Robert Francis Hunt

Title(s)Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address1001 Health Sciences Road
Irvine CA 92697-3950
Phone(949) 824-7079
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0003-4490-871 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    UCSFPostdoc2015Neuroscience
    University of KentuckyPhD2010Physiology

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    I have been an active member of the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology at UC Irvine since joining the faculty in 2015. My lab focuses on conditions of brain development and injury where a treatment does not yet exist. We are creating new models of complex neurological disorders, developing cellular and molecular tools that enable precise manipulation or repair of the brain and recording high-speed dynamics of specialized neurons derived from human stem cells. Our philosophy is to embrace a broad view of neuroscience as we integrate a constellation of molecular, cellular, developmental, electrophysiological and systems-level methods in our work. Ultimately, we hope to discover precisely how the nervous system is changed in neurodevelopmental disorders or by traumatic brain injury, and to use this information to create new therapies. Our research has been funded by NIH, NSF, CIRM, DoD and private sources, including a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Here at UCI, the lab also participates actively in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Epilepsy Research Center, Center for Autism Research and Translation, Stem Cell Research Center, the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and the Center for Neural Circuit Mapping.

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    Generation of specialized human cell types in the mammalian brain
    NIH R21NS114728Apr 15, 2020 - Mar 31, 2022
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Rewiring the Injured Brain with GABA Progenitors
    NIH R01NS096012Feb 15, 2016 - Mar 31, 2026
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Functional engraftment of stem cell-derived cortical interneurons
    NIH R00NS085046May 1, 2015 - Apr 30, 2019
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Functional engraftment of stem cell-derived cortical interneurons
    NIH K99NS085046Sep 20, 2013 - Aug 31, 2015
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Functional integration of inhibitory interneuron progenitors in the adult brain
    NIH F32NS077747Jul 1, 2012 - Jun 30, 2014
    Role: Principal Investigator

