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 Cell and Molecular Neuroscience
The fundamental substrates of brain function reside at the cell and molecular level. Accordingly, many diverse areas of neuroscience are being explored at these levels within the University. The work of several faculty are directed at molecular mechanisms of signaling, especially regarding voltage gated sodium and potassium channels, synaptic transmission, and ligand gated channels such as the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors involved both post- and presynaptically in neurotransmission. Another active area is the genetic study of behavior. This includes the identification and interaction of novel proteins such as timeless essential to the functioning of biological clocks and the use of elegant techniques for examining and manipulating the spectrum of mRNAs expressed by single neurons and their relationship to development, behavior, and learning.
Another cohort of faculty focus on the molecular mechanisms of neurological disease. These studies range from alterations in phosphorylation of tau proteins involved in the neurofibrilary tangles characteristic of Alzheimer's disease to the defects in connexin-32 in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and the trinucleotide repeat defects in genes coding for androgen receptors in Kennedy's disease. Other studies have focused on mutations in the human sodium channels which are responsible for periodic paralysis and on the molecular basis of myasthenia gravis. Research directed at understanding basic cellular functions such as ion transport, excitation-contraction coupling, and sensory transduction also make much use of state-or-the-art molecular biological, immunological, electrophysiological, and genetic techniques.
Labs at Penn that have cell and molecular neuroscience projects:
ion channels | neurotransmitters/receptors/synapses |
molecular biology/genetics | other cell/molecular topics
ion channels
Clay Armstrong, MD Ionic channels and their gating mechanisms
Stephen M. Baylor, MD Excitation-contraction coupling in muscle; measurement of intracellular ionic concentrations
Akiva Cohen, PhD Injury-induced altered brain excitability, circuit rearrangement and synaptic function
Paul De Weer, MD/PhD Biochemical and biophysical mechanisms, kinetics, thermodynamics, and structure of the electrogenic sodium pump
Tanya S. Ferguson, PhD Examining neurotransmission by studying proteins that interact and modulate the function of ion channels, transporters and pumps Kevin Foskett, PhD Dept of Physiology: Molecular physiology of the inositol trisphosphate receptor calcium release channel and the cystic fibrosis chloride channel.
Toshinori Hoshi, PhD Oxidative regulation of neuronal excitability; ion channel gating; protein oxidative damage and aging.
Harry Ischiropoulos, PhD Oxidative stress, post-translational protein modifications and protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases. Non-invasive discovery and validation of disease biomarkers.
Roland G. Kallen, MD/PhD Dept of Biochemistry & Biophysics: Ion channel mediated transmembrane signal transduction. What do channels look like, what parts of the proteins are responsible for channel properties (activation, inactivation, ion selectivity, etc.), how do toxins and drugs work, and what are the pathomechanisms of human channelopathies (hereditary diseases of excitability)?
