Olga Chechneva, PhD

Olga Chechneva is a neuroscientist at Shriners Children’s Northern California and University of California Davis. She received her PhD in neurobiology from Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg in Germany and her postdoctoral training at the University of California Davis. She is a mother of four and involved in the teaching and support of children with developmental delays. Her research focuses on understanding how glial cells of the nervous system communicate with neurons and the role of glia-neuron interaction in brain function and disease. Her recent work described the novel findings of material transfer from oligodendroglia to neurons in the mouse central nervous system. These findings suggest a larger role of oligodendroglia in brain development, function and disease than previously thought. Dr. Chechneva is currently working on elucidating the underlying mechanisms of oligodendroglia-neuron material transfer and its biological relevance in brain development, aging and disease with the goal to gain new understanding and identify therapeutic targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.