Ashley Nemes-Baran

Ashley Nemes-Baran, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine. Her research focuses on neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and demyelinating diseases. She investigates microglial roles in synaptic pruning, oligodendrocyte regulation, and neuronal circuit dysfunction. Dr. Nemes holds a BSc from Baldwin-Wallace University (2011) and a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience from Kent State University (2016), followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania and Cleveland Clinic.

Her work bridges basic science and clinical applications, including developing optically-controlled 'living electrodes' for neural interfaces and studying chemogenetic interventions for epilepsy. Key research areas include: microglial-OPC interactions in myelination, fractalkine signaling pathways, and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) as a therapeutic target. She teaches core neuroscience courses (NEURO 201/202) and advanced research methods.

Recent publications highlight discoveries in microglial pruning mechanisms (Cell Reports 2020), chemogenetic seizure suppression (JCI 2019), and telomerase roles in CNS aging (Front Mol Neurosci 2018). Her work has implications for early diagnosis and treatment strategies targeting synaptic homeostasis disruptions.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center and University of Pennsylvania teams on cerebral organoid integration and neuronal network repair. Active member of the Society for Neuroscience and Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience.