Publications

Click on the links below to read our published research!

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• Swarts, E.A., and Brennan, F.H. 2025. Evolving insights on the role of microglia in neuroinflammation, plasticity, and regeneration of the injured spinal cord. Frontiers in Immunology Aug 19:16:1621789.

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• Swarts, E.A., Munro, A.I., Bannerman, C.A., Zielonka, J.R., Tordoff, C.E., Ghasemlou, N., and Brennan, F.H., 2025. Integrating sensitive motor tasks with histopathology detects sex differences in recovery after spinal cord injury. Experimental Neurology 7:394:115417

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• Brennan, F.H., Swarts, E.A., Kigerl., K.A., Mifflin, K.A., Guan, Z., Noble, B.T., Wang, Y., Witcher, K.G., Godbout, J.P., and Popovich, P.G. 2024. Microglia promote maladaptive plasticity in autonomic circuitry after spinal cord injury in mice. Science Translational Medicine 16(751), eadi3259

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• Brennan, F.H., Li, Y., Wang, C., Ma, A., Guo, Q., Li, Y., Pukos, N., Campbell, W.A., Witcher, K.G., Guan, Z., Kigerl, K.A., Hall, J.C.E, Godbout, J.P., Fischer, A.J., McTigue, D.M., He, Z., Ma, Q. and Popovich, P.G. 2022. Microglia coordinate cellular interactions during spinal cord repair in mice. Nature Communications, 13, 4096​

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• Madalena, K.M., Brennan, F.H., Popovich, P.G. 2022. Genetic deletion of the glucocorticoid receptor in Cx3cr1+ myeloid cells is neuroprotective and improves motor recovery after spinal cord injury. Experimental Neurology, 355, 114114

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• Mifflin, K.A., Brennan, F.H., Guan, Z., Kigerl, K.A., Filous, A., Schwab J.M., Popovich, P.G. 2022. Spinal cord injury impairs lung immunity in mice. Journal of Immunology, 209(1):157-170

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• Du, Y*, Brennan, F.H.*, Popovich, P.G, and Zhou, M. 2022. Microglia maintain the normal structure and function of the hippocampal astrocyte network. Glia, 70:1359-1379 *Co-first authors

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• Noble, B.T.*, Brennan, F.H.*, Wang, Y., Guan, Z., Mo, X, Schwab, J.M., and Popovich, P.G. 2022. Thoracic VGlut2+ spinal interneurons regulate structural and functional plasticity of sympathetic networks after high-level spinal cord injury. The Journal of Neuroscience. 42(17):3659-3675 *Co-first authors

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• Brennan, F.H., Coulthard, L.G., Alawieh, A.M., Reiner, O., and Pekna, M. 2021. Editorial: Complement in the development and regeneration of the nervous system. Frontiers in Immunology. 12:694810

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• Brennan, F.H.*, Noble, B.T.*, Wang, Y.* Guan, Z, Davis, H., Mo, X., Harris, C., Eroglu, C., Ferguson, A.R., and Popovich, P.G. 2021. Acute post-injury blockade of α2δ-1 calcium channel subunits prevents pathological autonomic plasticity after spinal cord injury. Cell Reports. 34(4):108667 *Co-first authors

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• Freria, C.M., Brennan, F.H., Sweet, D.R., Guan, Z., Hall, J.C., Kigerl, K.A., Nemeth, D., Liu, X., Lacroix, S., Quan, N., and Popovich, P.G. 2020. Serial systemic injections of endotoxin (LPS) elicit neuroprotective spinal cord microglia through IL-1-dependent cross-talk with endothelial cells. The Journal of Neuroscience. 40 (47): 9103-2120

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• Carpenter, R.S., Marbourg, J., Brennan, F.H., Mifflin, K.A., Hall, J., Jiang, R., Mo, X., Karunasiri, M., Burke, M., Dorrance, A., and Popovich, P.G. 2020. Spinal cord injury causes chronic bone marrow failure. Nature Communications. 11(3702); 1-13

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• Ma, A., Wang, C., Chang, Y., Brennan, F.H., McDermaid, A., Liu, B., Zhang, C., Popovich, P.G., and Ma, Q. 2020. IRIS3: integrated cell-type-specific regulon inference server from single-cell RNA-Seq. Nucleic Acids Research. 48:W275-W286

