Alexandra Hochstetler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Research
Lab opening in August 2026
I am a translational neuroscientist whose research focuses on understanding how signals in the choroid plexus–cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) system regulate brain development and contribute to neurological injury. My work investigates how CSF-derived signals influence white matter maturation and neural circuit formation in the developing brain.
My current research is directed toward identifying CSF-derived signaling pathways that drive white matter injury and hydrocephalus following neonatal brain insults such as intraventricular hemorrhage, infection, and trauma. Overall, our studies aim to discover and validate therapeutic targets within the CSF signaling environment that can be modulated to prevent or repair injury to oligodendrocytes and developing neural circuits, with the long-term goal of developing CSF-based therapies for neonatal hydrocephalus and related disorders. My research program combines mechanistic studies in cell culture and rat models with translational validation in large-animal (pig) models of neonatal brain injury. Through these efforts, we are developing clinically relevant platforms that enable longitudinal imaging, molecular profiling, and therapeutic testing in gyrencephalic brains. These models provide an essential bench-to-bedside bridge.
Education
- B.S., Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
- Ph.D., Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
- Post-doctoral Fellowship, Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Post-doctoral Fellowship, Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA