Joanna Spencer-Segal, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor, MBNI
Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes

1006 MBNI Building
205 Zina Pitcher Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5720

sjoanna@umich.edu

734-936-0207

Current Research Interests:

My laboratory focuses on the neural circuits that govern emotional behaviors innately and also in response to stress. As a neuroendocrinologist, I am particularly interested in the communication between neural circuits that govern emotional behavior and the stress response. Many of the brain regions and circuits that play a role in emotional behavior also influence the stress response. Stress hormones also act directly on brain regions that influence mood and related behaviors. In humans and rodents, our goals are to understand the neural circuits that govern avoidance or anxiety-like behavior, how the activity in these circuits changes in response to stress, and the role of the stress response and stress hormones in the circuit activity and resulting behaviors. By manipulating these circuits, we aim to shape behavior in the laboratory in ways that will inform brain- and endocrine-based treatments for patients suffering from stress-related disorders.

One particular area of research in my laboratory involves the investigation of the neurobiologic sequelae of sepsis. Sepsis is an acute medical illness that often results in death, but survivors face an uphill battle that often includes significant mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and cognitive dysfunction. We have characterized a post-sepsis syndrome in mice using a naturalistic mouse model of sepsis, and we use this model to investigate the neural and molecular mechanisms. We hope our work will result in treatments to help the millions of sepsis survivors suffering from these challenges.

Recent Awards and Honors:

2015 Anuradha Rao Society for Neuroscience Award
2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Award
2018 Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Young Investigator Award
2019 Early Investigators Award, The Endocrine Society

Selected Publications:

Denstaedt SJ, Spencer-Segal JL, Newstead M, Laborc K, Zeng X, Standiford TJ, Singer BH.
Persistent Neuroinflammation and Brain Specific Immune Priming in A Novel Survival Model of Murine Pneumosepsis.
Shock: 2019.
PMID: 31415473

Spencer-Segal JL
Future Directions for Corticosteroids in Treatment of Sepsis.
JAMA Intern Med. 2019; 179(6):845.
PMID: 31157838

Spencer-Segal JL, Akil H
Glucocorticoids and resilience.
Horm Behav. 2019; 111:131-134.
PMID: 30448249

Denstaedt SJ, Spencer-Segal JL, Newstead MW, Laborc K, Zhao AP, Hjelmaas A, Zeng X, Akil H, Standiford TJ, Singer BH
S100A8/A9 Drives Neuroinflammatory Priming and Protects against Anxiety-like Behavior after Sepsis.
J Immunol. 2018; 200(9):3188-3200.
PMID: 29563178

Spencer-Segal JL, Hyzy RC, Iwashyna TJ, Standiford TJ
Psychiatric Symptoms in Survivors of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Effects of Age, Sex, and Immune Modulation. (Comment in: Anderson BJ, Mikkelsen ME: Stressing the Brain: The Immune System, Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, and Psychiatric Symptoms in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Survivors.)
Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017; 14(6):960-967.
PMID: 28358594

Turcu AF, Spencer-Segal JL, Farber RH, Luo R, Grigoriadis DE, Ramm CA, Madrigal D, Muth T, O'Brien CF, Auchus RJ
Single-Dose Study of a Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor-1 Antagonist in Women With 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016; 101(3):1174-80.
PMID: 26751191