Patricia Salgado Pirbhoy
Associate Specialist, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Biography
Patricia Salgado Pirbhoy, Ph.D., is an Associate Specialist in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine. She received her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine in 2016, where her dissertation focused on phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 as a mechanism to regulate translation at activated synapses. Following her doctoral work, Pirbhoy completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Riverside from 2017 to 2022, where she investigated mechanisms of hyperexcitability and potential therapeutic interventions for Fragile X Syndrome.
Pirbhoy's research focuses on synaptic regulation of protein synthesis and the neurobiology of Fragile X Syndrome. Her work has examined how pharmacological inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and modulation of the endocannabinoid system can correct auditory hypersensitivity and other phenotypes in Fragile X mouse models. She has also investigated the role of ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation in activity-dependent translation at synapses, contributing to the understanding of how synaptic activity regulates local protein synthesis in dendrites.
Pirbhoy has been awarded multiple FRAXA Postdoctoral Fellowships from 2018 to the present, supporting her research on therapeutic approaches for Fragile X Syndrome. She was also a recipient of the University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellowship from 2018 to 2020 and received an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Award F31 Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from 2013 to 2016. She has published her research in journals including Journal of Neurochemistry, Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and Learning & Memory, and has presented her work at national and international conferences.
More recently, her work has expanded to include spatial transcriptomics approaches to study activity-dependent RNA localization in the brain. She is particularly interested in leveraging these technologies to bridge basic neuroscience with translational research, with a growing focus on clinical and patient-oriented studies, including applications in neuromuscular disease and nerve injury. Her long-term goal is to contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies and clinical trials that translate molecular and circuit-level insights into meaningful patient outcomes.
Return to topEducation
- Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 2016
- M.S. in Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 2016
- B.S. in Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 2010
Distinctions
- Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Award (NRSA) F31 Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2013-2016
- Minority Access for Research Careers (MARC) Fellowship, 2009-2010
- Gordon Research Conference Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship, 2018
- University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2018-2020
- Winter Conference on Brain Research (WCBR) Panel Travel Fellowship, 2018
- Hershey Family Foundation Scholarship for International Symposium for Contemplative Studies, 2016
- Excellent organizational abilities and contributions in supporting the Division of Biomedical Sciences community, UC Riverside, 2021
- Excellent leadership abilities and contributions in supporting the Division of Biomedical Sciences community, UC Riverside, 2018
Areas of Expertise
- Synaptic Plasticity and Neurodevelopment
- Regulation of Activity-Dependent Protein Synthesis
- Fragile X syndrome and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Circuit Hyperexcitability and Sensory Processing
- Therapeutic Targeting of MMP-9 and Endocannabinoid Pathways
- Spatial Transcriptomics and RNA Localization
- Neuromuscular Denervation and Nerve Injury
- Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutic Development
- Behavioral Assays of Learning and Cognitive Flexibility
Recent Publications
- Rais M, Lovelace JW, Shuai XS, Woodard W, Bishay S, Estrada L, Sharma AR, Nguy A, Kulinich A, Pirbhoy PS, Palacios AR, Nelson DL, Razak KA, Ethell IM, “Functional consequences of postnatal interventions in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome” (opens in new tab), Neurobiology of Disease, vol. 162, 2022.
- Pirbhoy PS, Jonak CR, Syed R, Argueta DA, Perez PA, Wiley MB, Hessamian K, Lovelace JW, Razak KA, DiPatrizio NV, Ethell IM, Binder DK, “Increased 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol levels normalize cortical responses to sound and improve behaviors in Fmr1 KO mice” (opens in new tab), Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, vol. 13, 2021.
- Pirbhoy PS, Lovelace JW, Rais M, Woodard W, Wen TH, Razak KA, Binder DK, Ethell IM, “Acute pharmacological inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity during development restores perineuronal net formation and normalizes auditory processing in Fmr1 KO” (opens in new tab), Journal of Neurochemistry, vol. 155, pp. 538-558, 2020.
- Lovelace JW, Rais M, Palacios AR, Shuai XS, Bishay S, Popa O, Pirbhoy PS, Binder DK, Nelson DL, Ethell IM, Razak KA, “Deletion of Fmr1 from Forebrain Excitatory Neurons Triggers Abnormal Cellular, EEG, and Behavioral Phenotypes in the Auditory Cortex of a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome” (opens in new tab), Cerebral Cortex, vol. 30, pp. 969-988, 2019.
- Steward O, Yee KM, Farris S, Pirbhoy PS, Worley P, Okamura K, Okuno H, Bito H, “Delayed degradation and impaired dendritic delivery of intron-lacking EGFP-Arc/Arg3.1 mRNA in EGFP-Arc transgenic mice” (opens in new tab), Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, vol. 10, 2017.
- Pirbhoy PS, Farris S, Steward O, “Synaptically driven phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 is differentially regulated at active synapses versus dendrites and cell bodies by MAPK and PI3K/mTOR signaling pathways” (opens in new tab), Learning and Memory, vol. 24, pp. 341-357, 2017.
- Pirbhoy PS, Farris S, Steward O, “Synaptic activation of ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation occurs locally in activated dendritic domains” (opens in new tab), Learning and Memory, vol. 23, pp. 255-269, 2016.
- Steward O, Farris S, Darnell J, Van Driesche SJ, Pirbhoy PS, “Localization and local translation of Arc/Arg3.1 mRNA at synapses: some observations and paradoxes” (opens in new tab), Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, vol. 7, pp. 1-15, 2015.
- Durban A, Abellan JJ, Jimenez-Hernandez N, Salgado P, Ponce M, Ponce J, Garigues V, Latorre A, Moya A, “Structural alterations of faecal and mucosa-associated bacterial communities in irritable bowel syndrome”, Environ Microbiol, vol. 4, pp. 242-247, 2012.
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Last updated on 3/31/2026.