HRUSKA LAB NEWS
Congratulations to Yeasmin Akter on Receiving an NIH F31 Fellowship!
September 14, 2026
We are excited to announce that Yeasmin Akter, a PhD student in the Hruska Lab, received an NIH F31 Predoctoral Fellowship from the NINDS! Yeasmin’s fellowship will support her research investigating how Amyloid beta disrupts nanoscale organization of synapses by hijacking ephrin-B3 signaling, with the goal of understanding how synapses are lost in Alzheimer's Disease. This prestigious fellowship recognizes Yeasmin’s scientific accomplishments and potential as an independent researcher, and provides support for her continued training and research in synaptic neuroscience.
Hruska and Bridi Labs Receive NINDS R21 Award to Study How Sleep Restructures Synapses
August 26, 2026
We are excited to announce that the Hruska and Bridi labs have received an R21 award from NINDS to investigate how sleep restructures the nanoscale organization of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in the brain. Despite the critical importance of sleep for brain function, the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which sleep benefits the brain remain incompletely understood. This project will investigate how sleep reshapes the molecular architecture of synapses, providing new insight into how sleep may support memory consolidation and healthy brain function. Understanding these mechanisms may also provide new perspectives on neurological disorders in which sleep is disrupted.
HRUSKA LAB WAS AWARDED AN R01 GRANT FROM THE NIA TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ON SYNAPTIC DYSFUNCTION IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
January 8, 2026
HRUSKA LAB PRESENTS AT THE SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE IN SAN DIEGO, CA
November 17, 2025
Dr. Adam Skeens delivered a fantastic and very busy presentation at SfN this year, showcasing our latest findings on how amyloid beta selectively targets and reshapes vulnerable dendritic spines. His poster drew constant traffic—sparked by the excitement around uncovering why some spines are lost early while others remain resilient. This work highlights a new layer of synaptic selectivity in Aβ pathology and sparked great conversations with colleagues across the field. We’re thrilled to see his science getting the attention it deserves!
ADAM
CONGRATULATIONS, YEASMIN!
March, 2025
Yeasmin Akter published beautiful work on STED super-resolution imaging in brain tissue, discovering differences in synaptic nano-organization in glutamatergic synapses receiving distinct input.
HRUSKA LAB ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH IN LOCAL NEWS
April, 2024
HRUSKA LAB PRESENTS AT THE SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE IN WASHINGTON DC
November, 2023
Yeasmin Akter and James Scripter present their research at the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting
HRUSKA LAB RECEIVES FUNDING FROM ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION
July, 2023
Nanoscale mechanisms of NMDAR dysfunction in AD: The goal of this work is to determine the role of NMDAR subtypes mediating synapse-specific Amyloid-beta dependent synaptotoxicity.
EXCITING FINDINGS AT HRUSKA LAB
February, 2022
LEICA STELLARIS 8 3D STED SYSTEM IS INSTALLED IN THE LAB
May 3rd, 2021
We are one of the few labs in the world to have this awesome super-resolution instrument. We can image with unprecedented resolution in XYZ using multiple channels.
HRUSKA LAB OPENING AT WVU
February 1st, 2021
I am very excited to join this vibrant neuroscience community in the Department of Neuroscience and RNI at WVU.