Swallowing disorders are prevalent in older adults and can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Consequences of dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) include malnutrition, dehydration, social isolation, pneumonia, and reduced quality of life.

Dr. Nativ Zeltzer’s research focuses on the effects of ageing on the swallow and devising prophylactic treatment methods for the preservation of swallow function in the elderly. The lab utilizes high resolution manometry and videofluoroscopic biomechanical analysis of the swallow to characterize physiological components of both normal and disordered swallowing, with the goal of designing accurately targeted preventative and rehabilitative treatment for adults with dysphagia. An additional area of focus is the identification of risk factors and biomarkers for the development of aspiration pneumonia, a common complication of swallowing disorders, facilitating the design of sensitive diagnostic tools for early detection of aspiration pneumonia.

Main research projects currently in the lab:

1. Study of the novel role of Kv2.1 potassium channel in insulin secretion from pancreatic islet β cells, as a target for novel drug design for the treatment of type-2 diabetes;
2. Study of structure-function and modulations by presynaptic modulators of Kv2.1 and other Kv channels, specifically KCNQ2 and KCNQ3, important in axonal and synaptic excitability.

Research methods:

• Biophysical: 1) Two-electrode voltage clamp and patch clamp techniques for the study of whole cell and single channel currents. 2) Membrane capacitance and amperometry measurements for the study of exocytosis.
• Biochemical: co-immunoprecipitation, immunohystochemistry, recombinant protein purification, etc, for the study of in vivo and in vitro protein-protein interactions.
• Imaging: 1) Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) for the study of protein-protein interactions. 2) Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM) for the study of neurotransmitter vesicles behavior.

Investigating brain mechanisms underlie generation and regulation of the human emotional experience, in healthy and pathological states. The research is based on measuring indices of brain structure and functional dynamics via MRI (functional-MRI, DTI and Volumetric-MRI) and separate or simultaneous recording of electrical signals (scalp-EEG and intracranial-EEG).

The characterization of individual brain response is based on correlating neural activity and connectivity with behavioral and physiological measurements of emotionality (e.g. heart rate, hormone secretion, genetic expression, skin conductance, eye movements and verbal output). Induction of emotional states is achieved via film and music media, inter-personal interactions, and interactive social games. Regulation of emotions is modulated via on-line feedback protocols from brain signals in a closed loop set-up (i.e. NeuroFeedback).

The lab is also involved in studies aim to advance translation while focusing on neural markers of vulnerability and recovery with regard to post traumatic disorders (e.g. anxiety and depression), developmental disorders (e.g. schizophrenia and personality) and neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Parkinson's Disease).

An essential part of this aspect of our work is the development of advanced new tools for acquiring and analyzing whole brain neural measurements; including applying multi-scale mapping for capturing dynamics of brain networks.