Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, Ph.D.
“My lab has always been interested in the rules that guide how the brain is constructed, and how, when those rules are broken, people develop autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and other behavioral disorders.”
Understanding how the brain gets built
How does brain development connect to behavior and disability?
The LaMantia Lab’s work focuses on how neural circuits in the brain develop for distinct human behaviors. In addition, his lab studies how neural stem cells develop into specific cell types in the embryonic as well as adult nervous system. His work has illuminated the earliest causes of multiple profound developmental disorders in children, including research into a complex disorder of brain, heart, and facial developmental disabilities.
LaMantia has explored how nerve fibers called axons develop to connect the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex, creating new methods to observe neural circuits in living systems in the process. He also helped develop some of the earliest techniques for imaging living nerve cells as they make their connections in the developing brain over time.
The laboratory addresses these issues via genetic, molecular and cell biological analyses as well as assessments of neural circuit function and related behaviors. One essential aspect Dr. LaMantia's work integrates genetic and cellular mechanisms underlying neural development with those for cardiovascular and craniofacial development—the coordinated construction of brains, hearts, and faces.
LaMantia's goal is to use insights into basic development and genetics to address the causes and help develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the broad range of developmental disorders that compromise the brain as well as other organ systems. These disorders result in a lifetime of health challenges for the affected infants and children, as well as for their families and caregivers.
- Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
- Director, Center for Neurobiology Research
- Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science
- Professor, Department of Pediatrics, VTC School of Medicine
Yitsege G, Stokes BA, Sabatino JA, et al. Variations in maternal vitamin A intake modifies phenotypes in a mouse model of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome [published online ahead of print, 2020 May 20]. Birth Defects Res. 2020;10.1002/bdr2.1709. doi:10.1002/bdr2.1709
Maynard TM, Horvath A, Bernot JP, et al. Transcriptional dysregulation in developing trigeminal sensory neurons in the LgDel mouse model of DiGeorge 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Hum Mol Genet. 2020;29(9):1580. doi:10.1093/hmg/ddaa067
Maynard TM, Zohn IE, Moody SA, LaMantia AS. Suckling, Feeding, and Swallowing: Behaviors, Circuits, and Targets for Neurodevelopmental Pathology [published online ahead of print, 2020 Feb 26]. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2020;10.1146/annurev-neuro-100419-100636. doi:10.1146/annurev-neuro-100419-100636
- George Washington University School of Medicine
Professor, Anatomy and Cell Biology - GW Institute for Biomedical Science PhD. Program in Neuroscience
Director - George Washington University School of Medicine
Professor, Pharmacology and Physiology
- Washington University: Postdoctoral fellowship
- Yale University: Ph.D., Neuroscience
- University of Chicago: B.A., Biology
- Distinguished Research Award, GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2015
- Finalist, NIH Pioneer Award Competition, May 2012 (1/23 finalists from 500+ applicants)
- Reynolds Faculty Research Fellowship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007-2008.
- Nicholson Investigator, National Alliance for Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders: 2005-2006
- Wodecroft Investigator, National Alliance for Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders: 2000-2001
- Grass Foundation Traveling Lecture, Medical College of Georgia, January 2000
- C.J. Herrick Young Investigator Award, American Association of Anatomists, 1994
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow, 1992 – 1994
- National Down Syndrome Society Science Scholar Award, 1991 – 1993
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Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute expands Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program , article
More than 30 undergraduate and high school students worked behind the curtain of biomedical research this summer at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
Date: Aug 16, 2022 -
Article ItemRare disease research gives families hope, ‘vital’ to advancing medicine , article
Rare diseases afflict 300 million people worldwide. Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC researchers are bridging a gap in scientific knowledge by studying some of the diseases that together add up to a formidable public health challenge. Feb. 28 marks the 14th international Rare Disease Day.
Date: Feb 28, 2022 -
Article ItemScientists identify neural disruptions underlying feeding, swallowing disorders in children , article
In a new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientists led by Anthony-Samuel LaMantia depict the early development of pain-sensing and movement-sensing neurons in the face and throat. The findings reveal a previously unexplored feature of brain and cranial nerve development underlying eating, swallowing, and speech.
Date: Feb 21, 2022 -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists to present virtual Brain School lectures for March’s Brain Awareness Week , article
Four brain scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC will share extraordinary insights and emerging concepts about the brain in one-hour interactive programs.
Date: Mar 09, 2021 -
Article ItemSwallowing difficulties in children with developmental disorders may be due to misfiring brain cells , article
Problems ingesting, chewing, or swallowing food occur in up to 80 percent of children with developmental disorders and can lead to food aspiration, choking, or life-threatening respiratory infections.
Date: Sep 01, 2020 -
Article ItemAcclaimed neuroscientist to head Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC's Center for Neurobiology Research , article
Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, a developmental neurobiologist and a professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has been named the new director of the institute’s Center for Neurobiology Research, according to Michael Friedlander, executive director of the research institute and Virginia Tech vice president for health sciences and technology.
Date: Jun 16, 2020 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers develop new COVID-19 tests to combat backlogs, shortages , article
Virginia Tech scientists have developed a new COVID-19 test and secured federal and state approvals to immediately begin processing samples at on-campus labs in Blacksburg and Roanoke.
Date: Apr 22, 2020 -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute to explore how a baby’s brain develops at Brain School , article
This year’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Brain School speaker lineup features interactive presentations about what influences early brain development and how these factors relate to infant health.
Date: Feb 27, 2020
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