Steven Kohama
Longer lifespan has contributed to the dramatic increase in the number and proportion of elderly in the general population. The increase in lifespan is also associated with incremental declines in functionality and increased fragility and pathology. Research that identifies and models genetic and environmental factors that underlie the negative aspects of aging are important for identifying underlying mechanisms that can be targeted for amelioration via active intervention.
Steven Kohama heads the Primate Aging Resource at ONPRC, whose aims are to expand and support basic and clinically-related research in the field of aging. Both goals are complementary, as expanding our understanding of basic mechanisms that underlie senescence can help identify interventions that can alleviate age-related functional decline. The recognition that aging research will be critical for addressing the needs of the expanding aged population, coupled with widespread scientific interest, has helped to identify aging as an important cornerstone of research at ONPRC.
Aging research at ONPRC encompasses studies on reproductive senescence, the decline of immunity, vision and the effects of hormone replacement therapy on behavior and cognition. Models of neurodegeneration involving ischemia and multiple sclerosis are currently being developed. Not surprisingly, some areas of study are multi-disciplinary, such as the exploration of the reproductive neuroendocrine aging, where the decline of hormone levels has effects on many target organ systems. Coordination and management of the resource and research projects, coupled with the many tools available at the Center (for example, gene array, proteomics, MRI) provides a dynamic and potent environment for aging research.
BIOGRAPHY
Steven Kohama is a Senior Staff Scientist in the Division of Neuroscience and has been Head of the Aging Resource since 1999. He has a B.A. in Biological Sciences from UCLA and a M.S. from CSULA where he studied the interactions of the reproductive and immune systems. He then studied mechanisms of neuroendocrine aging at the Andrus Gerontology Center at USC, where he received his Ph.D. in the Department of Neurobiology. Post-doctoral work was conducted at ONPRC, concentrating on steroid hormone effects on the brain.
KEY PUBLICATIONS
Kohama SG, Anderson CP, Osterburg HH, May PC, and Finch CE. (1989) Oral administration of estradiol to young C57BL/6J mice induces age‑like neuroendocrine dysfunctions in the regulation of estrous cycles. Biol. Reprod. 41:227‑232. PMID:2804216.
Kohama SG, Goss JR, Finch CE, and McNeill TH. (1995) Increases of glial fibrillary acidic protein in the aging female mouse brain. Neurobiol. Aging 16:59‑67. PMID:7723937.
Bethea CL, Brown NA, and Kohama SG. (1996) Steroid regulation of estrogen and progestin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid in monkey hypothalamus and pituitary. Endocrinol. 137:4372‑4383. PMID:8828498.
Kohama SG, Garyfallou VT, and Urbanski HF. (1998) Regional distribution of glutamate receptor mRNA in the monkey hippocampus and temporal cortex: Influence of estradiol. Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 53:328‑332. PMID:9473714.
Sonnen JA, Larson EB, Gray SL, Wilson A, Kohama SG, Crane PK, Breitner JC, and Montine TJ. (2009) Free radical damage to cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease, microvascular brain injury, and smoking. Annals of Neurol. 65:226-229. PMID:19259965.
McLaren DG, Kosmatka KJ, Oakes TR, Kroenke CD, Kohama SG, Matochik Ja, Ingram DK, and Johnson SC. (2009) A population-average MRI-based atlas collection of the rhesus macaque. Neuroimage 45:52-59. PMID:19059346.
West GA, Golshani KJ, Doyle KP, Lessov NS, Hobbs TR, Kohama SG, Pike MM, Kroenke CD, Grafe MR, Spector MD, Tobar ET, Simon RP, and Stenzel-Poore MP. (2009) A new model of cortical stroke in the rhesus macaque. J. Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 29:1175-1186. PMID:19384334.
