Robert Donati, PhD

Dr. Donati joined the faculty at ICO in 2004. Since that time he has been the course director and instructor in the first year human physiology, pathology, and immunology course sequence. He has served on numerous committees and is currently the chair of the ICO Institutional Review Board.

Why ICO?

I decided to join ICO because I saw a faculty whose primary goal was to develop the most well-rounded optometric clinicians possible and a student body that was up to the challenge. If that sounds like your future, then ICO is the place for you.

CURRENT STATUS	Associate Professor
SPECIALTIES	Anatomy, Cell Biology, Physiology, Immunology, Neurobiology of depression
TELEPHONE NUMBER	312-949-7136
E-MAIL ADDRESS	This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
ROOM NUMBER	BH 2026

Education

1998	University of Illinois at Chicago; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology Ph.D.
1989	University of Chicago B.A. in Biology

Experience

2009-present	Illinois College of Optometry Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
2004-2009	Illinois College of Optometry Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Publications

Maino, D.M., Viola, S.G., and Donati, R. (2009). The Etiology of Autism. Optom. Vis. Dev., (40)3: 150-156. Donati, R.J., Maino, D.M., Bartell, H., and Kieffer, M. (2009). Polypharmacy and the Lack of Oculo-Visual Complaints from those with Mental Illness and Dual Diagnosis (MI/ID). Optometry, 80(5):249-254. Dave, R.H., Saengsawang, W., Yu, J-Z., Donati, R. and Rasenick, M.M. (2009). Heterotrimeric G-proteins interact directly with cytoskeletal components to modify microtubule-dependent cellular processes. NeuroSignals, 17:100-108 Donati, R.J. and Rasenick, M.M. (2008). “Lipid rafts”, G proteins and the etiology of and treatment for depression: progress toward a depression biomarker. Future Neurology 3(5): 511-514. Donati, R.J., Dwivedi, Y., Roberts, R.C., Conley, R.R., Pandey, G.N., and Rasenick, M.M. (2008). Post-mortem brain tissue of depressed suicides reveals increased Gsα localization in lipid raft domains where it is less likely to activate adenylyl cyclase. J. Neuroscience, 28(12): 3042-3050. Donati, R.J. and Rasenick, M.M. (2005). Chronic antidepressant treatment prevents accumulation of Gs in cholesterol-rich, cytoskeletal-associated, plasma membrane domains (lipid rafts). Neuropshychopharm. 30: 1238-1245. Allen, J.A., Yu, J-Z., Donati, R.J. and Rasenick, M.M. (2005). -Adrenergic Receptor Stimulation Promotes Gs Internalization from Lipid Rafts. Mol. Pharm. 67: 1493-1504. Donati, R.J., Popova, J.S., Yu, J-Z., and Rasenick, M.M. (2004). Tubulin as a regulator of G protein signaling. In; Regulators of G-Protein Signaling, Part B : Methods in Enzymolgy 390:389-402. Donati, R.J. and Rasenick, M.M. (2003) G protein signaling and the molecular basis of antidepressant action. Life Sciences 73: 1-17. Donati, R.J., Thukral, C., and Rasenick, M.M. (2001) Chronic treatment of C6 glioma cells with antidepressant drugs results in a redistribution of Gs. Mol. Pharm. 59: 1426-1432.

Professional Organizations

Member, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)