Jessica Pressey
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
Campus
St. George (downtown)
CSB Appointment
Teaching
Research Areas
Animal Biology, Cell Biology, Neurobiology
Education
B.Sc. Carleton University 2010
Ph.D. University of Toronto 2015
Primary Undergraduate Department
Cell & Systems Biology
Graduate Programs
Cell & Systems Biology
Research Description
Our research is focused on discovering the cellular mechanisms underlying inhibitory GABAergic synaptic plasticity in the CNS. We employ a multi-disciplinary approach combining electrophysiology, biochemistry, fluorescence imaging, and behaviour to understand how synapses are built, the mechanisms that underlie their plasticity, and their role in neuronal circuits. Using principles we learn from the study of the healthy brain we unravel mechanisms that lead to neurological disorders and dieseases, including autism spectrum disorder, Huntington’s disease and ALS.
Contact Information
Office Phone: 416-978-8646
Office: RW303
Lab: RW302
Lab Phone: 416-978-1406
Email
Mailing Address
Department of Cell & Systems Biology
University of Toronto
25 Harbord St.
Toronto, ON M5S 3G5
Publications
2025
Protocol to study chloride regulation in cultured mouse cortical neurons using electrophysiology
Raveendran VA, Pressey JC, Woodin MA
2025, STAR Protocols, 10.1016/j.xpro.2025.103628
2024
LTP is Absent in the CA1 Region of the Hippocampus of Male and Female Rett Syndrome Mouse Models
Asgarihafshejani A, Raveendran VA, Pressey JC, Woodin MA
2024, Neuroscience, 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.11.028
SNARE protein SNAP25 regulates the chloride-transporter KCC2 in neurons
Raveendran VA, Serranilla M, Asgarihafshejani A, de Saint-Rome M, Cherednychenko M, Mullany S, Mitchell JA, Pressey JC, Woodin MA
2024, iScience, 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111156
Restoring Compromised Cl−in D2 Neurons of a Huntington’s Disease Mouse Model Rescues Motor Disability
Serranilla M, Pressey JC, Woodin MA
2024, The Journal of Neuroscience, 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0215-24.2024
2023
Chloride transporters controlling neuronal excitability
Pressey JC, de Saint-Rome M, Raveendran VA, Woodin MA
2023, Physiological Reviews, 10.1152/physrev.00025.2021
2021
Convergence of adenosine and GABA signaling for synapse stabilization during development
Gomez-Castro F, Zappettini S, Pressey JC, Silva CG, Russeau M, Gervasi N, Figueiredo M, Montmasson C, Renner M, Canas PM, Gonçalves FQ, Alçada-Morais S, Szabó E, Rodrigues RJ, Agostinho P, Tomé AR, Caillol G, Thoumine O, Nicol X, Leterrier C, Lujan R, Tyagarajan SK, Cunha RA, Esclapez M, Bernard C, Lévi S
2021, Science, 10.1126/science.abk2055
2020
Cortical interneuron-mediated inhibition delays the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Woodin MA, Kim JC, Robertson J, Zinman L, Keith J, De Koninck Y, Côté D, Gasecka A, Keramidis I, Garand D, Yang JW, Bedard S, Pressey JC, Liang X, Dargaei Z, Place KM, Aqrabawi AJ, Khademullah CS
2020, Brain, 10.1093/brain/awaa034
KCC2 is a hub protein that balances excitation and inhibition
Pressey JC, Mahadevan V, Woodin MA
2020, Neuronal Chloride Transporters in Health and Disease, 10.1016/B978-0-12-815318-5.00008-X
A Novel Small Molecule Targets NKCC1 To Restore Synaptic Inhibition
Raveendran VA, Pressey JC, Woodin MA
2020, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 10.1016/j.tips.2020.10.002
2017
A kainate receptor subunit promotes the recycling of the neuron-specific K+-Cl−co-transporter KCC2 in hippocampal neurons
Pressey JC, Mahadevan V, Khademullah CS, Dargaei Z, Chevrier J, Ye W, Huang M, Chauhan AK, Meas SJ, Uvarov P, Airaksinen MS, Woodin MA
2017, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 10.1074/jbc.M116.767236