Telephone: (631) 344-4882
e-mail: biegon@bnl.gov

Brain response to traumatic, ischemic or inflammatory insults
Sex differences and gonadal hormone modulation of brain function in health and disease
Development and validation of radiopharmaceuticals for non invasive imaging of neurotransmitter and hormone markers in the brain

Research Interests

Traumatic bran injury is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among young (18-24 year old) people in industrialized countries. It is also a major risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease later in life. Brain ischemia (stroke, cardiac arrest, bypass surgery) and inflammation also increase the risk of developing dementia. For reasons that are not understood to date; Alzheimer's disease and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis are far more common (2-3 fold) in women than in men.
Our recent and current studies focus on the 3-way interaction between inflammation, glutamate receptor activation and gonadal hormones in determining the outcome of traumatic, ischemic and inflammatory insults in animal models and human subjects. The techniques used include quantitative in vitro and ex vivo autoradiography, CT, structural MRI and functional MRI. To facilitate further translation of the current animal work to humans, we are developing radiopharmaceuticals for PET imaging of glutamate (NMDA) and estrogen receptors in the human brain.

Education & Concurrent Positions

B.Sc Chemistry, Tel Aviv University 1973; MSc Biochemistry Tel Aviv University 1975; Ph.D Neurobiology Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel 1980; Post Doctoral fellowship in Neuroendocrinology, Rockefeller Univ. NY

Selected Publications

Peer- reviewerd articles
Achiron A., Miron S., Lavie V., Margalit R. and Biegon A. Dexanabinol (HU-211)
effect on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: implications for the
treatment of acute relapses of multiple sclerosis. J. Neuroimmunology 102:26-31 (2000) Medline Abstract

Biegon A. and Kerman, I. Autoradiographic Study of Pre- and Post-natal Distribution of Cannabinoid Receptors in Human Brain. Neuroimage 14:1463-1468 (2001) Medline Abstract

Knoller, N., Levi, L. Israel, Z., Razon, N., Reichental, E., Rappaport, Z. and Biegon, A Dexanabinol (HU-211) in the treatment of severe closed head injury: A randomized placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial. Critical Care Medicine 30:548-554 (2002) Medline Abstract  

Biegon, A, Alvarado, M. Budinger TF, Grossman, R. Hensley, K West, MS Kotake, Y, Ono, M. and Floyd RA. Region Selective Effects of Neuroinflammation and Antioxidant Treatment on Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptors and NMDA Receptors in the Rat Brain. J. Neurochem. 82:1-11 (2002)Medline Abstract  

Farin, A., Deutsch, R., Biegon, A. and Marshall L.F. Gender Differences in Severe Head Injury: Women 50 and Younger More Susceptible to Brain Swelling. J. Neurosurg. 98:32-36 (2003)Medline Abstract  

Grossman, R. Shohami, E. Alexandrovich, A., Yatsiv, I. Kloog, A. and Biegon, A. Increase in Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptors and Loss of Glutamate NMDA receptors in a mouse model of closed head injury: A Quantitative auto- radiographic study. NeuroImage 20:1971- 1981(2003)Medline Abstract  

Biegon A. Fry PA, Paden CM, Alexandrovich A, Tsenter J and Shohami E. Dynamic changes in NMDA receptors after closed head injury in mice: Implications for treatment of neurological and cognitive deficits. PNAS 101:5117-5122 (2004)Medline Abstract  

Edited Book and book chapters
Biegon A. and Volkow ND. (Eds) Sites of Drug Action In the Human Brain. CRC Press, Boca Raton, (1995)

Biegon, A. Quantitative Autoradiography and Histochemistry of Neurochemicals in the Human Brain Postmortem. In: Brain Imaging: Techniques and Applications. Ellis Horwood Ltd. Chichister, UK pp. 130-143 (1989)

Biegon, A. Serotonin, acetylcholine and beta-adrenoceptors. In: Receptors in the Human brain. Paxinos and Mendelsohn, eds. Academic Press, pp. 149-167 (1991)

Biegon, A. and Volkow, N.D. Localization and characterization of drug binding sites in the human brain: Methodological considerations. In: Sites of drug action in the Human Brain, Biegon, A. and Volkow, N. Eds. CRC press pp. 65-74 (1995)

Biegon, A. Mathis, C. and Jagust, W. Autoradiography as a tool for PET/SPECT
tracer selection and assessment . In: Quantifiaction of Brain function using PET;
Myers, R., Cunningham, V.J., Bailey, D. L. and Jones, T.; Eds. Academic Press p.26-33 (1996)