email: Alan.Light@hsc.utah.edu

Research Professor of Anesthesiology Cellular Neuroscience Neurobiology of Disease Molecular Neuroscience Brain and Behavior

B.A. 1972, Hamilton College; Ph.D. 1977, SUNY at Upstate Medical Center; Postdoctoral Fellow 1977-1979, UNC-Chapel Hill.

RESEARCH:

Dr. Light's lab focuses on the neurobiology of pain pathways. Most recently, two areas are under active research. The first areas of research examines the role of Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) in muscle fatigue and pain. Research in Dr. Light's lab has shown that C-fibers innervating muscle are responsive to a mixture of metabolites produced by exercise. These metabolites activate a complex of ASIC-3, P2X4 and 5 and TRPV1 receptors on sensory afferents in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Exhausting exercise and muscle inflammation causes increased expression of ASICS, P2X and TRPV1 receptors in sensory neurons. Similar increases are seen in patients with Chronic Fatigue and Fybromyalgia syndromes, conditions in which muscle pain and fatigue are the primary symptoms. The second area examines the role of spinal cord glia (microglia and astrocytes) in enhancing pain following injury of peripheral tissues. Recent experiments have shown that ATP is the likely signal that activates glial cells following the peripheral injury and that this signal is mediated by a recently discovered family of P2 receptors.

Selected Publications

Lin, T., Li, K., Zhang, F.Y., Zhang, Z.K., Light, A.R., and Fu, K.Y. (2007) Dissociation of spinal microglia morphological activation and peripheral inflammation in inflammatory pain models. J Neuroimmunol., 192:40-48.

Zhang, F.Y., Wan, Y., Zhang, Z.K., Light, A.R., and Fu, K.Y. (2007) Peripheral Formalin Injection Induces Long-Lasting Increases in Cyclooxygenase 1 Expression by Microglia in the Spinal Cord. J Pain, 8:110-117.

Light, A.R., Wu, Y., Hughen, R.W., and Guthrie, P.B. (2006) Purinergic receptors activating rapid intracellular Ca2+ increases in microglia. Neuron Glia Biology, 1:125-138.

Light, A.R. (2004) "Nocifensor" system re-revisited. Focus on "Two types of C nociceptor in human skin and their behavior in areas of capaicin-induced secondary hyperalgesia". J Neurophysiol., 91:2401-2403.

Wu, Y., Willcockson, H.H., Maixner, W., and Light, A.R. (2004) Suramin inhibits spinal cord microglia activation and long-term hyperalgesia induced by formalin injection. J Pain, 5:48-55.

Eckert, W.A. III, McNaughton, K.K., and Light A.R. (2003) Morphology and axonal arborization of rat spinal inner lamina II neurons hyperpolarized by uopioid selective agonists. Journal of Comparative Neurology 458:240-256.

Kruger, L., Light, A.R., and Schweizer, F.E. (2003) Axonal terminals of sensory neurons and their morphological diversity. J Neurocytol., 32:205-216.

Kruger, L., Kavookjian, A.M., Kumazawa, T., Light, A.R., and Mizumura, K. (2003) Nociceptor structural specialization in canine and rodent testicular "free" nerve endings. J Comp Neurol. 463:197-211.

Light, A.R. and Perl, E.R. (2003) Unmyelinated afferent fibers are not only for pain anymore. J. Comp. Neurol., 461:137-139.

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