Publications

Group highlights

At the end of this page, you can find the full list of publications.

Counter-balancing X-linked Mecp2 hypofunction by hyperfunction ameliorates disease features in a model of Rett syndrome: implications for genetic therapies

Using genetic techniques, we find that “counter-balancing” Mecp2-null cells in female Mecp2null/+ mice by a complementary population of cells harboring an X-linked transgene associated with 3X normal levels of MECP2 leads to normalization of multiple whole animal phenotypic outcomes without noticeable toxicity.

McGraw CM, Soriano S, Shuang H, Connolly DR, Chahrour A, Wu Z, Liang, AJ, Sun Y, Tang J, Samaco RC.

bioRxiv. 2024 Jan 20;2024. (in submission, Nat Communications 2025)

Machine learning enables high-throughput, low-replicate screening for novel anti-seizure targets and compounds using combined movement and calcium fluorescence in larval zebrafish

We developed a method to track movement and calcium fluorescence from unrestrained larval zebrafish and used machine-learning to classify seizure-like activity.

CM McGraw, A Poduri

European Journal of Pharmacology Volume 991, 15 March 2025, 177327

Zebrafish models of candidate human epilepsy-associated genes provide evidence of hyperexcitability

We performed a prospective screen of candidate epilepsy genes using zebrafish and identified several genes associated with hyperexcitability (arfgef1, kcnd2, kcnv1, ubr5, and wnt8b).

LaCoursiere CM, Ullmann JFP, Koh HY, Turner L, Baker CM, Robens B, Shao W, Rotenberg A, McGraw CM, Poduri A

iScience, Volume 27, Issue 7, 110172

Featured as ‘Research Highlight’ in Epilepsy Currents

Mosaic and non-mosaic protocadherin 19 mutation leads to neuronal hyperexcitability in zebrafish

We show evidence of hyperexcitability in a zebrafish model of Pcdh19 clustering epilepsy.

Robens BK, Yang X, McGraw CM, Turner LH, Robens C, Thyme S, Rotenberg A, Poduri A

Neurobiol Dis. 2022 Jul;169:105738 (via ScienceDirect)

Cover article

Genome-wide identification and phenotypic characterization of seizure-associated copy number variations in 741,075 individuals

We contributed epilepsy patients to this large scale effort to understand molecular determinants of epilepsy, in this case related to copy number variants.

Montanucci et al. Epi 25 Collaborative. CM McGraw, as part of Epi25 Collaborative

Nat Commun . 2023 Jul 20;14(1):4392. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39539-6. (via Library of Medicine)

GWAS meta-analysis of over 29,000 people with epilepsy identifies 26 risk loci and subtype-specific genetic architecture

We contributed epilepsy patients to this large scale effort to understand the role of common genetic variants in epilepsy.

ILAE McGraw CM, as part of ILAE Consortium on Complex Epilepsy

Nat Genet. 2023 Sep;55(9):1471-1482. doi: 10.1038/s41588-023-01485-w.Epub 2023 Aug 31.

Adult neural function requires MeCP2

We used conditional Cre/LoxP to knock-out the neurodevelopmental gene, MeCP2, in adult animals, and demonstrated that AKO animals develop all of the symptoms of germline KO animals, suggesting that mature nervous system function depends on Mecp2 function.

McGraw CM, Samaco RC, and Zoghbi HY

Science. 2011 Jul 8;333(6039):186. PMID: 21636743

Covered in ScienceDaily

Automated quantification of periodic discharges in human electroencephalogram

We developed an algorithm to quantify features of periodic discharges (frequency, spatial extent, evolution) in the human EEG to facilitate our ability to assess their relationship to clinical outcomes in critically ill patients.

CM McGraw, S Rao, S Manjunath, J Jing, MB Westover

Biomed. Phys. Eng. Express 10 065003DOI 10.1088/2057-1976/ad6c53

Enhanced proconvulsant sensitivity, not spontaneous rapid swimming activity, is a robust correlate of scn1lab loss-of-function in stable mutant and F0 crispant hypopigmented zebrafish expressing GCaMP6s

We find that genetic background or other factors seem to suppress the rapid swimming phenotype of scn1lab-s552 fish, and yet these stable KO as well as another line of acute KO scn1lab crispants still show enhanced sensitivity to proconvulsant.

CM McGraw, CM Baker, A Poduri

Biorxiv

A roadmap to cure CHD2-related disorders

We discuss the history of CHD2-related disorders and pathways towards their therapeutic management.

Prince S, Bonkowski E, McGraw C, et al.

