Piscataway, New Jersey 08854

Present Position

Assistant Professor

Department Neuroscience and Cell Biology,

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Room R306 (Research Tower)

675 Hoes Lane

Piscataway, New Jersey 08854

Communication

Phone: (732) 235-3404

FAX: (732) 235-4029

E-mail crockett@umdnj.edu

Education

Brooklyn College, C. U. N. Y., Brooklyn, N. Y.

B. S. Degree in Psychology, June, 1973

M. A. Degree in General Experimental Psychology, June, 1976.

Specialization: Animal Behavior and Learning.

Thesis Title: Rat Pups' Neophobic and Toxiphobic Responses at Weaning.

Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York, N. Y.

M. Phil. Degree in Biopsychology, February, 1982.

Ph. D. Degree in Biopsychology, August, 1983

Specialization: Ethology

Thesis Title: The role of the Electric Organ Discharge in Social Interactions of Mormyrid Fish (Mormyridae, Osteoglossomorpha).

Field studies (1980): Ethology and ecology of mormyrid fish of the Ivindo River, Gabon, West Africa.

Postdoctoral Training

Postdoctoral Fellow (INSERM) 1984

Neurophysiological study of the electric organ discharge command-associated signals in weak-electric fish, Mormyridae. Experiments were conducted at the Department of Sensory Neurophysiology, C. N. R. S., Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

Postdoctoral Fellow (NIH) 1985 –1988

Electrophysiology and neuroanatomy of rat and cat spinal cords. Department of Anatomy, UMDNJ-RW Johnson Medical School

Communication

Phone: (732) 235-3404

FAX: (732) 235-4029

E-mail crockett@umdnj.edu

Research Interests

Development and organization of somatosensory system.
The role of neurotrophins in the development of specific connectivity.
Spinal cord and brain stem organization.
Spinal cord injury
Multiple Sclerosis.
Stem Cells.

The current focus of our research has centered on spinal cord injury and repair. We have been developing mouse models to understand the role of key molecules in mediating recovery of function following injury. By using genetically altered strains of mice, missing key genes that influence the cell cycle or response to trophic factors, we hope to provide targets for therapeutic intervention. As part of this work, we are developing and assessing improved analyses for the clinical assessment of spinally injured animals. A major focus of our studies has been on the loss of and possible replenishment of oligodendrocytes--the ensheathing cells of the central nervous system--following traumatic as well demyelinating injuries.

Research Techniques

Anatomical tract tracing.
Electrophysiology.
Behavioral Analysis.
Immunohistochemistry.
PCR.
Mouse Genetics and husbandry.
Histochemistry
Microscopy

Courses and other Educational Activities

Medical Neuroscience at RWJMS: Home Page (Neuroscience Course staff Information (Needs Password) Lab rotations)
The Graduate Program in Neuroscience Home Page

Recent Publications

Crockett, D.P., Burshteyn, M., Garcia, C., Muggironi, M. and Casaccia-Bonnefil, P. (2005) Number of oligodendrocyte progenitors recruited to the lesioned spinal cord is modulated by levels of the cell cycle regulatory protein p27Kip-1. Glia 49: 301-308.

Schindler M, Nur-E-Kamal A, Ahmed I, Kamal J, Liu HY, Amor N, Ponery AS, Crockett DP, Grafe TH, Chung HY, Weik T, Jones E, Meiners S.. Living in three dimensions: 3D nanostructured environments for cell culture and regenerative medicine. Cell Biochem Biophys 2006 45 (2):215-27.

Planned or Recent Presentations

Crockett, D.P., Son A., Carmichael, M.J., Jordan, M.E., Eang, R., Harris, S.L.,

Egger; M.D. A versatile behavioral scale for the analysis of locomotion following spinal cord injury (SCI): Functional recovery in the p27Kip1 knockout mouse. In press 36^th annual meeting of the Soc for Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA

Carmicheal, M.J., Crockett, D.P., Hayes, N.L., and Nowakowski, R.S. Strain Differences in Injury Phenotype, Cell Proliferation, and Behavioral Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in Mice. In press 36^th annual meeting of the Soc for Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA.

Carmicheal, M.J., Crockett, D.P., Hayes, N.L., and Nowakowski, R.S. Development of a Novel Behavioral Scoring System to Assess Recovery of Locomotion Following Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Abstract - NEA Science Day 2006

