Contact Information

Department of Neurology


Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Department of Neurology
Room A1036
4301 Jones Bridge Road, C1094
Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799
Phone: (301) 295-3643
Fax: (301) 295-0620

Jeffrey T. Cole, Department of Neurology

Jeffrey T. Cole, Ph.D.

Phone: 301-295-9792
Email: jeffrey.cole@usuhs.edu
Assistant Professor of Neurology (Tenure Track)
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
Director, Acute Core, Comprehensive National Neuroscience Program

Education

  • North Carolina State University (Ph.D - Physiology/Nutrition)
  • University of Illinois (M.S. - Animal Science)
  • North Carolina State University (B.S. Animal Science/Nutrition)

Invited Lectures and Session Chairs

Cole JT. The role of PUFAs in injured and unhealthy brains. International/American Society for Neurochemistry. April 20-24, 2013. Cancun, Mexico. (session chair)

Cole JT. Using branched chain amino acids as a novel therapeutic for brain injury. Neurology and Therapeutics. May 14-16, 2012. Las Vegas NV (lecture)

Cole, JT. Microglia Activation Along the Corticospinal Tract Following Traumatic Brain Injury in the Rat: A Neuroanatomical Study. 9th World Congress on Brain Injury. Mar 21-25, 2012. Edinburgh Scotland. (lecture)

Awards and Professional Activities

  • 2012-present: Course Co-Director, Neurobiology of Disease, Uniformed Services University (USU)
  • 2011: Formally acknowledged by Howard County Public School System for skills in mentoring their Gifted and Talented Program
  • 2010-present: Member, Constitution Committee, USU
  • 2007-present: Member, Society for Neuroscience
  • 2006: International Conference on Brain-Energy Metabolism Travel Award
  • 2005: Young Investigator Educational Enhancement Award from the American Society of Neurochemistry

Research and Teaching

Dr. Cole studies changes in brain metabolism following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Using rodents as a model, he is investigating the shifts in aerobic and anaerobic metabolism that occur post- injury and the subsequent biochemical cascades that culminate in cognitive dysfunction. Several projects are underway to explore disruptions in energy generation and neurotransmitter synthesis, calcium homeostasis, electrophysiological function and ultimately, cognition. In a recent publication, Dr. Cole demonstrated that the addition of three specific amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine, collectively known as Branched Chain Amino Acids; BCAAs) can be used to restore electrophysiological function in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in learning and memory. Thus, by simply manipulating the nutritional status of brain injured animals, learning and memory were restored. In addition to this primary work, Dr. Cole pioneered a study investigating changes in the lateral ventricles after brain injury.

Within moments of a TBI (fluid percussion injury model), the ependymal cells lining the ventricles lose their cilia by shearing caused by the fluid pulse wave. This work could have major implications for post-traumatic hydrocephalus, and possibly the propagation of the deleterious effects of a brain injury through the peri-ventricular region.

Since arriving at USUHS, Dr. Cole has become the Primary Investigator on one grant investigating the role of BCAAs after a TBI, and the Associate Investigator on two further studies examining metabolic and biochemical changes in rats after brain injury. Further, he will be an associate investigator on a currently funded, multi-center clinical trial studying severe traumatic brain injured patients. Dr. Cole has primary investigator duties in the Acute Neurology Core, which is one of three cores in the Comprehensive National Neuroscience Program, a Congressionally mandated program to investigate neurological issues affecting military personnel.

Teaching

Dr. Cole's duties also include instructing students, and he teaches lectures in both the graduate Neurobiology of Diseases course and graduate Biochemistry. These are in addition to his role in training multiple researchers at a variety of experience levels.

Mentoring:

Dr. Cole directly supervises staff scientists, post-doctoral researchers, doctoral students, research associates, and undergraduate students.

Recent Publications

The following manuscripts are the publications from Dr. Cole's research team from just the last two years:

Jacobowitz DM*, Cole JT*, McDaniel DP, Pollard HP, Watson WD. Microglia activation along the corticospinal tract following traumatic brain injury in the rat: a neuroanatomical study. In Press. Brain Res.

Cole JT, Sweatt AJ, Hutson SM. Expression of Mitochondrial Branched-Chain Aminotransferase and a- Keto-Acid Dehydrogenase in the Brain: Implications for Neurotransmitter Metabolism. In Press. Front. Mol. Neurosci

McMullen DC, Cole JT, Kean WS, Verma A, Watson WD. A microplate technique to simultaneously assay calcium accumulation in endoplasmic reticulum and SERCA release of inorganic phosphate. In Press. Biol.Proc.On.

Cole JT, Kean WS, Pollard HB, Verma A, Watson WD. 2012. Glucose-6-phosphate reduces calcium accumulation in rat brain endoplasmic reticulum. Front. Mol. Neurosci. 14(1):4

Dalgard CL*, Cole JT*, Kean WS, Lucky JJ, Sukumar G, McMullen DC, Pollard HB, Watson WD. 2012. The Cytokine Temporal Profile in Rat Cortex after Controlled Cortical Impact. Front. Mol. Neurosci. 5:6.

Cole JT, McMullen, DC, Kean WS, Yarnell A, , Lucky JJ, Selak MA, Buonora J, Grunberg NE, Verma A, Watson WD. 2012. Manipulating thyroid status impairs endoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostatic mechanisms in rat brain. In J. Exp. Biol. 50(1):7-18.

Cole JT, Yarnell A, Kean WS, Gold E, Lewis B, Ren M, McMullen, DC, Jacobowitz D, Pollard HB, O'Neill JT, Grunberg NE, Dalgard CL, Frank J, Watson WD. 2011. Craniotomy: True sham for traumatic brain injury, or a sham of a sham. J. Neurotrauma.. 28(3):359-369.

Bevers MB, Ingleton LP, Che D, Cole JT, Li L, Da T, Kopil C, Cohen AS, Neumar RW. 2010. RNAi targeting – calpain increases neuronal survival and preserves hippocampal function after global brain ischemia. Exp. Neurology. 224(1):170-177.

J.T. Cole, C. M. Mitala, S. Kundu, J.A. Elkind, I. Nissim, A. Verma, A.S. Cohen. 2010. Dietary branched amino acids ameliorate injury-induced cognitive impairment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(1):366-371.