Molecular neurobiology is the study of the role of individual molecules in the nervous system. Research is particularly strong in the area of synaptic neurotransmission. The propagation of electrical signals and the communication between cells at chemical synapses is the basis of all neuronal information processing. Neuronal signalling is mediated by ion channels, neurotransmitters and their receptors. Work in this area encompasses a broad range of approaches. Studies of GABA and glutamate receptors, for example, range from electrophysiological characterization of channel properties, to genetic analysis of whole animals with mutant receptors, to studies of the role of these receptors in epilepsy.

An unusual aspect of ion channel research at Utah is the close connection between the study of ion channels and of diseases caused by aberrations in these channels.

Several faculty are taking a genetic approach to the identification of proteins that are required in presynaptic neurons for the regulated release of neurotransmitter, with the eventual goal of studying how the strength of a synapse can be changed during learning and memory.

Faculty doing molecular neuroscience research and their departmental affiliation are:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
	Name	Department	Research Interest
A-C
	Wolfgang Baehr	Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Phototransduction, the Retinoid Cycle, and Inherited Retinal Disease
	Kuberan (Kuby) Balagurunathan	Medicinal Chemistry	Determining biological roles of heparan sulfate (HS) at the molecular level in the CNS. Designing new carbohydrate-based drugs to tackle CNS diseases
	Brenda L. Bass	Biochemistry	Determining the roles of RNA editing in the nervous system, using C. elegans as a model system
	Michael Bastiani	Biology	Development of neuronal connections
	Chi-Bin Chien	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Axonal pathfinding in zebrafish mutants
	Maureen L. Condic	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Interactions of sensory neurons with extracellular matrix
D-F
	Richard Dorsky	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Signaling pathways in zebrafish neural cell fate determination
	Jeanne Frederick	Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Investigating the pathogenesis of mutant protein expression in retina neurons
	Yingbin Fu	Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Photoreceptor transduction and macular degenration
	Sabine Fuhrmann	Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Regulation of eye development
G-L
	Randy Jensen	Neurosurgery	Neuro Oncology. Hypoxia and angiogenesis in brain tumors, Calcium channel antagonist mediated growth inhibition of brain tumors
	Erik M. Jorgensen	Biology	Mechanisms of synaptic function
	Edward Levine	Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Development and regeneration in the mammalian central nervous system
	Alan R. Light	Anesthesiology	Neurobiology of pain and fatigue enhancement caused by injury and in Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia syndromes
	Mary T. Lucero	Physiology	Olfactory physiology
	Gholson J. Lyon	Psychiatry	Genetics, pathophysiology and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, including Tourette Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, autism and mental retardation
M-P
	Suzanne Mansour	Human Genetics	FGF signaling and ear development
	Andres Villu Maricq	Biology	The workings of synapses: molecular mechanisms regulating neurotransmission in C. elegans
	J. Michael McIntosh	Psychiatry and Biology	Molecular Pharmacology of CNS receptors and ion channels
	Shannon J. Odelberg	Internal Medicine	Molecular basis of regeneration and cellular plasticity
	Baldomero M. Olivera	Biology	Ion channels, membrane receptors and sensory transduction
	Tatjana Piotrowski	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Sensory organ formation in zebrafish
Q-U
	Scott W. Rogers	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Molecular biology and neurobiology of ligand-activated receptors
	Yukio Saijoh	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Pattern formation of vertebrates
	Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Molecular basis of metazoan regeneration
	Michael C. Sanguinetti	Physiology	Ionic basis of cardiac excitability; mechanisms of ion channel gating; mechanisms of channel block by drugs
V-Z
	H. Steve White	Pharmacology & Toxicology	Neuropharmacology; anticonvulsant drug mechanisms; genetics of audiogenic seizures
	Jun Yang	Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences	Pathogenetic mechanisms of retinal degeneration and cell biology of photoreceptors
	Doju Yoshikami	Biology	Cellular and molecular physiology of ion channels
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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