email: scott.rogers@hsc.utah.edu ALSO: 801-585-6339

Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy Molecular Neuroscience Cellular Neuroscience Neurobiology of Disease

B.S., M.S., 1979, Utah State University; Ph.D. 1986, University of Utah; Post-Doctorate, 1986-1991, The Salk Institute for Biological Sciences.

RESEARCH:

Experimentally defining the genetics that shape the brain- and ultimately the behaviors it controls, such as those leading to the complex outcomes of addiction and age-related pathologies -is a challenging but promising endeavor. In this context, we use a mouse genetic approach to explore the interactions between nicotine addiction, inflammation and age-related degenerative disorders. Like humans, mice of different genetic background also exhibit remarkably different physiological mechanism(s) leading to nicotine dependence, regulation of inflammatory processes, and susceptibility to a variety of maladies experienced with age. Because we believe these processes are interactive, the mouse model appears to hold promise as a powerful tool for understanding how genetics and behavioral measures combine to individualize the physiological responses to nicotine as we age.

Selected Studies

Gahring, L.C., and Rogers, S.W. (2007) Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Expression in the Hippocampus of 27 Mouse Strains Reveals Novel Inhibitory Circuitry. Hippocampus, in press.

Rogers, S.W., Baker, T., and Gould, T. (2007) Chapter 3: Mouse Models and the Genetics of Nicotine Addiction. In: NCI Monograph 22, Phenotypes and Endophenotypes: Foundations for Genetic Studies of Nicotine Use and Dependence, in press.

Osborne-Hereford, A., Vasquez, G., Rogers, S.W. and Gahring, L.C. (2007) Neuronal Nicotinic alpha7 Receptors Modulate Inflammatory Cytokine Production in the Skin Following Ultraviolet Radiation. J. Neuroimmunol., in press.

Gahring, L.C., Osborne-Hereford, A., Vasquez, G. and Rogers, S.W. (2007) TNFalpha enhances nicotinic receptor upregulation via a p38MAPK-dependent pathway. J. Biol. Chem. {Epub ahead of print, October}.

Gahring, L.C., and Rogers, S.W. (2006) Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor expression and function on nonneuronal cells. AAPS J., 7:E885-894.

Gahring, L.C., et al., and Rogers, S.W. (2005) Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Modify Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Assembly. J. Neuroimmunology, 166:88-101.

Gahring, L.C., Persiyanov, K., Days, E.L., and Rogers, S.W. (2005) Nicotinic Receptor Expression in the Aging Mouse Hippocampus Corresponds with Cyclooxygenase 2 and PPARg Expression and is Altered by Long-term NS398 Administration. J. Neurobiol., 62:453-468.

Gahring, L.C., Persiyanov, K., and Rogers, S.W. (2005) Mouse Strain-specific changes in nicotinic receptor expression with age. Neurobiol. Aging, 6:973-980.

Gahring, L.C., Persiyanov, K., Dunn, D., Weiss, R., and Rogers, S.W. (2004) Mouse strain specific nAChR expression by inhibitory interneurons and astrocytes in the dorsal hippocampus. J. Comp. Neurol., 468:334-346.

Gahring, L.C., Meyer. E.L., and Rogers, S.W. (2003) Nicotine-induced neuroprotection against NMDA or beta-amyloid peptide occur through independent mechanisms distinguished by pro-inflammatory cytokines. J. Neurochem, 87:1125-1136.

Meyer, E.L., Gahring, L.C., and Rogers, S.W. (2002) Nicotine Preconditioning Antagonizes Activity-dependent Caspase Proteolysis of a Glutamate Receptor. J Biol. Chem., 277:10869-10875.

Rogers, S.W., Gregori, N.Z., Carlson, N.G., Gahring, L.C., and Noble, M. (2001) Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Expression by O-2A Glial Progenitor Cells. Glia, 33:306-313.

The Neuro-Biology of Extinct Species (A Hobby):

Rogers, S.W. (2005) Reconstructing the behaviors of extinct species: An excursion into comparative paleoneurology. Amer. J Med. Gen., 134:349-356.

Rogers, S.W. (1999) Allosaurus, crocodiles and birds: Evolutionary Clues from spiral computed tomography of an endocast. The Antomical Record (New Anat.), 257:162-173.

Rogers, S.W. (1998) Exploring dinosaur neuro-paleobiology: Computed tomography scanning and analysis of an Allosaurus fragilis endocast. Neuron, 21:673-679.

Out on video: BBC/Discovery Channel Dinosaur Programs
2001 Walking with Dinosaurs: Allosaurus
2005 Walking with Dinosaurs: The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs

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