Irwin B. Levitan, PhD Modulation of neuronal activity and neuronal ion channels
Zhe Lu, MD/PhD Molecular mechanisms of potassium channels and retinal cGMP-activated channels
Kazuko Nishikura, PhD Molecular mechanisms and biological significance of A-to-I RNA editing
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neurotransmitters/receptors/synapses
Ted Abel, PhD Genetic
approaches to study the molecular basis of synaptic plasticity, learning
and memory
Tracy L. Bale, PhD Examine
the effects of stress sensitivity on the development and treatment of
depression. Determine the molecular mechanisms by which stress factors
influence appetite and metabolism. Examine the effects of maternal stress-sensitivity
on fetal development and long-term physiological and behavioral responses
Rita Balice-Gordon, PhD Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity during neural development, using neuromuscular and cns synapses as model systems; neurotrophic and other cell-cell signaling mechanisms underlying synapse formation and maintenance
Sheryl G. Beck, PhD Neurocircuitry
underlying stress and stress related pathology such as depression and
anxiety; whole cell electrophysiology with anatomy, behavior and molecular
analysis, serotonin neurotransmitter system; stress and sex hormones
Akiva Cohen, PhD Injury-induced altered brain excitability, circuit rearrangement and synaptic function
Matthew Dalva, PhD Cellular and molecular mechanisms guiding the process of synapse formation between CNS neurons; Roles of activity-dependent and activity-independent cues in cell-cell interaction in synapse development
Kevin Foskett, PhD Dept of Physiology: Molecular physiology of the inositol trisphosphate receptor calcium release channel and the cystic fibrosis chloride channel
Leszek K. Kubin, PhD
Respiratory, sleep and metabolic disorders associated with the obstructive
sleep apnea syndrome
Hank F. Kung, PhD Current research interests include 1) developing imaging agents for CNS receptors (dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitter systems), 2) agents for imaging Alzheimer's disease, and 3) neuronal functional imaging of the heart
Paul A. Liebman, MD Visual receptor transduction biochemistry and related neural receptor signalling systems
Jon M. Lindstrom, PhD The structure of nicotinic acetylocholine receptors from muscles and nerves; the autoimmune response to muscle nicotinic receptors in myasthenia gravis
David R. Lynch, MD NMDA receptors
Minghong Ma, PhD Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the sense of smell
Kazuko Nishikura, PhD Molecular mechanisms and biological significance of A-to-I RNA editing Michael Nusbaum, PhD Neural network modulation; motor pattern selection from multifunctional networks; local, presynaptic influences; neuropeptide function
Thomas D. Parsons VMD/PhD Cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter release
Michael Robinson, PhD Regulation of excitatory neurotransmitters and excitoxicity
Marc Schmidt, PhD Encoding of complex motor behaviors; auditory/motor integration; neural basis of vocal learning
Peter Sterling, PhD Microcircuitry of the visual system
Steven A. Thomas, MD/PhD The roles of neurotransmission in development, neurophysiology and ultimately behavior
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molecular biology/genetics
Ted Abel, PhD Genetic
approaches to study the molecular basis of synaptic plasticity, learning
and memory
Tracy L. Bale, PhD Examine
the effects of stress sensitivity on the development and treatment of
depression. Determine the molecular mechanisms by which stress factors
influence appetite and metabolism. Examine the effects of maternal stress-sensitivity
on fetal development and long-term physiological and behavioral responses.
Greg Bashaw, PhD Molecular
mechanisms of axon growth and guidance during nervous system development.
We are interested specifically in how axon guidance receptors specify
attractive and repulsive signals and transmit these signals to the navigating
growth cone to generate a directed motile response.
Kendra Bence, PhD Elucidate the role of tyrosine phosphatases in CNS control of feeding, energy expenditure, and metabolism through the use of genetic mouse models; phosphatase regulation of cell signaling pathways
Nancy Bonini, PhD Molecular genetics of cell survival in the nervous system, during development and in maintenance of the adult brain
Bryan Crenshaw, PhD Analysis of the role of transcription factors during nervous system development
Joshua Dunaief, MD, PhD Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), oxidative stress in retinal disease, retinal iron metabolism, apoptosis in the retina.
James H. Eberwine, PhD Molecular basis of neuronal adaptation with emphasis on the following adaptive processes; tetanic potentiation, glucocorticoid-induced, age-induced as well as opiate-induced adaptation
Thomas N. Ferraro, PhD Genetic influences in complex traits and behaviors
Kevin Foskett, PhD Molecular
physiology of the inositol trisphosphate receptor calcium release channel
and the cystic fibrosis chloride channel
Jeffrey A. Golden, MD
Patterning and Cell Migration in the Developing Nervous System
Kelly L. Jordan-Sciutto, PhD
Assessing mechanisms of neuronal death (apoptosis vs necrosis
in response to neuroinflammotry mechanisms and oxidative stress and
protection by neurotrophins to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms
underlying neuronal loss in neurodegenerative Disorders (i.e. Alzheimer's
Disease, Parkinson's disease, and HIV encephalitis). We are specifically
interested in the role of cell cycle proteins and transcriptional regulators
in neuronal survival decisions.
