Marcia H. Ratner, PhD, DABT
Assistant Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics

PhD, Boston University School of Medicine
BA, Boston University



Dr. Ratner is a Board-Certified Toxicologist and Behavioral Neuroscientist. She earned her doctoral degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine where she trained in the Department of Neurology under the supervision of Drs. Robert G. Feldman, MD and Raymon Durso, MD. During her doctoral training, she was an active member of the Environmental and Occupational Neurology Program where she gained her expertise in neurotoxicology. Dr. Ratner's dissertation research which revealed a younger age at onset of sporadic Parkinson's disease among subjects occupationally exposed to metals such as manganese and pesticides has been replicated by other investigators demonstrating the enduring importance as well as the rigor and reproducibility of her research (see Ratner et al., 2015 and Gamache et al., 2019). Dr. Ratner subsequently completed a three-year National Institute on Aging funded Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Biochemistry of Aging under the supervision of Dr. David H. Farb, here in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics. Her postdoctoral training has provided Dr. Ratner with the additional expertise necessary to use preclinical animal models combined with in vivo electrophysiological techniques to effectively investigate how chemical exposures modulate neural network activity in vivo.

Her training at the bench and bedside has provided Dr. Ratner with genuine translational research experience in clinical as well as preclinical neuroscience and neurotoxicology. This unique combination of experience enables Dr. Ratner to effectively evaluate how chemicals modify neurological function and the progression of neurodegenerative disease in humans and animal models.

Dr. Ratner's research currently focuses on clinical and preclinical investigations of how chemicals alter neurological function in healthy subjects and those with neuropsychiatric and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. She and her clinical colleagues are currently investigating the use of serum exosomal alpha synuclein levels as a biomarker for differentiating young onset Parkinson's disease from parkinsonism in welders exposed to manganese (see Rutchik and Ratner, 2019). Her preclinical research employs basic behavioral and in vivo electrophysiological techniques to investigate how chemicals modify hippocampal neural network activity and disease progression in animal models of age-related amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. The major advantages of in vivo electrophysiology over noninvasive measures of neurological function such as surface electroencephalogram and functional imaging studies of regional cerebral blood flow is found in the ability of this powerful technology to differentiate the activity of inhibitory interneurons from that of excitatory pyramidal cells both across brain regions and within subregions. This highly translational approach is well suited for target-based as well as repurposing studies of drug-induced changes in both single unit activity and local field potentials. Dr. Ratner's paper looking at the effects of co-administration of low doses of the FDA approved anti-epileptic drugs levetiracetam and valproic acid demonstrates that these compounds improve aspects of place cell firing dynamics including increasing spatial information content in aged rats (Hippocampus, 2015). The observations of Dr. Ratner and her colleagues suggest that the specificity with which, not just the rate at which, a neuron fires plays an important role in learning and memory function and, that interventions designed to increase the specificity with which hippocampal pyramidal cells fire may improve memory function in subjects with age-related amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). She and her colleagues have also demonstrated that pharmacologically decreasing tonic inhibition in wild type rats increases place cell firing rates without abolishing place cell remapping while at the same time increasing the amplitude of sharp wave ripples implicated in memory consolidation. The observed augmentation of ripple amplitude in wild type rats is not seen in TgF344-AD rats implicating disrupted tonic inhibition in the early stages of AD (Heliyon, 2021). Her work has played a key role in promoting and advancing the use of in vivo electrophysiology as an applied science in preclinical neurotoxicology research (Frontiers in Toxicology, 2022).

Dr. Ratner is an active member of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, American Academy of Neurology, American Psychological Association and the Society of Toxicology. Dr. Ratner is a Review Editor for the journal Frontiers in Toxicology and, she serves as an ad hoc peer reviewer for several other professional medical and scientific journals including: Neurology, Toxicology, Clinical Toxicology, Food and Chemical Toxicology, and BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Ratner has also served as a scientific advisor, on the role of occupational exposures to chemicals in Parkinson's disease, to the Workplace Safety Insurance Board of Ontario, Canada. In addition, she regularly serves as an ad hoc advisor to the pharmaceutical and legal services industries.

Dr. Ratner has expertise and training in the following areas:

Toxicology (Board Certified in Toxicology)
Stereotactic Brain Surgery (Rodents)
In vivo Electrophysiology and EEG
Preclinical Animal Models of Behavior
Neurophysiology
Clinical Neurological Assessment
Human Neuropsychological Assessment
Neuroimaging

Research Compliance Manager
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics


Postdoctoral Fellow (previously held)
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics


Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences


Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Kaplan BLF, Hoberman AM, Slikker W, Smith MA, Corsini E, Knudsen TB, Marty MS, Sobrian SK, Fitzpatrick SC, Ratner MH, Mendrick DL. Protecting Human and Animal Health: The Road from Animal Models to New Approach Methods. Pharmacol Rev. 2024 Feb 13; 76(2):251-266. PMID: 38351072; PMCID: PMC10877708; DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.123.000967;
     
