Eric Bancroft is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at Texas A&M University College of Medicine in Bryan, TX. He received his B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX
As an undergraduate at Texas A&M University, Eric first studied under Dr. Michelle Hook with a research focus on the neurobiological effects of morphine during the acute phase of spinal cord injury. He then moved to Dr. William Griffith’s lab and studied the sex specific effects of ethanol and varenicline in a rodent model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), in addition to the effects of normal aging on synaptic mechanisms.
Eric is currently a graduate student in Dr. Rahul Srinivasan’s lab where his research is focused on exploring the role of astrocytes in early Parkinson’s disease (PD). More specifically, he uses primary cell culture and mouse models to investigate the role of the calcium binding protein, S100B, in the pathogenesis of PD. Additionally, as a graduate student Eric has been involved in multiple collaboration projects, including, exploring the use of nanoparticles and magnetic stimulation as a high-specificity drug delivery system to treat PD, as well as exploring the contribution of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in the pathology of traumatic brain injury.