- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, PhD
Education & Training
On the genesis and unique functions of zinc neuromodulation. Bizup B, Tzounopoulos T. J Neurophysiol. 2024 Oct 1;132(4):1241-1254. doi: 10.1152/jn.00285.2024. Epub 2024 Aug 28.
Cochlear zinc signaling dysregulation is associated with noise-induced hearing loss, and zinc chelation enhances cochlear recovery. Bizup B, Brutsaert S, Cunningham CL, Thathiah A, Tzounopoulos T. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Feb 20;121(8):e2310561121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2310561121. Epub 2024 Feb 14.
Cortical Zinc Signaling Is Necessary for Changes in Mouse Pupil Diameter That Are Evoked by Background Sounds with Different Contrasts. Cody P, Kumar M, Tzounopoulos T. J Neurosci. 2024 Mar 13;44(11):e0939232024. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0939-23.2024.
Cell-type-specific plasticity of inhibitory interneurons in the rehabilitation of auditory cortex after peripheral damage. Kumar M, Handy G, Kouvaros S, Zhao Y, Brinson LL, Wei E, Bizup B, Doiron B, Tzounopoulos T. Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 13;14(1):4170. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39732-7.
A CRE/DRE dual recombinase transgenic mouse reveals synaptic zinc-mediated thalamocortical neuromodulation. Kouvaros S, Bizup B, Solis O, Kumar M, Ventriglia E, Curry FP, Michaelides M, Tzounopoulos T. Sci Adv. 2023 Jun 9;9(23):eadf3525. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adf3525. Epub 2023 Jun 9.
Dr. Tzounopoulos' research has been focused on the synaptic and intrinsic properties and plasticity of brain circuits and neurons. His team has discovered novel synaptic and intrinsic mechanisms in the auditory brainstem and cortex, as well as their effects during normal and pathological auditory processing in animal models of hearing loss and tinnitus. Dr. Tzounopoulos is currently pursuing drug discovery and development for tinnitus and hearing loss.