Principal Investigator

Dr. Kraig graduated with a B.A. in Chemistry in 1971 from Cornell College under the mentorship of Dr. Addison Ault in 1971.  He later obtained his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics in 1976 from the University of Iowa, M.D. from New York University in 1978, internship in Medicine from the University of Chicago in 1979, and residency in Neurology from the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical College in 1982.  Dr. Kraig completed his graduate training under the guidance of Dr. Charles Nicholson with the Llinás group, and later studied under Dr. Fred Plum for training in neurology.  These mentors helped nurture Dr. Kraig’s passion as an experimentalist to understand basic nervous system functions and how they relate to neurological disease.  Specifically, Dr. Kraig’s research focus centers on deciphering the mean by which increased intellectual, social, and physical activity makes brain more resilient against neurological disease.  Dr. Kraig joined the University of Chicago in 1988, where he now is the Mabie Professor in the Neurosciences in the Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, Pharmacology & Physiology.  He is also a member of the Committees on Neurobiology, Molecular Pathogenesis & Molecular Medicine, and Computational Neuroscience.

Society Memberships

• American Headache Society (2006-present)
• American Neurological Association (1994-present)
• American Academy of Neurology (1980-present)
• Society for Neuroscience (1976-2019)

Select Publications

Pusic KM, Won L, Kraig, RP, Pusic AD (2021) Environmental enrichment and its benefits for migraine: dendritic cell exosomes as an effective mimetic. J Cellular Immunology. 3(4):215-225. PMID: 34337600 PMCID: PMC8321388.  [Pub Med]

Pusic KM, Kraig RP, Pusic AD (2021) IFNγ-stimulated dendritic cell extracellular vesicles can be nasally administered to the brain and enter oligodendrocytes. Plos One. Aug 3;16(8):e0255778. eCollection 2021. PMID: 34388189 PMCID: PMC8363003. [Pub Med]

Won L, Kraig RP (2021) Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 inhibits nitroglycerin-induced trigeminal activation of oxidative stress, calcitonin gene-related peptide and c-Fos expression. Neuroscience Letters 751:135809. PMID: 3313748: PMC: 8058296. [Pub Med]

Won L, Kraig RP. (2020) Insulin-like growth factor-1 inhibits spreading depression-induced trigeminal calcitonin gene related peptide, oxidative stress & neuronal activation in rat. Brain Res. 1732:146673. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146673. Epub 2020 Jan 21. PMID: 31978377. PMCID: 6733989. [Pub Med]

Pusic KM, Won L, Kraig RP, Pusic AD. (2019) IFNγ-stimulated dendritic cell exosomes fotreatment of migraine modeled using spreading depression. Front Neurosci. 13:942. eCollection 2019. PMID: 31551696. PMCID: PMC7060807 [PubMed]

Grinberg YY, Zitzow L, Kraig, RP (2017) Intranasally administered IGF-1 abrogates spreading depression and its pro-inflammatory sequelae in vivo. Brain Research 1677:47-57. PMID: 28951235. PMCID:  PMC5993215. [Pub Med]  

Ochocinska MJ, Zlokovic BV, Searson PC, Crowder AT, Kraig RP, Ljubimova JY, Mainprize TG, Banks WA, Warren RQ, Kindzelski A, Timmer W, Liu CH (2017) NIH workshop report on the trans-agency blood-brain interface workshop 2016: exploring key challenges and opportunities associated with the blood, brain and their interface. Fluids Barriers CNS. 14:12. doi: 10.1186/s12987-017-0061-6. PMID: 28457227. PMCID: PMC5410699 [Pub Med]

Pusic KM, Pusic AD, Kraig RP (2016) Environmental enrichment stimulates cell secretion of exosomes that promote CNS myelination and may regulate inflammation.  Cell Mol Neurobiol doi: 10.1007/s10571-015-0269-4.  PMID: 26993508. PMCID: PMC4860060. [Pub Med]

Quesenberry P, Aliotta J, Camussi G, Abdel-Mageed AB, Wen S, Goldberg L, Zhang H-G, Tetta C, Franklin JL, Coffey RJ, Danielson K, Subramanya V, Ghiran I, Das S, Chen CC, Pusic KM, Pusic AD, Chatterjee, D, Kraig RP, Balaj L (2015) Potential functional applications of extracellular vesicles: A report by the NIH Common Fund Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium.  Journal of Extracellular Vesicles 4:27575. doi: 10.3402/jev.v4.27575. eCollection 2015. PMID: 26320942. PMCID: PMC4853260. [PubMed]

Pusic AD, Kraig RP (2015) Phasic treatment with IFNγ stimulates release of exosomes that protect against spreading depression.  J Interferon and Cytokine Res 264:43-54. PMID: 26083947.  PMCID: PMC4589269. [PubMed]

Pusic AD, Pusic KM, Mitchell HM, Kunkler PE, Klauer N, Kraig RP (2015) Spreading depression transiently disrupts myelin via interferon-gamma signaling.  Exp Neurol 264:43-54.  PMCID: PMC4324018.  [Pub Med]     

Pusic, K.M., Pusic, A.D., Kemme, J., Kraig, R.P. (2014) Spreading depression requires microglia and is decreased by their M2a polarization from environmental enrichment. Glia. Pub Med

Pusic, A.D., Pusic, K.M., Kraig, R.P. (2014) What are exosomes and how can they be used in multiple sclerosis therapy? Expert Rev Neurotherapeutics. PubMed

Pusic, A.D., Kraig, R.P. (2014) Youth and environmental enrichment generate serum exosomes containing miR-219 that promote CNS myelination. Glia.  PubMed

Pusic, A.D., Pusic, K.M., Kraig, R.P. (2014) IFNγ Stimulated dendritic cell exosomes as a potential therapeutic for remyelination. J Neuroimmunology.  PubMed   

Grinberg, Y.Y., Dibbern, M.E., Levasseur, V.A., Kraig, R.P. (2013) Insulin-like growth factor-1 abrogates microglial oxidative stress and TNF-α responses to spreading depression.  J Neurochem. PubMed