Olga Pletnikova M.D.

Olga Pletnikova

Olga Pletnikova
M.D.

Research Associate Professor

Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences


Specialty/Research Focus

Brain Research; Histology

Contact Information
955 Main Street, Room 4206
Buffalo, New York 14203
Phone: 716-829-5209
olgaplet@buffalo.edu



Professional Summary:

My professional expertise is in autopsy neuropathology, with focus on neurodegenerative disorders and forensic neuropathology, and brain banking. In the diagnostic domain, I am familiar with all major neurodegenerations to a level that allows me to teach pathology and neuropathology trainees. I gained this expertise through 20 years of examining cases from the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research, Huntington Disease Center, Fronto-temporal dementia study, and BIOCARD study. My experience in forensic pathology began in 1987 at the Bureau of Forensic Medicine in Moscow, Russia, and continued thereafter with 20 years of assisting in forensic neuropathology consultations at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland.

I have 15 years of experience managing the Johns Hopkins Brain Resource Center (BRC) a repository with approximately 2500 postmortem brain specimens of neurodegenerative cases and controls. As manager of the BRC, I was responsible for dissection and preparation of tissues for research, supervised the safe storage of these valuable tissues, and provided tissue samples for research to investigators at Hopkins and extramurally. The provision of these tissues included discussions and advice to requesting investigators in terms of case selection, anatomical regions, and histological and immunohistochemical methods.

My professional experience also includes the preparation and participation in clinical pathological conferences, and the teaching of neuroanatomy and brain cutting demonstration to medical and graduate students.

Education and Training:

  • Internship, forensic pathology, The Moscow Bureau of the Forensic Pathology (1987)
  • MD, internal medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow Medical Institute (1986)

Employment:

  • Research Associate Professor, Dept. of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2020-present)
  • Research Associate, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2005–2020)
  • Volunteer Faculty, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , (1999–2020)
  • Research Technician, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2000–2005)
  • Attending Staff, The Bureau of Forensic Medicine of the Moscow Health Department (1987–1997)
  • Intern, The Bureau of Forensic Medicine of the Moscow Health Department (1986–1987)

Research Expertise:

  • brain banking
  • neuropathology: - The neuropathology of normal aging and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinson's disease and Lewy body disease and Huntington's disease - Forensic neuropathology - Basic neuropathological methods and analysis

Grants and Sponsored Research:

  • January 2022–December 2026
    Immunomodulatory Therapy After Resuscitation From Cardiac Arrest
    NIH
    Role: Consultant
  • January 2024–December 2024
    Buffalo Bioimaging Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders (B4ND)
    Translational Pilot Studies Program University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA)
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
    $68,000
  • August 2018–April 2023
    Biomarker Discovery and Validation in PSP
    NIH
    Role: Contributor
    $576,476
  • April 2016–March 2021
    TDP-43 Proteinopathy in ALS-FTD: Mechanism, Target Validation and Biomarker The goal of this study to clarify mechanism of TDP-43 proteinopathy and perform target validation studies and develop biomarkers for ALS-FTD.
    NIH
    Role: Contributor
    $250,000
  • April 2017–March 2020
    Alzheimer’s Disease before plaques and tangles: Abeta-Amyloid Oligomers and the Glymphatic Pathway The goal of this study is to generate novel information on very early development of Alzheimer’s disease to help identify new biomarkers for prevention and
    NIH
    Role: Contributor
    $150,000
  • April 2015
    Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
    NIA/NIH
    Role: Contributor
    $1,173,896
  • September 2009
    Parkinson’s Disease Research Center of Excellence
    NINDS
    Role: Contributor
    $1,237,499

Journal Articles:

See all (123 more)

Books and Book Chapters:

  • Troncoso JC, Rubio A, Fowler D. (2009) Neurodegenerative Diseases, in: Essential Forensic Neuropathology. In: Essential Forensic Neuropathology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 247-263.
  • Margolis RL, Holmes SE, O’Hearn E, Rudnicki DD, Hwang J, Cortez-Apreza N, Pletnikova O, Troncoso JC. (2006) Nucleic Acids and Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 12 and Huntington’s Disease-Like 2: Clues to Pathogenesis, in: ; Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology. In: Human Nucleotide Expansion Disorders. Springer, 253-276.

Service Activities:

  • JSMBS faculty council alternate for PAS (2023–2024)
  • JSMBS faculty council alternate for PAS (2023–2024)
  • I am working on organizing a human brain tissue samples repository as an integral part of the Biorepository in the department. I am expanding my collaborative efforts with the brain bank at JHU to establish a long-term interaction between two banking systems and ensure an uninterrupted exchange of postmortem human brain samples to be used for research and teaching purposes. Going forward, this service will significantly stimulate basic and translational studies of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions at UB, a promising and highly fundable research direction. (2020–present)
  • 2/12/2014 Presentation “Movement and neurodegenerative disorders” and brain cutting demonstration to the staff at Copper Ridge Peak Healthcare Skilled Nursing Facility at Copper Ridge 710 Obrecht Rd, Sykesville, MD (2014)
  • 10/6/2010 Presentation “Movement and neurodegenerative disorders” and brain cutting demonstration to the staff at Copper Ridge Peak Healthcare Skilled Nursing Facility at Copper Ridge 710 Obrecht Rd, Sykesville, MD 2/12/2014 Presentation “Movement and neurodegenerative disorders” and brain cutting demonstration to the staff at Copper Ridge Peak Healthcare Skilled Nursing Facility at Copper Ridge 710 Obrecht Rd, Sykesville, MD

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Contact Information

955 Main Street, Room 4206
Buffalo, New York 14203
Phone: 716-829-5209
olgaplet@buffalo.edu