Additional Publications

Bronstein, P. M., and Crockett, D. P. (1976). Exposure to odor of food determines the eating preferences of rat pups. Behav. Biol., 18:387-392.
Bronstein, P. M., and Crockett, D. P. (1976). Maternal rations affect food preferences of weanling rats: II. Bul. Psychon. Soc., 8:227-229.
Bronstein, P. M., and Crockett, D. P. (1980). Rat pups' food consumption as a function of preweaning tastes and odors. In D. Muller-Schwarze and R. W. Silverstein (Eds.) Chemical signals: Vertebrates and aquatic invertebrates. New York: Plenum.
Crockett, D. P. (1986). Agonistic behavior of the weakly electric fish, Gnathonemus petersii (Mormyridae, Osteoglossomorpha). J. Comp. Psychol., 100:3-14.
Crockett, D.P., Burshteyn, M., Garcia, C., Muggironi, M. and Casaccia-Bonnefil, P. (2005) Number of oligodendrocyte progenitors recruited to the lesioned spinal cord is modulated by levels of the cell cycle regulatory protein p27Kip-1. Glia 49: 301-308.
Crockett, D. P., Doherty, D.W., Henderson, T.A., Henegar, M.M., and Jacquin, M.F. (1995) Barrels VII: proceedings of a satellite symposium of the 1994 Society for Neuroscience meeting. Somatosensory and Motor Res., 12:103-113.
Crockett, D. P., Foschini, D.R., Girgis, W.S., and Egger, M. D. (1993) Immunocytochemical localization of the low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor (p75) in the cuneate nucleus of the rat and its relationship to cytochrome-oxidase activity. Brain Res., 603:324-327.
Crockett, D. P., Harris, S. L., and Egger, M. D. (1987) The plantar motoneuron columns in the rat. J. Comp. Neurol., 265:109-118.
Crockett, D. P., Harris, S. L., and Egger, M. D. (2000) Neurotrophin receptor (p75) in the trigeminal thalamus of the rat: development, response to injury, transient vibrissa-related patterning, and retrograde transport Anat. Rec., 259:446-460.
Crockett, D. P., Smith, W. K., Proshansky, E., Kauer, J. S., Stewart, W. B., Woodward, D. J, Schlusselberg, D. S., and Egger, M. D. (1989) Computer-assisted three-dimensional reconstructions of 2-dexoyglucose metabolism in cat lumbosacral spinal cord following cutaneous stimulation of the hindfoot. J. Comp. Neurol., 288:326-388.
Crockett, D. P., Maslany, S., and Egger, M.D. (1996) Synaptophysin immunoreactivity and distributions of calcium-binding proteins highlight the functional organization of the rat's dorsal column nuclei. Brain Res., 707:31-46.
Crockett, D.P., Maslany, S., Harris, S.L., and Egger, M. D. (1993) Enhanced cytochrome oxidase staining of the rat cuneate nucleus reveals a modifiable somatotopic map. Brain Res., 612:41-55.
Crockett, D.P., Wang, L., Zhang, R.-X., and Egger, M.D., (1999) Distribution of the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor (p75) in the developing trigeminal Brainstem complex in the rat. Anat. Rec. 254:549-565.
Foschini, D.R., Egger, M.D., and Crockett, D.P., (1994) The mutability of low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor (p75NGFR) expression in the rat cuneate nucleus following perinatal injury and adult deafferentations:
Comparisons with cytochrome oxidase. Brain Res., 646:1-12.
Foschini, D.R., Kestler, A.M., Egger, M.D., and Crockett, D.P. (1994) The up-regulation of trkA and trkB in dorsal column astrocytes following dorsal rhizotomy. Neurosci. Lett., 169:21-24..
Maslany, S., Crockett, D. P., and Egger, M.D. (1990) Somatotopic organization of the cuneate nucleus in the rat: transganglionic labelling with WGA-HRP. Brain Res., 507:164-167.
Maslany, S., Crockett, D. P., and Egger, M. D. (1992) Organization of primary afferent fibers projecting to the dorsal horn in the rat: WGA-HRP versus B-HRP. Brain Res., 564:56-65.
Maslany, S., Crockett, D. P., and Egger, M. D. (1991) Somatotopic organization of the dorsal column nuclei in the rat: transganglionic labelling with WGA-HRP and B-HRP. Brain Res., 564:56-65.
Maslany, S., Crockett, D.P., and Egger, M.D. (1992) The cuneate nucleus in the rat does have an anatomically distinct middle region. Neurosci. Lett., 139:130-134.
Schindler M, Nur-E-Kamal A, Ahmed I, Kamal J, Liu HY, Amor N, Ponery AS, Crockett DP, Grafe TH, Chung HY, Weik T, Jones E, Meiners S.. Living in three dimensions: 3D nanostructured environments for cell culture and regenerative medicine. Cell Biochem Biophys 2006 45 (2):215-27.
Stern, J. M., Yu, Y.-L., Crockett, D.P. (2002) Dorsolateral columns of the spinal cord are necessary for both suckling-induced neuroendocrine reflexes and the kyphotic nursing posture in lactating rats. Brain Res.. 947:110-121
Yue, Y., Chen, ZY, Gale, N.W., Blair-Flynn, J.., Hu, T.J., Yue, X., Cooper, M., Crockett, DP, Yancopoulos, GD, Tessarollo, L., Zhou, R (2002) Mistargeting hippocampal axons by expression of a truncated Eph receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sch USA 99:10777-10782.

Membership

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Association of Anatomists

Animal behavior Society

Sigma Xi

Society for Neuroscience

New York Academy of Sciences