Faculty Focus - Alexander Velumian
Alexander Velumian, PhD
Dr. Alexander “Sasha” Velumian graduated from Moscow State University before going on to complete his PhD and DSc at the I.M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Science in St. Petersburg. After completing his post-graduate training, he became a Scientist – and later Leading Scientist – at the same institute. He first joined the Toronto Western Research Institute in 1992 as a Research Associate. Dr. Velumian is currently an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Physiology at the University of Toronto and a Research Neuroscientist in Division of Neurosurgery at Toronto Western Hospital, working in the spinal cord injury program headed by Dr. Michael Fehlings. His current research focuses on the organization of the living myelin sheath and myelin-axon interactions in CNS white matter, and functional aspects of myelination/demyelination in CNS white matter.
Current Appointments
- Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
- Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto
- Research Neuroscientist, Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Selected Professional Activities
- Member, International Brain Research Organization
- Member, Society for Neuroscience
- Course Co-Director, Fundamentals of Neuroscience: Cellular and Molecular, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto
- Distinguished Toronto Ambassador, Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Tourism Toronto
Selected Publications
- Velumian AA , Samoilova M. Chapter 1: White matter: Basic principles of axonal organization and function. In: Baltan S, Carmichael T, Matute C, Guochua X, Zhang JH, editor(s). White Matter Injury After Stroke & CNS Disorders. (United States): Springer; 2014. p. 3-38.
- Velumian AA , Wan Y, Samoilova M, Fehlings MG. Contribution of fast and slow conducting myelinated axons to single-peak compound action potentials in rat spinal cord white matter preparations. Journal of Neurophysiology. 2011;105(2):929-941.
- Velumian AA , Samoilova M, Fehlings MG. Visualization of cytoplasmic diffusion within living myelin sheaths of CNS white matter axons using microinjection of the fluorescent dye Lucifer Yellow. NeuroImage. 2011;56(1):27-34.
- Velumian AA, Wan Y, Samoilova M, Fehlings MG. Modular double sucrose gap apparatus for improved recording of compound action potentials from rat and mouse spinal cord white matter preparations. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 2010;187(1):33-40.