Contact Information
1201 W. Gregory Dr.
Urbana Illinois 61801
217-300-6581
Research Interests
Topics:
Psychoneuroimmunology
Stress and endocrine regulation of immune cell production
Immune regulation of behavior
Immune regulation of tumors and atherosclerosis
Brain leukocytes
Techniques:
RNAseq (bulk and single cell), flow cytometry and FACSorting, Animal models of stress, animal behavior, chemogenetic models of endocrine activation, immunohistochemistry, cell culture, and PCR
Research Description
Laboratory of Neuroimmunology: Leukocyte brain interactions
The McKim lab investigates bidirectional immune and brain communication in the context of stress and disease. We’ve shown that neuroendocrine activation during psychological stress enhances the myelopoietic production of inflammatory monocytes and granulocytes that traffic to the brain. The dynamic interaction of myeloid cells with vascular brain endothelial cells and resident microglia propagate neuroinflammatory signaling that regulates mood, cognition, and behavior. Similarly, systemic inflammation associated with peripheral disease (e.g., solid tumors, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes) regulates myelopoiesis, leukocyte trafficking to the brain, and behavior through some conserved mechanisms. The McKim lab aims to address important biomedical questions from a uniquely integrative, multidisciplinary approach.
Education
2012 - BA Psychology, The William Paterson University of New Jersey
2017 - PhD Neuroscience, The Ohio State University
Additional Campus Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Recent Publications
Liu, X., Nemeth, D. P., McKim, D. B., Zhu, L., DiSabato, D. J., Berdysz, O., ... Quan, N. (2019). Cell-Type-Specific Interleukin 1 Receptor 1 Signaling in the Brain Regulates Distinct Neuroimmune Activities. Immunity, 50(2), 317-333.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2018.12.012
Norden, D. M., Faw, T. D., McKim, D. B., Deibert, R. J., Fisher, L. C., Sheridan, J. F., ... Basso, D. M. (2019). Bone Marrow-Derived Monocytes Drive the Inflammatory Microenvironment in Local and Remote Regions after Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 36(6), 937-949. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2018.5806
Sawicki, C. M., Kim, J. K., Weber, M. D., Faw, T. D., McKim, D. B., Madalena, K. M., ... Sheridan, J. F. (2019). Microglia promote increased pain behavior through enhanced inflammation in the spinal cord during repeated social defeat stress. Journal of Neuroscience, 39(7), 1139-1149. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2785-18.2018
Sullivan, K. A., Bever, S. R., McKim, D. B., Godbout, J. P., Sheridan, J. F., Obrietan, K., & Pyter, L. M. (2019). Mammary tumors compromise time-of-day differences in hypothalamic gene expression and circadian behavior and physiology in mice. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 80, 805-817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2019.05.028
Weber, M. D., McKim, D. B., Niraula, A., Witcher, K. G., Yin, W., Sobol, C. G., ... Godbout, J. P. (2019). The Influence of Microglial Elimination and Repopulation on Stress Sensitization Induced by Repeated Social Defeat. Biological Psychiatry, 85(8), 667-678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.10.009