northeastern University

Research & Selected Publications 

Increased network functional connectivity in aged rhesus monkeys with cognitive impairment 
Rossi, S.L., Bakker, A., Young, J.E., Herold, C., Gu, H., Lu, H., Yang, Y., Stein, E.A., Rapp, P.R. (In preparation).  

Common features of neurodegenerative disease: exploring the brain-eye connection and beyond (part 1): the 2021 pre-symposium of the 15th international conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases 
Rossi, S.L., Subramanian, P., Bu, G., Di Polo, A., Golde, T.E., Bovenkamp, D.E. (2022). Molecular Neurodegeneration, 17(1), 68. DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00570-8

Common features of neurodegenerative disease: exploring the brain-eye connection and beyond (part 2): the 2021 pre-symposium of the 15th international conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases 
Rossi, S.L., Subramanian, P., Bu, G., Di Polo, A., Golde, T.E., Bovenkamp, D.E. (2022). Molecular Neurodegeneration, 17(1), 69. DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00571-7

Commentary: Global Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementia research funding organizations support and engage the research community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic  
Myers, E.A., Amouyel, P., Bovenkamp, D.E., Carrillo, M.C., DeBuchy G.D., Dumont, M., Fillit, H., Friedman, L., Henderson-Begg, G., Hort, J., Murtishaw, A., Oakley, R., Panchal, M., Rossi, S.L., Sancho, R.M., Thienpont, L., Weidner, W., Snyder, H.M. (2022). Alzheimer's & Dementia, 18(5), 1067– 1070. https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.12472

Recognition Memory is Associated with Distinct Patterns of Regional Gray Matter Volumes in Young and Aged Monkeys.
Cooper, C.P., Shafer, A.T., Armstrong, N.M., Rossi, S.L., Young, J., Herold, C., Gu, H., Yang, Y,, Stein, E.A., Resnick, S.M., Rapp, P.R. (2022). Cerebral Cortex, 32(5), 933–948, https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhab257 
 
Differential Retinoic Acid Signaling in the Hippocampus of Aged Rats with and without Memory Impairment.
Woloszynowska-Fraser, M.U., Rossi, S.L., Long, J.M., McCaffery, P.J., Rapp, P.R. (2021). eNeuro, 14:8(5). DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0120-21.2021

Cortical network dynamics are coupled with cognitive aging in rats
Myrum, C., Rossi, S.L., Perez, E.J., Rapp, P.R. (2019). Hippocampus, 1-13. DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23130