Ken Soderstrom, Ph.D.

Research Interests

My research has become focused on understanding mechanisms responsible for persistent behavioral effects of CNS-active drugs during development and trauma recovery.

Because brain development and post-trauma recovery are both activity-dependent processes, factors that alter CNS function have potential to influence establishment and/or repair of learning- and memory-related neural circuitry. Such impacts can lead to persistent behavioral changes and impaired ability to learn or recover sensorimotor skills.

Some skills are best learned during sensitive periods of sensorimotor development. Because of this, drug exposures during these periods, and later trauma-related loss of difficult to re-learn motor programs, are of particular concern.

To study drug effects during sensitive periods, an animal model exhibiting this type of learning is required. Commonly-used rodent species can be taught complex behaviors, but do not clearly naturally develop them. Animals that are sensitive period learners include songbirds, and among these zebra finches are particularly amenable to laboratory use.

This has led to our use of zebra finches as a model of drug abuse during late-postnatal development, and as a pre-clinical animal model to investigate treatments that protect and promote recovery of a learned sensorimotor skill. This research has broad relevance to problems ranging from learning disabilities and developmental delays to traumatic brain injury and related neuroinflammation, mood disorders and early onset dementias.

Representative Publications

Tripson MA, Litwa KA, Soderstrom K, Cannabidiol Inhibits Neuroinflammatory Responses and Circuit-Associated Synaptic Loss Following Damage to a Songbird Vocal Pre-motor Cortical-Like Region, 2023, Scientific Reports, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-34924-z.

Aldhafiri A, Dodu, JC, Alalawi, A, Soderstrom K, Developmental treatments with Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol and the MAGL inhibitor JZL184 persistently alter adult cocaine conditioning in contrasting ways, 2023, Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091305723000114?via%3Dihub

Hodges RM, Chase KJ, Tripson MA, Bingham S, Wooley-Roberts M, Guy GW and Soderstrom K, Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Differentially Alters Cannabidiol Efficacy in Recovery of Phonology and Syntax Following Damage to a Songbird Cortical-Like Brain Region, 2022, Cannabis Cannabinoid Res., https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2022.0073?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

Papariello A, Taylor D, Soderstrom K and Litwa K, CB1 antagonism increases excitatory synaptogenesis in a cortical spheroid model of fetal brain development, 2021, Scientific Reports, 11, Article number 9356, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-88750-2

Alhafiri A, Dodu JC, Alalawi A, Emadzadeh N, Soderstrom K, Delta-9-THC exposure during zebra finch sensorimotor vocal learning increases cocaine reinforcement in adulthood, 2019, Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2019.172764

Alalawi A, Dodu JC, Woolley-Roberts M, Brodie J, Di Marzo V, Soderstrom K, Cannabidiol improves vocal learning-dependent recovery from, and reduces magnitude of deficits following, damage to a cortical-like brain region in a songbird pre-clinical animal model, 2019, Neuropharmacology 158:1077, PMID: 31325430 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107716

Holland, TL, Soderstrom K, Chronic CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonism persistently increases dendritic spine densities in brain regions important to zebra finch vocal learning and production in an antidepressant-sensitive manner, 2017, Brain Research, 1672:1-9, PMID: 28743448 PMCID: PMC5661891 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.07.015.

Gilbert MT, Soderstrom K, Developmental but not adult cannabinoid treatments persistently alter axonal and dendritic morphology within brain regions important for zebra finch vocal learning, 2014, Brain Research, 1558:57-73, PMID: 24594017 PMCID: PMC4017900 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.02.039.

Gilbert MT, Soderstrom K, Novel song-stimulated dendritic spine formation and Arc/Arg3.1 expression in zebra finch auditory telencephalon are disrupted by cannabinoid agonism, 2013, Brain Research, 1541:9-21, PMID: 24134952 PMCID: PMC3891467 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2013.10.012

Soderstrom K, Gilbert MT, Cannabinoid mitigation of neuronal morphological change important to development and learning: insight from a zebra finch model of psychopharmacology, 2013, Life Sciences, 92(8-9) 467-475, PMID: 22884809 PMCID: PMC3756909 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2012.07.031.

Gilbert MT, Soderstrom K, Late-postnatal cannabinoid exposure persistently elevates dendritic spine densities in Area X and HVC song regions of zebra finch telencephalon, Brain Research 2011, 1405:23-30, PMID: 21737064 PMCID: PMC3428047 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.06.019

Soderstrom K, Poklis JL, Lichtman AH, Cannabinoid exposure during zebra finch sensorimotor vocal learning persistently alters expression of endocannabinoid signaling elements and acute agonist responsiveness, 2011, BMC Neuroscience, 12:3, PMID: 21211022 PMCID: PMC3025904 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-12-3

Soderstrom, K. and B. Luo. Late-Postnatal Cannabinoid Exposure Persistently Increases FoxP2 Expression within Zebra Finch Striatum, Developmental Neurobiology, 2010, 70(3):195-203, PMID: 20017118 PMCID: PMC2907664 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.20772.

Soderstrom, K. and Q. Tian. CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Activation Dose-Dependently Modulates Neuronal Activity within Caudal but not Rostral Song Control Regions of Adult Zebra Finch Telencephalon, Psychopharmacology (Berl.), 2008, 199(2):265-273, PMID: 18509622 PMCID: PMC2586593 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-008-1190-z.

Soderstrom, K., Qin, W., Williams, H., Taylor D.A., McMillen B.A., Nicotine increases FosB expression within a subset of reward- and memory-related brain regions during both peri- and postadolescence, Psychopharmacology (Berl.), 2007, 191(4):891-897.

Soderstrom, K and Q. Tian. Developmental Pattern of CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Immunoreactivity in Brain Regions Important to Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) Song Learning and Control, Journal of Comparative Neurology, 2006, 496(5):739-758.

McMillen, B.A., B.J. Davis, H.L. Williams, K. Soderstrom. Periadolescent nicotine exposure causes heterologous sensitization to cocaine reinforcement. European Journal of Pharmacology, 2005, 509(2-3):161-164.

Soderstrom, K, Q. Tian, M. Valenti & V. Di Marzo. Endocannabinoids Link Feeding State and Auditory Perception-Related Gene Expression. Journal of Neuroscience, 2004, 24(44):10013-10021.

Soderstrom, K and Q. Tian. Distinct Periods of Cannabinoid Sensitivity During Zebra Finch Vocal Development. Developmental Brain Research, 2004, 153(2):225-232.

Soderstrom, K.& F. Johnson. Cannabinoid exposure alters learning of zebra finch vocal patterns. Developmental Brain Research, 2003, 142(2):215-217.

Soderstrom, K.& F. Johnson. Zebra finch CB1 cannabinoid receptor: pharmacology and in vivo and in vitro effects of activation. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2001, 297(1):189-197.

Soderstrom, K., F.L. Moore, M. Leid & T.F. Murray. Behavioral, pharmacological and molecular characterization of an amphibian cannabinoid receptor. Journal of Neurochemistry, 2000, 75(1):413-423.

Soderstrom, K.& F. Johnson. CB1 cannabinoid receptors are expressed at high levels in brain regions

Laboratory Members

Name	Title	Building/Room	Phone
Saina Gao	Research Specialist	633 Pharmacology 6S-10	252-744-2743
Mark Tripson	Graduate Student	BSOM 6S-38	252-744-2743