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• Carpenter, R.S., Jiang, R.R., Brennan, F.H., Hall, J.C.E., Gottipati, M.K., Niewiesk, S., and Popovich, P.G. 2019. Human immune cells infiltrate the spinal cord and impair recovery after spinal cord injury in humanized mice. Scientific Reports. 9(19105); 1-16

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• Brennan, F.H., Jogia, T., Gillespie, E.R., Blomster, L.V., Li, X., Nowlan, B., Williams, G.M., Jacobson, El., Osborne, G.W., Meunier, F.A., Taylor, S.M., Campbell, K.E., MacDonald, K.P.A., Levesque, J-P., Woodruff, T.M., and Ruitenberg, M.J. 2019. Complement receptor C3aR1 controls neutrophil mobilization following spinal cord injury through physiological antagonism of CXCR2. Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight. 4(9):e98254

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• Noble, BT*, Brennan, F.H.* and Popovich, PG, 2018. The spleen as a neuroimmune interface after spinal cord injury. Journal of Neuroimmunology. 321: 1-11 *Co-first authors

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• Brennan, F.H. and Popovich, P.G. 2018. Emerging targets for reprograming the immune response to promote repair and recovery of function after spinal cord injury. Current Opinion in Neurology. 31(3):334-44

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• Biggins P.J.C., Brennan, F.H., Taylor, S.M., Woodruff, T.M., and Ruitenberg, M.J. 2017. The Alternative Receptor for Complement Component C5a, C5aR2, Conveys Neuroprotection in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury. The Journal of Neurotrauma. 34:2075-85

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• Brennan, F.H., Kurniawan, N.D., Vukovic, J., Bartlett, P.F., Kasermann F., Arumugam, T.V., Basta, M., and Ruitenberg, M.J. 2016. IVIg attenuates complement and improves spinal cord injury outcomes in mice. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. 3:495-511

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• Brennan, F.H., Lee, J.D., Ruitenberg, M.J., and Woodruff, T.M. 2016. Therapeutic targeting of complement to modify disease course and improve outcomes in neurological conditions. Seminars in Immunology. 3:292-308

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• Brennan, F.H., and Ruitenberg, M.J. 2015. Targeting acute inflammation to complement spinal cord repair. Neural Regeneration Research. 10:1596-8

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• Brennan, F.H., Gordon, R., Lao, H.W., Biggins, P.J., Taylor, S.M., Franklin, R.J., Woodruff., T.M., and Ruitenberg., M.J. 2015. The complement receptor C5aR controls acute inflammation and astrogliosis following spinal cord injury. The Journal of Neuroscience. 35:6517-31

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• Low, P.C., Manzanero, S., Mohannak, N., Narayana, V.K., Nguyen, T.H., Kvaskoff, D., Brennan, F.H., Ruitenberg, M.J., Gelderblom, M., Magnus, T., Kim, H.A., Broughton, B.R.S., Sobey, C.G., Vanhaesebroeck B., Stow, J.L., Arumugam, T.V., and Meunier, F.A. 2014. PI3Kδ inhibition reduces TNF secretion and inflammation in a mouse cerebral stroke model. Nature Communications. 5, 3450

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• Wu, M.C.L., Brennan, F.H., Wetsel, W.A., Ruitenberg, M.J., Taylor, S.M., and Woodruff, T.M. 2013. The C3a receptor mediates protection from intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion injuries by impairing neutrophil mobilization. PNAS U.S.A. 110:9439-9444.

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• Blomster, L.V., Brennan, F.H., Lao, H.W., Harle, D.W., Harvey, A.R., and Ruitenberg, M.J. 2013. Mobilzsation of the splenic monocyte reservoir and peripheral CX3CR1 deficiency adversely affects recovery from spinal cord injury. Experimental Neurology. 247:226-40

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• Brennan, F.H., Cowin, G.J., Kurniawan, N.D., and Ruitenberg, M.J. 2013. Longitudinal assessment of white matter pathology in the injured mouse spinal cord through ultra-high field (16.4T) in vivo diffusion tensor imaging. Neuroimage. 82:574-85

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• Brennan, F.H., Anderson, A.J., Taylor, S.M., Woodruff, T.M., and Ruitenberg, M.J. 2012. Complement activation in the injured central nervous system: another dual-edged sword? Journal of Neuroinflammation. 9: 137-150