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Wilderness Place 235   
2860 Wilderness Place  
Â鶹ӰԺ, CO 80309-0354
Phone: (303) 735-4601

Research Interests

To determine how chronic insufficient sleep induces, or contributes to inflammatory disease.

Current Research Projects

• Mechanisms by which sleep disruption induces inflammation in the brains of mice.
• Sleep disruption and chronic musculoskeletal pain.
• Traumatic brain injury-induced alterations in sleep.
• Chronic insufficient sleep and Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

Personnel

• Directors: Mark R. Opp, PhD; Rachel K. Rowe, PhD
• Post-doctoral Fellows: Salvador Valencia-Sanchez, PhD
• Laboratory Manager: Amrita George
• Research Assistants: Lindsey Beauregard, Madison Szewczak, Shiying Zou
• Undergraduate Students: Nicole Couillard, Mackenzie Davis, Grant Mannino, Matias Mendez, Dana Ritterbusch, Shristi Anand, Sophia Remedios
• Previous Students: Sydney Armstrong, Danielle Ashton, Annalise Betts, Daniel Bush, Veronika Dunker, Anneli Folkesson, Sonjia Hadley, Lucy Horne, Jacqueline Martensen, Tina Nyugen, Hannah Pfrommer, Miranda Pittman, Christopher Thompson

(L to R): Mark Opp, Grant Mannino, Matias Mendez, Tina Nguyen, Veronika Dunker, Sonjia Hadley, Shiying Zou, Amrita George, Salvador Valencia, Lindsey Beauregard, Nicole Couillard, Rachel Rowe, Tabitha Green

Opportunities for Undergraduates

• For information regarding joining our lab, contact Mark Opp at Mark.Opp@colorado.edu or Rachel Rowe at Rachel.Rowe@colorado.edu.

Opportunities for Graduate Students 

• Graduate student training is available contingent upon research funding.
• For more information contact Dr. Opp at Mark.Opp@colorado.edu or Dr. Rowe at Rachel.Rowe@colorado.edu. 

Oppurtunities for Postdoctoral Fellows

•  If interested please contact Dr. Opp at Mark.Opp@colorado.edu or Dr. Rowe at Rachel.Rowe@colorado.edu.

Recent Publications

• Davis CJ, Dunbrasky D, Oonk M, Taishi P, Opp MR, Krueger JM. The neuron-specific interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein is required for homeostatic sleep and sleep responses to influenza viral challenge. Brain, Behavior and Immunity 47: 35-43, 2015.
• Febinger H, Thomasy H, Pavlova M, Ringgold K, Barf P, George A, Grillo J, Bachstetter A, Cardona A, Garcia J, Opp MR, Gemma C. CX3CR1 dictates the classical and alternative microglia phenotype shift in a mouse model of mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neuroinflammation 12: 154, 2015.
• Ho JM, Barf RP, Opp MR. Effects of sleep disruption and high fat intake on glucose metabolism in mice. Psychoneuroendocrinology 68: 47-56, 2016.
• Ingiosi AM, Opp MR. Sleep and immunomodulatory responses to systemic lipopolysaccharide in mice selectively expressing interleukin-1 receptor 1 on neurons or astrocytes. GLIA 64: 780-791. 2016.
• Ingiosi AM, Raymond RM, Pavlova MN, Opp MR. Selective contributions of neuronal and astroglial interleukin-1 receptor 1 to the regulation of sleep. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 48: 244-257, 2015.
• Kozachik SL, Opp MR, Page GG. Recovery sleep does not mitigate the effects of prior sleep loss on paclitaxel-induced mechanical hypersensitivity in Sprague-Dawley rats. Biological Research for Nursing 17: 207-213, 2015.
• Opp MR, George A, Ringgold KM, Hansen KM, Bullock KM, Banks WA. Sleep fragmentation and sepsis differentially impact blood-brain barrier integrity and transport of tumor necrosis factor-α in aging. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 50: 259-265, 2015.
• Page GG, Opp MR, Kozachik SL. Sex differences in sleep, anhedonia, and HPA axis activity in a rat model of chronic social defeat. Neurobiology of Stress 3: 105-113, 2016.
• Sutton BC, Opp MR. Acute increases in intramuscular inflammatory cytokines are necessary for the development of mechanical hypersensitivity in a mouse model of musculoskeletal sensitization. Brain, Behavior and Immunity 44: 213-220, 2015.
• Thomasy HE, Febinger HY, Ringgold KM, Gemma C, Opp MR. Hypocretinergic and cholinergic contributions to sleep-wake disturbances in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury. Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms 2: 71-84, 2017.
• Thomasy HE, Febinger HY, Ringgold KM, Gemma C, Opp MR. Hypocretinergic and cholinergic contributions to sleep-wake disturbances in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury. Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms 2: 71-84, 2017.
• Ho, J., N. H. Ducich, N-Q. K. Nguyen, and M. R. Opp.  Acute sleep disruption- and high-fat diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation are not related to glucose tolerance in mice.  Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms 4: 1-9, 2018.
• Byun, E., S. M McCurry, M. Opp, D. Liu, K. J. Becker, and H. J. Thompson. Self-efficacy is associated with better sleep quality and efficiency in adults with subarachnoid hemorrhage, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 73: 173-178, 2019.
• Opp, M. R., M. Haack, and J. M Krueger. Sleep and host defense.  In: Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. Seventh Edition.  M Kryger, T. Roth, W. C. Dement (eds.). Philadelphia: Elsevier, pp. 274-283, 2022.
• Rowe, Rachel K., T. Green, K. Giordano, J. B. Ortiz, S. Murphy and M. R. Opp. Microglia are necessary to regulate sleep after an immune challenge. Biology 11(8): 1241, 2022.
• Opp, M. R. Sleep: Not getting enough diminishes vaccine responses. Current Biology 33: R192 – R194, 2023.

Funding

• 2012 – 2017: R01AG041287 Sepsis Outcomes and Aging: Role of Sleep Disruption and the Blood Brain Barrier (PI: Opp)
• 2012 – 2017: R01HD036520 Molecular Mechanisms of Sleep Responses to Viral Infection (PI: Krueger; co-PI; Opp)
• 2014 – 2018: R01NR014479 Microbiome and Pain in IBS (PI: Heitkemper; co-I: Opp)
• 2015 – 2017: R21AI115706 Astrocytes, Sleep and Neuroinflammation (PI: Opp)
• 2016 – 2021: R01NS025378 Interleukin-1: A Promoter of Slow Wave Sleep (PI: Krueger; co-PI Opp)
• 2019 – 2022: CMS IHEA140802 Hypocretin Replacement as a Countermeasure for Sleep-wake Disturbances in a Mouse Model of Traumatic Brain Injury (PI: Opp)
• 2019 – 2024: R01AG064465-01 Sleep Disruption and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology (MPI: Opp, Hoeffer, Link)
• 2022 – 2026: PR211450P1 The Role of Microglia in Sleep Disturbances Following a Traumatic Brain Injury (Partnering PI: Opp)