Stacey Kigar
@staceykigar.bsky.social
Research Associate, University of Cambridge | Leading Edge fellow | first-gen academic | molecular biologist studying effects of stress across the lifespan 🧠🩸🧬
“balanced on a toothpick labelled DNS” - @scalarmoon.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 10:04 PM
“balanced on a toothpick labelled DNS” - @scalarmoon.bsky.social
Thank you! That is certainly the hope, though there’s much work ahead re: translating these results from rodent to human.
October 1, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Thank you! That is certainly the hope, though there’s much work ahead re: translating these results from rodent to human.
I am so grateful to everyone involved in bringing this paper to fruition, and am especially grateful to the NIH and @cambridgebrc.bsky.social for supporting me throughout. To read a summary of the project, please check out this summary by Craig Brierley here: www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
Depression linked to presence of immune cells in the brain’s protective layer
Immune cells released from bone marrow in the skull in response to chronic stress and adversity could play a key role in symptoms of depression and anxiety,
www.cam.ac.uk
September 1, 2025 at 11:08 AM
I am so grateful to everyone involved in bringing this paper to fruition, and am especially grateful to the NIH and @cambridgebrc.bsky.social for supporting me throughout. To read a summary of the project, please check out this summary by Craig Brierley here: www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
It involved lots of hard work from my brilliant co-authors, including co-first author @maryellenlynall.bsky.social and others who as far as I know aren’t on blue sky. Data collection took place during Covid lockdown, and involved coordinating teams transatlantically, requiring lots of grit/tenacity!
September 1, 2025 at 11:03 AM
It involved lots of hard work from my brilliant co-authors, including co-first author @maryellenlynall.bsky.social and others who as far as I know aren’t on blue sky. Data collection took place during Covid lockdown, and involved coordinating teams transatlantically, requiring lots of grit/tenacity!
Systemic depletion of type I interferon signaling improved depressive behavior in chronically stressed mice, and may hold promise as a future target for depression treatment. This project was a labor of love, stemming from work done many years ago now while I was still a postdoc at the NIH campus…
September 1, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Systemic depletion of type I interferon signaling improved depressive behavior in chronically stressed mice, and may hold promise as a future target for depression treatment. This project was a labor of love, stemming from work done many years ago now while I was still a postdoc at the NIH campus…
A unique population of neutrophils that are regulated independently of neutrophils derived from other bone marrow stores, like tibia. Our single cell RNA sequencing analysis of meningeal tissue showed type I interferons as a plausible candidate triggering movement of neutrophils into the meninges…
September 1, 2025 at 10:51 AM
A unique population of neutrophils that are regulated independently of neutrophils derived from other bone marrow stores, like tibia. Our single cell RNA sequencing analysis of meningeal tissue showed type I interferons as a plausible candidate triggering movement of neutrophils into the meninges…
However, we found neutrophils increased in the meninges—a protective tissue layer surrounding the brain. We were surprised to find that neutrophils did not seem to enter the meninges from the bloodstream, but instead entered from nearby skull bone marrow. The skull bone marrow appears to host..
September 1, 2025 at 10:49 AM
However, we found neutrophils increased in the meninges—a protective tissue layer surrounding the brain. We were surprised to find that neutrophils did not seem to enter the meninges from the bloodstream, but instead entered from nearby skull bone marrow. The skull bone marrow appears to host..
It is not clear what if any relationship blood neutrophils have with mood disorders like depression. We hypothesized that neutrophils increased by stress could exert an effect on mood from within the brain or its surrounding/supporting tissues. We found no evidence that neutrophils enter the brain..
September 1, 2025 at 10:45 AM
It is not clear what if any relationship blood neutrophils have with mood disorders like depression. We hypothesized that neutrophils increased by stress could exert an effect on mood from within the brain or its surrounding/supporting tissues. We found no evidence that neutrophils enter the brain..
We used a combination of bioinformatics, immuno-, and behavioral assays to show “first responder” immune cells (neutrophils) accumulate around the brain following prolonged stress exposure. While it is well known that acute exposure to stress causes release of neutrophils into the bloodstream…
September 1, 2025 at 10:26 AM
We used a combination of bioinformatics, immuno-, and behavioral assays to show “first responder” immune cells (neutrophils) accumulate around the brain following prolonged stress exposure. While it is well known that acute exposure to stress causes release of neutrophils into the bloodstream…