Sarah (Sadie) Meller
About
Biography
Sarah (Sadie) Meller is an MD/PhD candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Charles Greer, where she studies how immune cell activation may influence neurodevelopment. She is interested in the activities of microglia, which are brain-resident immune cells responsible for both maintaining homeostatic conditions necessary for normal neurodevelopment as well as orchestrating the brain’s response to environmental insults.
In her future career, Sadie aims to research how environmental hazards and infectious diseases impact brain development and help communicate children’s vulnerability to the health effects of climate change. She co-founded the Yale chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility and Medical Students for Sustainable Future (PSR/MSFSF), helped organize the Planetary Healthcare Journal club and served as a student associate and alumni advisor for the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health (YCCCH).
Departments & Organizations
- Greer Lab
Education & Training
- PhD
- Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (2022)
- BA
- Carleton College, Biology (2011)
Research
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Eduardo Martin-Lopez
Leah Harmon
Sreeganga Chandra, PhD
Publications
2023
Microglia Maintain Homeostatic Conditions in the Developing Rostral Migratory Stream
Meller S, Hernandez L, Martin-Lopez E, Kloos Z, Liberia T, Greer C. Microglia Maintain Homeostatic Conditions in the Developing Rostral Migratory Stream. ENeuro 2023, 10: eneuro.0197-22.2023. PMID: 36697258, PMCID: PMC9910579, DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0197-22.2023.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricα-Synuclein Pathology and Reduced Neurogenesis in the Olfactory System Affect Olfaction in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease
Martin-Lopez E, Vidyadhara D, Liberia T, Meller S, Harmon L, Hsu R, Spence N, Brennan B, Han K, Yücel B, Chandra S, Greer C. α-Synuclein Pathology and Reduced Neurogenesis in the Olfactory System Affect Olfaction in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease. Journal Of Neuroscience 2023, 43: 1051-1071. PMID: 36596700, PMCID: PMC9908323, DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1526-22.2022.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsΑ-syn tg miceΑ-Syn pathologyOlfactory bulb neurogenesisProjection neuronsParkinson's diseaseOlfactory dysfunctionMutant α-synucleinOlfactory deficitsOlfactory pathwaySyn pathologyBehavioral deficitsMouse modelΑ-synucleinOB granule cellsΑ-synuclein pathologyOlfactory systemMonths of ageReduced neurogenesisFunctional deficitsPeriglomerular cellsMotor progressionPathologic changesMultiple symptomsSynaptic terminalsGranule cells
2020
AP-1 controls the p11-dependent antidepressant response
Chottekalapanda R, Kalik S, Gresack J, Ayala A, Gao M, Wang W, Meller S, Aly A, Schaefer A, Greengard P. AP-1 controls the p11-dependent antidepressant response. Molecular Psychiatry 2020, 25: 1364-1381. PMID: 32439846, PMCID: PMC7303013, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0767-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAP-1 functionSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitorsTranscriptional programsSpecific gene expression programsActivator protein-1 complexGene expression programsAntidepressant responseProtein-1 complexExpression programsMolecular networksC-JunAP-1PI3KExtracellular serotonin levelsSerotonin reuptake inhibitorsC-fosPrecise modeNeuronal plasticitySSRI actionAntidepressant effectsReuptake inhibitorsSSRI responseSerotonin levelsPrescribed drugsTherapeutic effect
2019
Sequential Maturation of Olfactory Sensory Neurons in the Mature Olfactory Epithelium
Liberia T, Martin-Lopez E, Meller SJ, Greer CA. Sequential Maturation of Olfactory Sensory Neurons in the Mature Olfactory Epithelium. ENeuro 2019, 6: eneuro.0266-19.2019. PMID: 31554664, PMCID: PMC6795559, DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0266-19.2019.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsOlfactory sensory neuronsOlfactory epitheliumOSN axonsSensory neuronsBasal cell divisionNew olfactory sensory neuronsYoung adultsMature olfactory epitheliumYoung adult micePostnatal day 25Olfactory bulb glomeruliMolecular maturationFate mapping strategyOlfactory nerveSpecific glomeruliCribriform plateAdult miceGAP-43Day 25Time pointsAxonsOMP expressionOlfactory systemSequential maturationAxon developmentEmbryonic and postnatal development of mouse olfactory tubercle
Martin-Lopez E, Xu C, Liberia T, Meller SJ, Greer CA. Embryonic and postnatal development of mouse olfactory tubercle. Molecular And Cellular Neuroscience 2019, 98: 82-96. PMID: 31200100, DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2019.06.002.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsOlfactory tubercleVentral striatumOlfactory bulb projection neuronsPrimary afferent inputTyrosine hydroxylase expressionLateral ganglionic eminenceDopamine reward systemCNPase stainingVentral medial regionDopaminergic innervationProjection neuronsStriatal neuronsVentral tegmentumAfferent inputDopaminergic inputLaminar distributionMedial gradientHydroxylase expressionNucleus accumbensGanglionic eminencePostnatal developmentE11-E15OT cellsVentral lateral ganglionic eminencePostnatal stages
2018
Development of piriform cortex interhemispheric connections via the anterior commissure: progressive and regressive strategies
Martin-Lopez E, Meller SJ, Greer CA. Development of piriform cortex interhemispheric connections via the anterior commissure: progressive and regressive strategies. Brain Structure And Function 2018, 223: 4067-4085. PMID: 30141078, PMCID: PMC6252112, DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1741-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAnterior commissurePostnatal developmentPostnatal day 22Inter-hemispheric connectionsChondroitin sulfate proteoglycanPiriform cortexContralateral innervationGlial cellsOlfactory areasBed nucleusInterhemispheric connectionsStria terminalisDay 22Axonal tractsAxon growthNew subtypeAxon outgrowthCalretininCommissureSulfate proteoglycanAxonsPhenotypeInnervationIpsiImmunohistochemistry
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
honor MD-PhD Student Award
National AwardSociety for Pediatric Research (SPR)Details04/25/2022, 04/29/2019honor Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
National AwardThe National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), NIHDetails08/06/2019honor Phi Beta Kappa
National AwardCarleton CollegeDetails06/06/2011