Several faculty members in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology are engaged in Neuroscience-related research. Their work addresses fundamental gaps in knowledge relevant to the treatment of neurodegenerative and psychiatric illnesses such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and drug addiction. Using model systems, and state of the art experimental approaches, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and staff scientists in these laboratories conduct research at the interface of basic neurobiology and clinical neuropathology. Some highlights of the specific research goals of our faculty are mentioned below. For more detail, click on the links to the faculty web pages.
- Dr. Vazdarjanova - Real-time gene expression mapping of neurons that encode memories of emotionally
traumatic events.
- Dr. Thomas - Development of novel neuroprotective approaches to blunt oxidative and inflammatory
signaling pathways active in Parkinson’s Disease.
- Dr. Terry - Functional testing of novel molecular entities and/or new applications of existing
drugs for reversing endogenous or environmental toxin-induced cognitive deficits.
- Dr. Bergson - Genetic models of vulnerable periods in brain development for assessment of risk
factors for schizophrenia, ADHD, and Parkinson’s Disease.
- Dr. Lambert - Biophysical approaches to understanding G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) structure/function
and signaling.
- Dr. Wu - Endosomal and protein-mediated regulation of GPCR biosynthesis and plasma membrane insertion.
