Espen Walker

Visiting Postdoc

San Francisco General Hospital
Center for Cerebrovascular Research
1001 Potrero Avenue, Box-1371
Building 10, 2nd Floor, Room 1206
San Francisco, CA 94110
phone: 415-206-4785
fax: 415-206-8907
email: walkere@anesthesia.ucsf.edu

Education and Training

• B.A., Psychobiology, University of California, Santa Cruz 1999
• Ph.D., Biomedical Science- Neuroscience emphasis, University of New Mexico 2009
• Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, San Francisco

Research Interests

• Mechanisms of brain injury and repair, focusing on inhibition of damage and clinical applications of basic science
• Brain blood vessel structural integrity and formation including the blood brain barrier (BBB)
• Development of a mouse model of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)
• Genetic and pharmaceutical interventions of brain blood vessel diseases

Selected Publications

• Sood, R., Yang, Y., Taheri, S., Candelario-Jalil, E., Estrada, E. Y., Walker, E. J., Thompson, J. F., Rosenberg, G. A. Increased Apparent Diffusion Coefficients on MRI are Associated with Matrix Metalloproteinase-Mediated Vasogenic Edema in White Matter after Bilateral Carotid Artery Occlusion in Rats. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 2009.

• Walker, E.J. and Rosenberg, G.A. TIMP-3 and MMP-3 Contribute to Delayed Inflammation and Hippocampal Neuronal Death following Global Ischemia. Experimental Neurology , 2009

• Yang, Y., Walker, E. J., Thompson, J. F., Candelario-Jalil, E., Estrada, E. Y., Li, L., Reichard, R. R., Khokha, R., Ben, C., Sang, Q.X., Cunningham, L. A., Rosenberg, G. A. (submitted). Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-3 Facilitates Oligodendrocyte Death in Cerebral Ischemia. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology

• Walker, E.J. and Rosenberg, G.A. (submitted). Divergent role for MMP-2 in Myelin Breakdown and Oligodendrocyte Death following Transient Global Ischemia. Journal of Neuroscience Research.

• Walker, E.J., Thompson, J.F., Estrada, E.Y., Rosenberg, G.A. Oligodendrocyte Cell Death following Global Ischemia in the Mouse: a Timescale Investigation (Abstract). UNM Student Research Day Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM 2006

• Walker, E.J., Thompson, J.F., Rosenberg, G.A. (Abstract). Global ischemia leads to astrocytosis with delayed oligodendrocyte and hippocampal cell death by a TIMP-3 independent mechanism in the C57BL/6 mouse model of bilateral carotid artery occlusion. UNM Neuroscience Day Albuquerque, NM 2007.

• Yang, Y., Walker, E. J., Thompson, J. F., Candelario-Jalil, E., Estrada, E. Y., Li, L., Reichard, R. R., Khokha, R., Ben, C., Sang, Q.X., Cunningham, L. A., Rosenberg, G. A. (Abstract). Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-3 (TIMP-3) Facilitates Delayed Oligodendrocyte Death in Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Rodent. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting San Diego San Diego, CA 2007

• Walker, E.J. and Rosenberg, G.A. (Abstract) Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-3 contribute independently to delayed hippocampal death following global ischemia in the mouse. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting Washington, DC 2008