CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEUROSCIENCE

Neuroscience was my first love and has remained my longest sustained research interest, with a focus on the molecular mechanisms of learning and memory – and as a strategic approach to that subject, molecular changes during neural development.  More recently, my work has focused on comparative animal cognition. My significant contributions to the field have included:

•  Reviews and analysis of the history of research on the molecular mechanisms of memory in my books,  Scotophobin and Haystack Full of Needles.
• Documentation that an acute learning task causes differential expression of a small (~3%) number of genes in multiple categories.
• With Bruce Gray, Carol Irwin, Donna Byers, and Rafael Cabeza, demonstration of regional and temporal variation in expression of gangliosides and glycoproteins during neural development;
• With Dan Michael and Carol Irwin, discovery that ganglioside GD3 is the major precursor for biosynthesis of other gangliosides in early embryonic development;
• With Donna Byers and Shuwen Liang, demonstration of the breadth of changes in gene expression in the brain related to development, sex, nutritional state, and stress;
• With Donna Byers and John Gorbet, revelation of the importance of cytokines and chemokines to normal brain cell function.
• With Brian Irwin, drawing attention to the growing impact of the philosophical tradition in phenomenology on current neuroscience research.

Below are my major publications in neuroscience, with notable contributions to the field indicated by asterisks.

BOOKS

*Irwin, L.N.  2021. Scotophobin: Darkness at the Dawn of the Search for Memory Molecules. Xlibris, Bloomington IN, 2nd Ed.  

*Irwin, L. N. 2023 Haystack Full of Needles: A memoir of research on mechanisms of memory in the decades that defined neuroscience. Xlibris, Bloomington IN, 2nd Ed.

CHAPTERS AND REVIEWS 

Ungar G. and L. N. Irwin. 1968. Chemical correlates of neural function. Neurosci. Res. 1:73-142. 

Irwin, L.N. 1974. Glycolipids and glycoproteins in brain function. Rev. Neurosci. 1:137-179. 

*Irwin, L. N. 2024. Growing confidence and remaining uncertainty about animal consciousness. Qeios https://doi.org/10.32388/KOVD1Z.3

ESSAYS AND COMMENTARIES 

*Irwin, L.N. 1978. Fulfillment and frustration: the confessions of a behavioral biochemist. Perspect Biol Med 21:476-491. (This essay was awarded First Prize in the international writing competition for Perspectives authors in 1978). 

Irwin, L.N. 1992. Acrobat to academic: a sketch of the life and career of Frederick E. Samson, Jr. Neurochem. Res. 17:5-10.

*Irwin, L. N. 2020. Renewed perspectives on the deep roots and broad distribution of animal consciousness. Front. Syst. Neurosci.14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2020.00057

*Irwin, L.N. and B.A. Irwin. 2020. Place and environment in the ongoing evolution of cognitive neuroscience. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 32: 1837-1850. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01607

Irwin, L.N., L. Chittka, E. Jablonka, and J. Mallatt. 2022. Comparative animal consciousness.  Front. Syst. Neurosci. 10.3389 https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2022.998421 

Irwin, L. N. 2023. How minimal can consciousness be? Biosemiotics 16, 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-022-09518-3

Irwin, L. N. 2023. Alternative scenario for emergence of sentient artificial intelligence. Qeios   https://doi.org/10.32388/OOJIV9

Irwin, L. N. 2023. Review of: The case for conscious experience being in individual neurons. Qeios, https://doi.org/10.32388/DW32383QO32385

Irwin, L. N. 2023. What current theories of consciousness are missing. Neurol. Neurosci. 4, 1-4. 10.33425/2692-7918.1059

RESEARCH REPORTS 

Ungar G. and L.N. Irwin. 1967. Transfer of acquired information by brain extracts. Nature214:453-455. 

Irwin, L.N. 1969. Biochemical changes in subcellular fractions of brains of stimulated rats. Brain. Res. 15:518-521. 

Irwin, L.N. and F.E. Samson. 1971. Content and turnover of gangliosides in rat brain following behavioral stimulation. J. Neurochem. 18:203-211. 

Irwin, L.N., J. Mancini, and D. Hills. 1973. Sialidase activity against endogenous substrate in rat brain. Brain. Res. 53:488-491. 

*Gray, D.B. and L.N. Irwin. 1973. developmental changes in sialic acid content of the optic tectum of chick embryos. J. Neurobiol. 4:487-490. 

*Irwin, L.N., H. Chen, and R.A. Barraco. 1976. Ganglioside, protein, hexose, and sialic acid changes during development of the trisected optic tectum of the chick embryo. Develop. Biol. 49:29-39. 

Barraco, R.A. and L.N. Irwin. 1976. Cerebral protein patterns from trained and naive pigeons. J. Neurochem. 27:393-397. 