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Medial ganglionic eminence transplantation restores inhibition after central visual system brain injury. PNAS Nexus. 2025 Mar; 4(3):pgaf077. Hou B, Eom J, Lyon DC, Hunt RF. PMID: 40099222; PMCID: PMC11913217.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    2. Cationic peptides cause memory loss through endophilin-mediated endocytosis. Nature. 2025 Feb; 638(8050):479-489. Stokes EG, Vasquez JJ, Azouz G, Nguyen M, Tierno A, Zhuang Y, Galinato VM, Hui M, Toledano M, Tyler I, Shi X, Hunt RF, Aoto J, Beier KT. PMID: 39814881.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    3. Regulation of neural stem cell differentiation and brain development by MGAT5-mediated N-glycosylation. Stem Cell Reports. 2023 06 13; 18(6):1340-1354. Yale AR, Kim E, Gutierrez B, Hanamoto JN, Lav NS, Nourse JL, Salvatus M, Hunt RF, Monuki ES, Flanagan LA. PMID: 37172586; PMCID: PMC10277816.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    4. Conditional deletion of Neurexin-2 alters neuronal network activity in hippocampal circuitries and leads to spontaneous seizures. Transl Psychiatry. 2023 03 20; 13(1):97. Haile MT, Khoja S, de Carvalho G, Hunt RF, Chen LY. PMID: 36941261; PMCID: PMC10027846.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    5. Brain-wide reconstruction of inhibitory circuits after traumatic brain injury. Nat Commun. 2022 06 14; 13(1):3417. Frankowski JC, Tierno A, Pavani S, Cao Q, Lyon DC, Hunt RF. PMID: 35701434; PMCID: PMC9197933.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 13     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    6. Traumatic brain injury to primary visual cortex produces long-lasting circuit dysfunction. Commun Biol. 2021 11 17; 4(1):1297. Frankowski JC, Foik AT, Tierno A, Machhor JR, Lyon DC, Hunt RF. PMID: 34789835; PMCID: PMC8599505.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8  Translation:AnimalsCells
    7. Interneuron Dysfunction in a New Mouse Model of SCN1A GEFS. eNeuro. 2021 Mar-Apr; 8(2). Das A, Zhu B, Xie Y, Zeng L, Pham AT, Neumann JC, Safrina O, Benavides DR, MacGregor GR, Schutte SS, Hunt RF, O'Dowd DK. PMID: 33658306; PMCID: PMC8174035.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    8. Transplanted interneurons improve memory precision after traumatic brain injury. Nat Commun. 2019 11 14; 10(1):5156. Zhu B, Eom J, Hunt RF. PMID: 31727894; PMCID: PMC6856380.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 32     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    9. Epilepsy Therapy Goes Viral. Epilepsy Curr. 2019 09; 19(5):328-329. Lim BC, Hunt RF. PMID: 31462070; PMCID: PMC6864564.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    10. Chd2 Is Necessary for Neural Circuit Development and Long-Term Memory. Neuron. 2018 12 05; 100(5):1180-1193.e6. Kim YJ, Khoshkhoo S, Frankowski JC, Zhu B, Abbasi S, Lee S, Wu YE, Hunt RF. PMID: 30344048; PMCID: PMC6479120.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 45     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    11. Selective vulnerability of hippocampal interneurons to graded traumatic brain injury. Neurobiol Dis. 2019 09; 129:208-216. Frankowski JC, Kim YJ, Hunt RF. PMID: 30031783; PMCID: PMC6690377.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 26     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    12. Irritable No More: Activating Mossy Cells for the Treatment of Epilepsy. Epilepsy Curr. 2018 Jul-Aug; 18(4):251-252. Kim YJ, Hunt RF. PMID: 30254523; PMCID: PMC6145380.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    13. PAFAH1B1 haploinsufficiency disrupts GABA neurons and synaptic E/I balance in the dentate gyrus. Sci Rep. 2017 08 15; 7(1):8269. Dinday MT, Girskis KM, Lee S, Baraban SC, Hunt RF. PMID: 28811646; PMCID: PMC5557934.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    
    14. Interneuron Transplantation as a Treatment for Epilepsy. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2015 Dec 01; 5(12). Hunt RF, Baraban SC. PMID: 26627452; PMCID: PMC4665034.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 32     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    15. NPAS1 represses the generation of specific subtypes of cortical interneurons. Neuron. 2014 Dec 03; 84(5):940-53. Stanco A, Pla R, Vogt D, Chen Y, Mandal S, Walker J, Hunt RF, Lindtner S, Erdman CA, Pieper AA, Hamilton SP, Xu D, Baraban SC, Rubenstein JL. PMID: 25467980; PMCID: PMC4258152.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 40     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    16. 14-3-3ε and ζ regulate neurogenesis and differentiation of neuronal progenitor cells in the developing brain. J Neurosci. 2014 Sep 03; 34(36):12168-81. Toyo-oka K, Wachi T, Hunt RF, Baraban SC, Taya S, Ramshaw H, Kaibuchi K, Schwarz QP, Lopez AF, Wynshaw-Boris A. PMID: 25186760; PMCID: PMC4152612.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 66     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    17. Lhx6 directly regulates Arx and CXCR7 to determine cortical interneuron fate and laminar position. Neuron. 2014 Apr 16; 82(2):350-64. Vogt D, Hunt RF, Mandal S, Sandberg M, Silberberg SN, Nagasawa T, Yang Z, Baraban SC, Rubenstein JL. PMID: 24742460; PMCID: PMC4261952.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 77     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    18. Neural circuit mechanisms of post-traumatic epilepsy. Front Cell Neurosci. 2013; 7:89. Hunt RF, Boychuk JA, Smith BN. PMID: 23785313; PMCID: PMC3684786.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 80  
    19. GABA progenitors grafted into the adult epileptic brain control seizures and abnormal behavior. Nat Neurosci. 2013 Jun; 16(6):692-7. Hunt RF, Girskis KM, Rubenstein JL, Alvarez-Buylla A, Baraban SC. PMID: 23644485; PMCID: PMC3665733.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 159     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    20. The devil is in the details: stem cells for the treatment of epilepsy. Epilepsy Curr. 2012 Nov; 12(6):213-5. Hunt RF, Baraban SC. PMID: 23447713; PMCID: PMC3577122.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    21. LIS1 deficiency promotes dysfunctional synaptic integration of granule cells generated in the developing and adult dentate gyrus. J Neurosci. 2012 Sep 12; 32(37):12862-75. Hunt RF, Dinday MT, Hindle-Katel W, Baraban SC. PMID: 22973010; PMCID: PMC3752080.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 20     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    22. A novel zebrafish model of hyperthermia-induced seizures reveals a role for TRPV4 channels and NMDA-type glutamate receptors. Exp Neurol. 2012 Sep; 237(1):199-206. Hunt RF, Hortopan GA, Gillespie A, Baraban SC. PMID: 22735490; PMCID: PMC3418450.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 49     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    23. Posttraumatic mossy fiber sprouting is related to the degree of cortical damage in three mouse strains. Epilepsy Res. 2012 Mar; 99(1-2):167-70. Hunt RF, Haselhorst LA, Schoch KM, Bach EC, Rios-Pilier J, Scheff SW, Saatman KE, Smith BN. PMID: 22047981; PMCID: PMC3290720.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 17     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    24. Synaptic reorganization of inhibitory hilar interneuron circuitry after traumatic brain injury in mice. J Neurosci. 2011 May 04; 31(18):6880-90. Hunt RF, Scheff SW, Smith BN. PMID: 21543618; PMCID: PMC3102318.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 60     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    25. Regionally localized recurrent excitation in the dentate gyrus of a cortical contusion model of posttraumatic epilepsy. J Neurophysiol. 2010 Mar; 103(3):1490-500. Hunt RF, Scheff SW, Smith BN. PMID: 20089815; PMCID: PMC2887624.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 54     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    26. Posttraumatic epilepsy after controlled cortical impact injury in mice. Exp Neurol. 2009 Feb; 215(2):243-52. Hunt RF, Scheff SW, Smith BN. PMID: 19013458; PMCID: PMC4694635.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 97     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
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