Therapeutic Advances in Rare Disease. 2024;5. doi:10.1177/26330040241283749 (via Library of Medicine)

 

Full List of publications

  1. Lafont BA, McGraw CM, Stukes SA, Buckler-White A, Plishka RJ, Byrum RA, Hirsch VM, and Martin MA. The locus encoding an oligomorphic family of MHC-A alleles (Mane-A06/Mamu-A05) is present at high frequency in several macaque species. Immunogenetics. 2007 Mar;59(3):211-23. PMID: 17256149. [15 citations, RCR: 0.33]
  2. McGraw CM, Samaco RC, and Zoghbi HY. Adult neural function requires MeCP2. Science. 2011 Jul 8;333(6039):186. PMID: 21636743. [187 citations, RCR: 4.42]
  3. Samaco RC, Mandel-Brehm C, McGraw CM, Shaw CA, McGill BE, and Zoghbi HY. Crh and Oprm1 mediate anxiety-related behavior and social approach in a mouse model of MECP2 duplication syndrome. Nat Genet. 2012 Jan 8;44(2):206-11. PMID: 22231481. [109 citations, RCR: 3.09]
  4. Samaco RC, McGraw CM, Ward CS, Sun Y, Neul JL, and Zoghbi HY. Female Mecp2(+/-) mice display robust behavioral deficits on two different genetic backgrounds providing a framework for pre-clinical studies. Hum Mol Genet. 2013 Jan 1;22(1):96-109. PMID: 23026749. [129 citations, RCR: 4.09]
  5. Veeraragavan S, Wan YW, Connolly DR, Hamilton SM, Ward CS, Soriano S, Pitcher MR, McGraw CM, Huang SG, Green JR, Yuva LA, Liang AJ, Neul JL, Yasui DH, LaSalle JM, Liu Z, Paylor R, and Samaco RC. Loss of MeCP2 in the rat models regression, impaired sociability and transcriptional deficits of Rett syndrome. Hum Mol Genet. 2016 Aug 1;25(15):3284-3302. PMID: 27365498. [42 citations, RCR: 1.66]
  6. Meng X, McGraw CM, Wang W, Jing J, Yeh SY, Wang L, Lopez J, Brown AM, Lin T, Chen W, Xue M, Sillitoe RV, Jiang X, and Zoghbi HY. Neurexophilin4 is a selectively expressed α-neurexin ligand that modulates specific cerebellar synapses and motor functions. Elife. 2019 Sep 16;8:. PMID: 31524598. [14 citations, RCR: 0.67]
  7. Smith JR, Jones FJS, Fureman BE, Buchhalter JR, Herman ST, Ayub N, McGraw C, Cash SS, Hoch DB, and Moura LMVR. Accuracy of ICD-10-CM claims-based definitions for epilepsy and seizure type. Epilepsy Res. 2020 Oct;166:106414. PMID: 32683225. [14 citations, RCR: 1.65]
  8. Ward CS, Huang TW, Herrera JA, Samaco RC, McGraw CM, Parra DE, Arvide EM, Ito-Ishida A, Meng X, Ure K, Zoghbi HY, and Neul JL. Loss of MeCP2 Function Across Several Neuronal Populations Impairs Breathing Response to Acute Hypoxia. Front Neurol. 2020;11:593554. PMID: 33193060. [11 citations, RCR: 1.11]
  9. Moura LMVR, Donahue MA, Smith JR, Dass D, Sanches PR, Ayub N, McGraw C, Zafar SF, Cash SS, and Hoch DB. Telemedicine Can Support Measurable and High-Quality Epilepsy Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Am J Med Qual. 2021 Jan-Feb 01;36(1):5-16. PMID: 33764917. [2 citations, RCR: 0.48]
  10. McGraw CM, Mahida S, Jayakar P, Koh HY, Taylor A, Resnick T, Rodan L, Schwartz MA, Ejaz A, Sankaran VG, Berry G, and Poduri A. Uridine-responsive epileptic encephalopathy due to inherited variants in CAD: A Tale of Two Siblings. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2021 Mar;8(3):716-722. PMID: 33497533. [5 citations, RCR: 0.88]
  11. Robens BK, Yang X, McGraw CM, Turner LH, Robens C, Thyme S, Rotenberg A, Poduri A. Mosaic and non-mosaic protocadherin 19 mutation leads to neuronal hyperexcitability in zebrafish. Neurobiol Dis. 2022 Jul;169:105738. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105738. Epub 2022 Apr 20. PMID: 35460869. [2 citations, RCR: 0.46]
  12. Fernandes M, Donahue MA, Hoch D, Cash S, Zafar S, Jacobs C, Hosford M, Voinescu PE, Fureman B, Buchhalter J, McGraw CM, Westover MB, Moura LMVR. A replicable, open-source, data integration method to support national practice-based research & quality improvement systems. Epilepsy Res. 2022 Oct;186:107013. PMID: 35994859, PMCID: PMC9810436, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2022.107013 [2 citations, RCR: 0.91]
  13. Fernandes M, Cardall A, Jing J, Ge W, Moura LMVR, Jacobs C, McGraw C, Zafar SF, Westover MB. Identification of patients with epilepsy using automated electronic health records phenotyping. Epilepsia. 2023 Jun;64(6):1472-1481. PMID: 36934317. PMCID: PMC10239346. https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.17589. Epub 2023 Apr 04 [1 citation]
  14. Montanucci et al. Epi 25 Collaborative; Genome-wide identification and phenotypic characterization of seizure-associated copy number variations in 741,075 individuals. Nat Commun . 2023 Jul 20;14(1):4392. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39539-6. McGraw CM, as part of Epi25 Collaborative.
  15. ILAE. GWAS meta-analysis of over 29,000 people with epilepsy identifies 26 risk loci and subtype-specific genetic architecture Nat Genet. 2023 Sep;55(9):1471-1482. doi: 10.1038/s41588-023-01485-w.Epub 2023 Aug 31. [10 citations, RCR: 4.93] McGraw CM, as part of ILAE Consortium on Complex Epilepsy
  16. McGraw CM, Soriano S, Shuang H, Connolly DR, Chahrour A, Wu Z, Liang, AJ, Sun Y, Tang J, Samaco RC. Counter-balancing X-linked Mecp2hypofunction by hyperfunction ameliorates disease features in a model of Rett syndrome: implications for genetic therapies. bioRxiv. 2024 Jan 20;2024. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.18.576265. Epub 2024 Jan 20
  17. LaCoursiere CM, Ullmann JFP, Koh HY, Turner L, Baker CM, Robens B, Shao W, Rotenberg A, McGraw CM, Poduri A. Zebrafish models of candidate human epilepsy-associated genes provide evidence of hyperexcitability. iScience, Volume 27, Issue 7, 110172
  18. Jimenez AD, Gopaul M, Asbell H, Aydemir S, Basha MM, Batra A,… McGraw CM, …Hanin A. Comparative analysis of patients with new onset refractory status epilepticus preceded by fever (febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome) versus without prior fever: An interim analysis. Epilepsia. 2024; 65: e87–e96. https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.17988
  19. Hanin A, Jimenez AD, Gopaul M, Asbell H, Aydemir S, Basha MM, … McGraw CM, … Hirsch L. Trends in management of patients with new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) from 2016 to 2023: An interim analysis. Epilepsia. 2024; 65: e148–e155. https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18014
  20. CM McGraw, S Rao, S Manjunath, J Jing, MB Westover. Automated quantification of periodic discharges in human electroencephalogram. Biomed. Phys. Eng. Express 10 065003DOI 10.1088/2057-1976/ad6c53
  21. Prince S, Bonkowski E, McGraw C, et al. A roadmap to cure CHD2-related disorders. Therapeutic Advances in Rare Disease. 2024;5. doi:10.1177/26330040241283749
  22. M Fernandes, A Cardall, LMVR Moura, C McGraw, SF Zafar SF, MB Westover. Extracting seizure control metrics from clinic notes of patients with epilepsy: A natural language processing approach. Epilepsy Research, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2024.107451
  23. CM McGraw, CM Baker, A Poduri. Enhanced proconvulsant sensitivity, not spontaneous rapid swimming activity, is a robust correlate of scn1lab loss-of-function in stable mutant and F0 crispant hypopigmented zebrafish expressing GCaMP6s. bioRxiv, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.15.633275
  24. CM McGraw, A Poduri. Machine learning enables high-throughput, low-replicate screening for novel anti-seizure targets and compounds using combined movement and calcium fluorescence in larval zebrafish. European Journal of Pharmacology, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2025.177327

