Sergei Yakushin, PhD
- ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR | Neurology
Research Topics:
Behavior, Biophysics, Brain, Cerebellum, Computational Neuroscience, Eye Movements, Inner Ear, Locomotion, Mathematical Modeling of Biomedical Systems, Microgravity, Motor Control, Motor Neuron, Neural Code, Neural Networks, Neurobiology, Neuromuscular System, Neurophysiology, Neuroscience, Postural Control, Vestibular, VisionResearch interests:
My research career began when I graduated from Moscow State University in 1985. Over the next six years, I worked for the Russian Space program at the Institute of BioMedical Problems (IMBP, Moscow, Russia) in the department Neurophysiology headed by Dr. Inessa B Kozlovskaya. In 1991, I was invited to come to the United States to work on a NASA project in Dr. Cohen’s laboratory at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. From that time, I worked with Drs. Cohen, Raphan Gizzi, Reisine, and Dai on various projects.
My research interests are the adaptation and spatial orientation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). While in Russia, it was angular VOR adaptation to Space flights (1985-1991). While I was a member of Dr. Cohen’s lab, it was angular VOR adaptation to specific damage of the vestibular periphery, such as individual semicircular canal plugging and vestibular nerves section (1991-2005). As an independent investigator at Mount Sinai, I studied how the orientation of gravity interacts with angular VOR adaptation (2000-2012). Over the past two years I have been working with Dr. Dai on an experimental treatment for patients suffering from Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS) (2014-present). It is likely that MdDS is caused by the adaptation of the VOR to complex vestibular stimulus experienced by patients while traveling. Thus, over my entire career, I have been interested in the various aspects of contextual learning of vestibulo-ocular reflex.
Over the last 3 years, I also collaborate with Drs. Bernard Cohen and Giorgio P. Martinelli at the department of Neurology on a project to study the vestibular causes of vasovagal syncope.
Education
MS, Moscow State University
MS, Brooklyn College
PhD, Brooklyn College
Yakushin SB, Raphan T, Suzuki J, Arai Y, Cohen B. Dynamics and kinematics of the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex in monkey: effects of canal plugging. Journal of neurophysiology 1998 Dec; 80(6).
Sheliga BM, Yakushin SB, Silvers A, Raphan T, Cohen B. Control of spatial orientation of the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex by the nodulus and uvula of the vestibulocerebellum. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1999 May; 871.
Yakushin SB, Reisine H, Büttner-Ennever JA, Raphan T, Cohen B. Functions of the nucleus of the optic tract (NOT). I. Adaptation of the gain of the horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex. Experimental brain research 2000 Apr; 131(4).
Yakushin SB, Raphan T, Cohen B. Context-specific adaptation of the vertical vestibuloocular reflex with regard to gravity. Journal of neurophysiology 2000 Dec; 84(6).
Arai Y, Yakushin SB, Cohen B, Suzuki J, Raphan T. Spatial orientation of caloric nystagmus in semicircular canal-plugged monkeys. Journal of neurophysiology 2002 Aug; 88(2).
Kushiro K, Dai M, Kunin M, Yakushin SB, Cohen B, Raphan T. Compensatory and orienting eye movements induced by off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR) in monkeys. Journal of neurophysiology 2002 Nov; 88(5).
Yakushin SB, Palla A, Haslwanter T, Bockisch CJ, Straumann D. Dependence of adaptation of the human vertical angular vestibulo-ocular reflex on gravity. Experimental brain research 2003 Sep; 152(1).
Yakushin SB, Raphan T, Büttner-Ennever JA, Suzuki J, Cohen B. Spatial properties of central vestibular neurons of monkeys after bilateral lateral canal nerve section. Journal of neurophysiology 2005 Dec; 94(6).
Cohen B, Yakushin SB, Holstein GR, Dai M, Tomko DL, Badakva AM, Kozlovskaya IB. Vestibular experiments in space. Advances in space biology and medicine 2005; 10.
Yakushin SB, Raphan T, Cohen B. Spatial properties of central vestibular neurons. Journal of neurophysiology 2006 Jan; 95(1).
Eron JN, Cohen B, Raphan T, Yakushin SB. Adaptation of orientation vectors of otolith-related central vestibular neurons to gravity. Journal of neurophysiology 2008 Sep; 100(3).
Yakushin SB, Ogorodnokov DA, Kunin M, Cohen B, Raphan T. Dynamics of binocular fixation of targets during fore-aft motion. Progress in brain research 2008; 171.
Cohen B, Dai M, Yakushin SB, Raphan T. Baclofen, motion sickness susceptibility and the neural basis for velocity storage. Progress in brain research 2008; 171.
Yakushin SB, Tarasenko Y, Raphan T, Suzuki J, Della Santina CC, Minor LB, Cohen B. Modification of the cervico-ocular reflex by canal plugging. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2009 May; 1164.
Yakushin SB, Kunin M, Ogorodnikov D, Cohen B, Raphan T. Effects of the linear vestibulo-ocular reflex on accommodative vergence eye movements. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2009 May; 1164.
Yakushin SB, Kolesnikova OV, Cohen B, Ogorodnikov DA, Suzuki J, Della Santina CC, Minor LB, Raphan T. Complementary gain modifications of the cervico-ocular (COR) and angular vestibulo-ocular (aVOR) reflexes after canal plugging. Experimental brain research 2011 May; 210(3-4).
Yakushin SB, Dai M, Raphan T, Suzuki J, Arai Y, Cohen B. Spatial orientation of the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex (aVOR) after semicircular canal plugging and canal nerve section. Experimental brain research 2011 May; 210(3-4).
Kolesnikova OV, Raphan T, Cohen B, Yakushin SB. Orientation adaptation of eye movement-related vestibular neurons due to prolonged head tilt. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2011 Sep; 1233.
Yakushin SB. Tuning of gravity-dependent and gravity-independent vertical angular VOR gain changes by frequency of adaptation. Journal of neurophysiology 2012 Jun; 107(12).
Yakushin SB, Martinelli GP, Raphan T, Xiang Y, Holstein GR, Cohen B. Vasovagal oscillations and vasovagal responses produced by the vestibulo-sympathetic reflex in the rat. Frontiers in neurology 2014; 5.
Yakushin S, Dai M, Suzuki J, Raphan T, Cohen B. Semicircular canal contributions to the three-dimensional vestibuloocular reflex: a model-based approach. Journal of neurophysiology 1995 Dec; 74(6).
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Dr. Yakushin did not report having any of the following types of financial relationships with industry during 2017 and/or 2018: consulting, scientific advisory board, industry-sponsored lectures, service on Board of Directors, participation on industry-sponsored committees, equity ownership valued at greater than 5% of a publicly traded company or any value in a privately held company. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.
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