  2. Ratner MH, Farb DF. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Pharmacology of Memory Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). 2023; 385(S3 70). View Publication
  3. Ratner MH, Rutchik J. Neurofilament Light Chain and Mercury Amalgam Fillings in Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Multiple Sclerosis Case Report. Neuroimmunology Reports. 2022. View Publication
  4. Rutchik J, Ratner MH. Clinical Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis of Neurotoxic Disease. In, Editor(s): Roberto G. Lucchini, Michael Aschner, Lucio G. Costa, Advances in Neurotoxicology, Chapter 7 Occupational Neurotoxicology, Academic Press,. Academic Press. 2022; 7:47-75. View Publication
  5. Rutchik J, Ratner MH. Diagnosis and Management of Occupational and Environmental Carbon Monoxide Neurotoxicity. In, Editor(s): Roberto G. Lucchini, Michael Aschner, Lucio G. Costa, Advances in Neurotoxicology, Chapter 7 Occupational Neurotoxicology, Academic Press,. Academic Press. 2022; 257-282. View Publication
  6. Ratner M, Downing S, Guo O, Odamah KA, Stewart T, Kumaresan V, Xia W, Farb D. Role of Pharmacological Modulation of Tonic Inhibition in Hippocampal Sharp Wave Ripples Amplitude and Place Cell Firing Dynamics. FASEB J. 2022 May; 36 Suppl 1. PMID: 35552906; DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.0R233;
     
  7. Ratner MH, Farb DH. Probing the Neural Circuitry Targets of Neurotoxicants In Vivo Through High Density Silicon Probe Brain Implants. Front Toxicol. 2022; 4:836427.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35548683; PMCID: PMC9081674; DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2022.836427;
     
  8. Tipton AE, George J, Ratner M, Farb D, Russek S. Data from single nuclei RNA-sequencing reveals a prodromal gene network response in excitatory neurons of a humanized rat Alzheimer's disease model. Alzheimers Dement. 2021 Dec; 17 Suppl 2:e058589.View Related Profiles. PMID: 34971150; DOI: 10.1002/alz.058589;
     
  9. Ratner MH, Downing SS, Guo O, Odamah KE, Stewart TM, Kumaresan V, Robitsek RJ, Xia W, Farb DH. Prodromal dysfunction of a5GABA-A receptor modulated hippocampal ripples occurs prior to neurodegeneration in the TgF344-AD rat model of Alzheimer's disease. Heliyon. 2021 Sep; 7(9):e07895.View Related Profiles. PMID: 34568591; PMCID: PMC8449175; DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07895;
     
  10. Rutchik J, Bowler RM, Ratner MH. A rare case of Holmes tremor in a worker with occupational carbon monoxide poisoning. Am J Ind Med. 2021 05; 64(5):435-449. PMID: 33616228
     
Showing 10 of 40 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 40 publications over 19 distinct years, with a maximum of 7 publications in 2005

YearPublications
19993
20011
20021
20032
20042
20057
20061
20071
20142
20151
20164
20171
20181
20192
20201
20213
20225
20231
20241

The State of Alzheimer's Research, with Dr Marcia Ratner & Dr James Hendrix | EDB 255

BU doc appointed to the Scientific Liaison Coalition of the Society of Toxicology

EurekAlert 12/8/2022

BU Doc Elected to the Neurotoxicology Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology

EurekAlert! 3/31/2022

Cortical Thickness and Plasma Proteins Correlate with Cognition in 9-11 World Trade Center Responders

Neurology Today 10/17/2020

An Experimental Drug for Alzheimer’s Disease Heads to the FDA Experts Ask: Where Are the Data?

NeurologyToday 11/21/2019

Devastated by office chemicals, an attorney helps others fight toxic torts

ABAJournal 11/1/2018

Manganese Exposure Tied to Parkinsonism Progression in Welders

Population Health Learning Network 1/4/2017

2020 The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research: Travel Award to attend Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research Researcher Hill Day
2019 The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research: Travel Award to attend Parkinson’s Policy Forum in Washington D.C.
2018 The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research: Travel Award to attend Parkinson’s Policy Forum in Washington D.C.
2016 BU-CTSI National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH through Grant Number 1UL1TR001430: BU-CTSI Funding Opportunity Award
2004-2007 Boston University School of Medicine (PI: Peter Polgar; Mentor: David Farb), NRSA T32 AG 00115 : Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Biochemistry of Aging
1995 International Honor Society in Psychology: Psi Chi
In addition to these self-described keywords below, a list of MeSH based concepts is available here.

Behavioral Neuroscience
Dementia
In vivo electrophysiology
Learning and memory disorders
Neurodegenerative disease
Neurotoxicology
Parkinsonism
Preclinical Drug Discovery
Toxic encephalopathy
Toxicology
Neuromodulators
Movement Disorders
Drug Discovery
Alzheimer's Disease
Parkinson's Disease

Dr. Ratner is available to serve as a mentor to undergraduate and graduate students.

Available to Mentor as: (Review Mentor Role Definitions):
  • Advisor
  • Career Mentor
  • Co-Mentor or Peer Mentor
  • Education Mentor
  • Project Mentor
  • Research / Scholarly Mentor
Contact for Mentoring:
  • Email (see 'Contact Info')
  • Phone (see 'Contact Info')

72 E. Concord St Instructional (L)
Boston MA 02118
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617.358.9573
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