Other peer-reviewed scholarship

  1. McGraw CM, Ward CS, and Samaco RC. Genetic rodent models of brain disorders: Perspectives on experimental approaches and therapeutic strategies. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2017 Sep;175(3):368-379. PMID: 28910526. [13 citations, RCR: 0.58]
  2. McGraw CM, LaHue SC, Ferris S, Bollen AW, and Richie MB. A 52-Year-Old Man With Seizures and Progressive Cerebrovascular Lesions. Neurohospitalist. 2020 Apr;10(2):109-114. PMID: 32373273. [0 citations, RCR: 0]
  3. *Amorim E, *McGraw CM, and Westover MB. A Theoretical Paradigm for Evaluating Risk-Benefit of Status Epilepticus Treatment. J Clin Neurophysiol. 2020 Sep;37(5):385-392. PMID: 32890059. * These authors contributed equally. [5 citations, RCR: 0.58]

Non-peer reviewed scholarship in print or other media:

Reviews, chapters, and editorials

  1. Chapter “Electroencephalography” in Pocket Neurology, Third Edition. Contributor.
  2. “Zebrafish as a model of genetic epilepsy and its co-occurring neurobehavioral / neuropsychiatric features” in the Encyclopedia of Behavioural Neuroscience (EMSS), 2nd edition. Barbara K. Robens, Christopher M. McGraw, Annapurna Poduri