Yasmine Kamen | Department of Biological Sciences

Biography

I study interactions between oligodendrocyte lineage cells and neurons. During my doctoral studies, I used electrophysiology to examine how neurotransmitter signaling to oligodendrocyte precursor cells modulates their capacity to proliferate and differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Hill lab, I use intravital imaging with genetic labels and cellular physiology sensors to study how myelinating oligodendrocytes modulate neuronal function, with a focus on understanding these processes during healthy brain plasticity and in neurological disorders like Multiple Sclerosis.

Education

B.Sc. McGill University

Ph.D. University of Cambridge

Publications

Kamen Y, Chapman TW, Piedra EP, Ciolkowski ME, Hill RA. Transient upregulation of procaspase-3 during oligodendrocyte fate decisions. The Journal of Neuroscience (2025). doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2066-24.2025.

Kamen Y#, Evans KA, Ng YT, Dietmann S, Káradóttir RT#. Oligodendrocyte precursor cell AMPA receptors differ with age and brain region while kainate receptors remain stable. iScience (2025) doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113560. PMID: 41079616 #co-corresponding author

Kamen Y, Doty ME, Ciolkowski ME, Bame X, Pietramale AN, Schain AJ, Grutzendler J, Hill RA. Label-free and fluorescence imaging of oligodendrocytes and myelin. npj Imaging (2025) doi: 10.1038/s44303-025-00098-8. PMID: 40670677

Chapman TW, Kamen Y, Piedra ET, and Hill RA. Oligodendrocyte maturation alters the cell death mechanisms that cause demyelination. The Journal of Neuroscience (2024) doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1794-23.2024 PMID: 38395617

Kamen Y#, Evans KA, Sitnikov S, Spitzer SO, de Faria O Jr, Yucel M, Káradóttir RT#. Clemastine and metformin extend the window of NMDA receptor surface expression in ageing oligodendrocyte precursor cells. Scientific Reports (2024) doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53615-x. PMID: 38374232 #co-corresponding author

Pivoňková H*, Sitnikov S*, Kamen Y*, Vanhaesebrouck A, Matthey M, Spitzer SO, Ng YT, Tao C, de Faria O Jr, Varga BV, Káradóttir RT. Heterogeneity in oligodendrocyte precursor cell proliferation is dynamic and driven by passive bioelectrical properties. Cell Reports (2024) doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114873 PMID: 39423130 *co-first author

Kamen Y, Pivonkova H, Evans KA, Káradóttir RT. A Matter of State: Diversity in Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells. The Neuroscientist (2022) doi: 10.1177/1073858420987208. PMID: 33567971

Kamen Y# and Káradóttir RT#. Combining whole-cell patch clamp and dye loading in acute brain slices with bulk RNA sequencing in embryonic to aged mice. STAR Protocols (2021) doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100439. PMID: 33899020 #co-corresponding author

Spitzer SO*, Sitnikov S*, Kamen Y*, Evans KA, Kronenberg-Versteeg D, Dietmann S, de Faria O Jr, Agathou S, Káradóttir RT. Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells Become Regionally Diverse and Heterogeneous with Age. Neuron (2019) doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.12.020. PMID: 30654924 * co-first author