Shayne Hastings

Entering Class 2020

Pronouns: she/her

E-MAIL:  [email protected]

Undergraduate Institution and Major:

University of Texas - San Antonio, B.A. in Psychology, 2018

Graduate Advisor

Esther Krook-Magnuson, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience

Graduate Publications

  • Ewens AN, Pilski A, Hastings SD, Krook-Magnuson C, Graves SM, Krook-Magnuson E, Thayer SA. Levetiracetam prevents neurophysiological changes and preserves cognitive function in the HIV-1 TAT transgenic mouse model of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. JPET. 2024 Oct 1;391:002272.
  • Froula JM, Hastings SD, Krook-Magnuson E. The little brain and the seahorse: Cerebellar-hippocampal interactions. Front Syst Neurosci. 2023 Mar 23;17:1158492.

Graduate Presentations

Leveraging the cerebellum for seizure suppression. UMN Center for Cerebellar Network Structure/Function in Health and Disease. September 12 2024. 

Chronic on-demand cerebellar stimulation provides continued seizure control in a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy Gordon Research Seminar. August 17 2024.

Assessing the long-term efficacy of chronic cerebellar stimulation for the suppression of hippocampal seizures. Graduate Program in Neuroscience Colloquium Series. April 24 2024.

Investigating the functional role of a cerebellar output channel to the supramammillary area. Graduate Program in Neuroscience Colloquium Series. May 10 2023. 

Modulation of the hippocampus via cerebellar pathways. Graduate Program in Neuroscience Annual Retreat. January 29 2022.

Graduate Awards/Honors

Third Place Poster Award, 10th Annual Minnesota Neuromodulation Symposium 2023 
University of Minnesota's MnDRIVE Neuromodulation Fellowship 2022-2023

First Place Poster Award, The Neurosciences Summer Retreat 2024

GPN Committees

GPN DEI Committee, 2021-2024
GPN Admissions Committee, 2022-2024
Provost Task Force on Faculty Behavior in Graduate Education Advisory Group, 2022-2023

Thesis Committee

Tay Netoff, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering (Chair)
Esther Krook-Magnuson, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience (Advisor)
Benjamin Saunders, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience 
Yi-Mei (Amy) Yang, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Sciences

Rotations

Gordon Smith, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience 
Tay Netoff, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering
Esther Krook-Magnuson, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience 
Stanley Thayer, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology

Undergraduate Research

As an undergraduate, I studied the role of KCNQ2 potassium channels in relation to hyperexcitability and epilepsy. For my post-baccalaureate research I focused on the preclinical development of anti-cancer agents in the lab of Dr. April Risinger.

Undergraduate Publications

Post-bac Publications: 

  • Risinger AL, Hastings SD, Du L. Taccalonolide C-6 analogues, including paclitaxel hybrids demonstrate improved microtubule polymerizing activities. J Nat Prod. 2021 Jun 25;84(6):1799-1805. 
  • Clanton NA, Hastings SD, Foultz FB, Contreras JA, Yee SS, Arman HD, Risinger AL, Frantz DE. Synthesis and biological evaluations of electrophilic steroids inspired by the taccalonolides. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2020 Nov 20;11(12):2534-2543. 

Undergraduate Publications : 

  • Carver CM, Hastings SD, Cook ME, Shapiro MS. Functional responses of the hippocampus to hyperexcitability depend on directed, neuron-specific KCNQ2 K+ channel plasticity. Hippocampus. 2020 May;30(5):435-455.
  • Vigil FA, Bozdemir E, Bugay V, Chun SH, Hobbs M, Sanchez I, Hastings SD, Veraza RJ, Holstein DM, Sprague SM, Carver CM, Cavazos JE, Brenner R, Lechleiter JD, Shapiro MS. Prevention of brain damage after traumatic brain injury by pharmacological enhancement of KCNQ (Kv7, "M-type") K+ currents in neurons. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2020 Jun; 40(6):1256-1273. 
  • Grant CV, Carver CM, Hastings SD, Ramachandran K, Muniswamy M, Risinger AL, Beutler JA, Mooberry SL. Triple-negative breast cancer cell line sensitivity to englerin A identifies a new, targetable subtype. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2019 Sep;177(2):345-355.
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