Roland G. Kallen, MD/PhD Pathomechanisms of human channelopathies (hereditary diseases of excitability)in transgenic mouse models
Kyunghee Koh, PhD Molecular genetics of sleep and circadian rhythms in Drosophila.
Max B. Kelz, MD, PhD Genetic approaches to study the molecular and cellular basis of anesthetic induced loss of consciousness
Minghong Ma, PhD Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the sense of smell (olfaction) in mammals
Kazuko Nishikura, PhD Molecular mechanisms and biological significance of A-to-I RNA editing
Robert Neumar, MD, PhD Molecular mechanism of acute brain injury
R. Arlen Price, PhD Genetics of complex human traits, partilcularly obesity and psychiatric illness
William W. Schlaepfer, MD
Mechanisms whereby overexpression of a destabilizing element
in NF-L RNA or cognate RNA-binding proteins lead to motor neuron degeneration
Amita Sehgal, PhD Genetic
and molecular mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms in Drosophila
Steven A. Thomas, MD/PhD The roles of neurotransmission in development, neurophysiology and ultimately behavior
Noga Vardi, PhD Retinal processing - how anatomical and chemical circuit architecture code and transfer information
John H. Wolfe, VMD/PhD Somatic gene transfer and therapy for the central nervous system
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other cell/molecular topics
Julie Blendy, PhD molecular basis of drug abuse
Paul J. De Weer, MD/PhD Biochemical and biophysical mechanisms, kinetics, thermodynamics, and structure of the electrogenic sodium pump
Lori Flanagan-Cato, PhD The cellular actions of steroid hormones to alter motivated behaviors
Steven J. Fluharty, PhD Regulation of neuropeptide receptor gene expression and signal transduction in cultured neuronal cells and behaving animals
Kevin Foskett, PhD Dept of Physiology: Molecular physiology of the inositol trisphosphate receptor calcium release channel and the cystic fibrosis chloride channel
Nicholas K. Gonatas, MD Intrinsic membrane proteins of the neuronal Golgi apparatus; involvement of the organelle in the pathogenesis of motor neuron disease
Francisco A. González-Scarano, MD Viral determinants of neurotropism in two systems: human immunodeficiency virus and La Crosse Bunyavirus
Judith B. Grinspan, PhD Origin and development of oligodendroglia and synthesis of myelin; control of proliferation, differentiation and survival of the oligodendroglial lineage; plasticity of oligodendroglia; programmed cell death in myelinating cells
Erika Holzbaur, PhD Molecular and cellular approaches to study microtubule-based motors and their roles in neuronal transport, vesicular motility, and cell division
Toshinori Hoshi, PhD Oxidative regulation of neuronal excitability; ion channel gating; protein oxidative damage and aging
Daniel S. Kessler, PhD Vertebrate development; signal transduction; transcriptional regulation; primary germ layers; Spemann's organizer
Peter S. Klein, MD, PhD Mechanism of lithium action in behavior and development, Wnt signaling in vertebrate embryogenesis and neuronal signal transduction
Paul A. Liebman, MD Visual receptor transduction biochemistry and related neural receptor signalling systems
Kazuko Nishikura, PhD Molecular mechanisms and biological significance of A-to-I RNA editing Randall N. Pittman, PhD Polyglutamine repeat neurodegenerative diseases and cell signaling in the execution phase of apoptosis
Edward N. Pugh, PhD
Photoreceptor transduction in rods and cones; early processes
in human color vision; polarization vision in vertebrates; "polarization
contrast" vision
Jonathan A. Raper, PhD
Developmental neurobiology; growth cone guidance; cell recognition;
cell motility; and regeneration
Brian Salzberg, PhD Optical probes of membrane potential
Steve Scherer, MD/PhD The structure of function of myelin; the role of gap junctions in myelinating glia
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