Specializations
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Mild Repetitive Head Injury
- Hallucinogens
- Cannabis
- Abuse Liability
- Function Imaging
- Functional Connectivity
- Neuroscience
Overview
Dr. Ferris has been a research scientist for over 45 years. He has a broad background in behavioral neuroscience having trained as an electrophysiologist in graduate school at New York Medical College, neuroendocrinology and peptide chemistry as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, physiology, neuroanatomy and neuropetides as a junior faculty in the Dept Physiology at the University Massachusetts Medical School and functional MRI as a professor in Psychiatry Dept at UMass Medical. He directed a Behavioral Neuroscience Program at UMass Medical and two animal imaging centers, the first at UMass Medical, and the most recent at Northeastern University. His lab pioneered the field of awake animal imaging. To develop the needed radiofrequency electronics and MR compatible animal restraining systems, I started a medical device company, Insight NeuroImaging Systems. He has seven issued patents on technology around imaging and the copyrights to several 3D MRI animal atlases. The Center for Translational NeuroImaging routinely works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to evaluate their drugs and animal models using MRI.
Courses Taught
MRI in Drug Discovery (PHSC 6237)
Publications
Ferris, C.F., H.E. Albers, S.M. Weslowski, B.D. Goldman and S.E. Leeman. Microinjection of vasopressin into a discrete hypothalamic site triggers a complex stereotypic behavior in golden hamsters. Science 224: 521-523 (1984) PMID: 6538700.
Ferris, C.F., R. H. Melloni, Jr., G. Koppel, K. W. Perry, R.W. Fuller, and Y. Delville. Vasopressin/serotonin interaction in the anterior hypothalamus control aggressive behavior in golden hamsters. Journal of Neuroscience 17:4331-4340 (1997) PMID: 9151749 .
Ferris, C.F., P. Kulkarni, M.J. Sullivan Jr., J.A. Harder, T.L. Messenger, M. Febo. Pup suckling is more rewarding than cocaine: Evidence from fMRI and 3D computational analyses. Journal of Neuroscience 25:149-156 (2005) PMID: 15634776
Ferris, C.F., X. Cai, J. Qiao, B. Switzer, J. Baun, T. Morrison, S. Iriah, D. Madularu, K. W. Sinkevicius, P. Kulkarni Life without a brain: Neuroradiological and behavioral evidence of neuroplasticity necessary to sustain brain function in the face of severe hydrocephalus Science Report 2019; PMCID: PMC6848215
Cai X, Qiao J, Kulkarni P, Harding IC, Ebong E, Ferris CF. Imaging the effect of the circadian light-dark cycle on the glymphatic system in awake rats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 PMID:31848247.
Ferris CF. Rethinking the Conditions and Mechanism for Glymphatic Clearance Frontiers Neuroscience 2021 PMID:33897347
Cai X, Harding IC, Sadaka AH, Colarusso B, Kulkarni P, Ebong E, Qiao J, O’Hare NR, Ferris CF. Mild repetitive head impacts alter pervascular flow in the midbrain dopaminergic system in awake rats. Brian Commun. 2021. PMID: 34806002.
Leaston J, Kulkarni P, Gharagouzloo C, Qiao J, Bens N, Ferris CF. Do We Swallow the Waste From Our Brain? Front Neurosci. 2021 PMID: 34887724
Leaston J, Qiao J, Harding IC, Kulkarni P, Gharagouzloo C, Ebong E, Ferris CF Quantitative Imaging of Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability Following Repetitive Mild Head Impacts. Front Neurol. 2021 PMID: 34659094
Sadaka AH, Canuel J, Febo M, Johnson CT, Bradshaw HB, Ortiz R, Ciumo F, Kulkarni P, Gitcho MA, Ferris CF. Effects of inhaled cannabis high in Δ9-THC or CBD on the aging brain: A translational MRI and behavioral study.Front Aging Neurosci. 2023.PMID: 36819730