*Barraco, R.A., B.J. Klauenberg and L.N. Irwin. 1978. Swim escape: a multicomponent, one-trial learning task. Behav. Biol. 22:114-121. 

Irwin, L.N., R.A. Barraco and D. Terrian. 1978. Protein and glycoprotein metabolism in brains of operantly conditioned pigeons. Neuroscience 3:457-464. 

*Irwin, L.N. and D.M. Terrian. 1978. Glucosamine incorporation into brain glycoproteins and gangliosides: effect of adrenalectomy, corticosterone, exercise, and training. Pharmac. Biochem. 9:33-37. 

*Irwin, C.C. and L.N. Irwin. 1979. A rapid simple procedure for ganglioside isolation from small amounts of tissue. Analyt. Biochem. 94:335-339. 

*Irwin, L.N. and C.C. Irwin. 1979. Developmental changes in ganglioside composition of hippocampus, retina, and optic tectum. Develop. Neurosci. 2:129-138. 

*Irwin, L.N., D. Michael, and C.C. Irwin. 1980. Ganglioside patterns of fetal rat and mouse. J. Neurochem. 34:1527-1530. 

*Irwin, L.N. and C.C. Irwin. 1982. Developmental changes and regional variation in the ganglioside composition of the rat hippocampus. Develop. Brain. Res.4:481-485. 

Irwin, L.N., G.D. Hunter, J.E. Crandall, and R.H. McClure. 1985. Ganglioside patterns during cerebral development in normal and reeler mouse. J. Neurosci. Res.13:591-597. 

Irwin, L.N., E.G. Bremer, C.C. Irwin and R.H. McCluer. 1985. Developmental variation in monosialoganglioside content of embryonic chick retina and tectum. Devel. Neurosci. 7:239-246. 

Wolf, L. and L.N. Irwin. 1992. Potassium-induced depolarization displaces exogenous gangliosides from hippocampal slices. Brain Res. 582:346-348.

Young, H., Z Christian, R. Cabeza, and L.N. Irwin. 1998. Exogenous ganglioside uptake by synaptosomal membranes: effect of proteolytic enzymes. Neurochem. Res. 23: 1515-1520.

*Irwin, L.N. 2001. Gene expression in the hippocampus of behaviorally stimulated rats: analysis by DNA microarray. Mol. Brain Res. 96(1-2): 163-9

*Byers D.M., L.N. Irwin, R. Cabeza. 2002. Ganglioside patterns mature at different rates in functionally related subregions of the rat pons. Dev. Neurosci. 24: 478-484.

Sumaya, I.C., D.M. Byers, L.N. Irwin, S. Del Val, D.E. Moss. 2004. Circadian-dependent effect of melatonin on dopaminergic D2antagonist-induced stereotypies in rats. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 78:727-733.

*Michael D.B., Byers D.M., Irwin L.N. 2005. Gene expression following traumatic brain injury in humans: analysis by microarray. J. Clin. Neurosci. 12: 284-290.

*Byers, D. M., L. N. Irwin, D. E. Moss, I. C. Sumaya, C. F. Hohmann. 2005. Prenatal exposure to the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor methanesulfonyl fluoride alters forebrain morphology and gene expression. Develop. Brain Res. 158(1-2): 13-22.

*Liang, S, D. M. Byers, L. N. Irwin. 2007. Chronic mild stressors and diet affect gene expression differently in male and female rats. J. Molec. Neurosci. 33:189-200. 10.1007/s12031-007-0064-x).

*Liang, S, D. M. Byers, L. N. Irwin. 2008. Sex and diet affect the behavioral response of rats to chronic mild stressors. Physiol. Behav. 93: 27-36.

*Byers, D. M., J.G. Gorbet, L. N. Irwin. 2011. Disialogangliosides and TNF-alpha alter gene expression for cytokines and chemokines in primary brain cell cultures. Neurochem Res. 37(1), 214-222. http://dx. doi 10.1007/s11064-011-0587-y

*Irwin, L.N. & D.M. Byers. 2012. Novel odors affect gene expression for cytokines and proteinases in the rat amygdala and hippocampus. Brain Res.1489: 1-7 (2012) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2012.10.034  

*Christian, Z.F., P.D. Craig, K. Rayburn, and L.N. Irwin. 2018. Effect of exercise in  combination with dietary nopal and zucchini on chronic and acute glucohomeostasis in genetically obese mice.  Intl. J. Exp. Biol. 1:1-5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328430390

*Irwin, L. N. 2024. Behavioral indicators of heterogeneous subjective experience in animals across the phylogenetic spectrum: Implications for comparative animal phenomenology. Heliyon, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28421, e28421.