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Karen S. Wilcox

Research Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Education and Training

B.A. 1981, Allegheny College

Ph.D. 1993, University of Pennsylvania

Research Interests

Dr. Wilcox is a senior scientist in the NIH sponsored Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program and her participation in the program is focussed on identifying the electrophysiological mechanisms of action of novel anticonvulsant drugs. In addition, much of her research is devoted to understanding the processes underlying short-term synaptic plasticity at excitatory and inhibitory synapses between cortical neurons, both in tissue culture and the acute brain slice preparation. She also uses a variety of techniques to understand how the subunit stoichiometry of ligand-gated ion channels is regulated at the synapse, both developmentally and in response to injury, and studies how the assembly of ligand-gated ion channel subunits influences synaptic pharmacology and physiology. Experimental methods used in the laboratory include the whole cell patch clamp technique, immunocytochemistry with receptor-subunit selective antibodies, and rtPCR in electrophysiologically characterized neurons. It is hoped that these studies will lead to a greater understanding of how seizures are generated and propagated throughout the brain.

Selected Publications

White, H.S., Smith, M.D., and Wilcox, K.S Mechanisms of action of antiepileptic drugs. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2007;81:85-110. West, P.J., Dalpe-Charron, A., and Wilcox, K.S. (2007) Differential Contribution of Kainate Receptors to Excitatory Postsynaptic Currents in Superficial Layer Neurons of the Rat Medial Entorhinal Cortex. Neuroscience 146(3):1000-12.

Smith, M.D., Adams, A.C., Saunders, G.W., White, H.S., and Wilcox, K.S. (2007) Phenytoin- and Carbamazepine-Resistant Spontaneous Bursting in Rat Entorhinal Cortex Is Blocked by Retigabine In Vitro. Epilepsy Res 74 (2-3):97-106.

Smith, M.D., Wilcox, K.S., and White, H.S.(2007) Discovery of Antiepileptic Drugs. Neurotherapeutics. 4(1):12-7.

Smeal, R. M., Gaspar, R., Keefe, K.A., and Wilcox, K.S (2007) A rat brain slice preparation for characterizing both thalamostriatal and corticostriatal afferents. J Neurosci Methods. 159(2):224-35.

Simeone, T.A., Otto, J.F., Wilcox, K.S., and White, H.S. (2006) Felbamate is a subunit selective modulator of recombinant gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Eur J Pharmacol 552:31-35.

Alex A.B., Baucum A.J., and Wilcox, K.S. (2006) Effect of Conantokin G on NMDA receptor-mediated spontaneous EPSCs in cultured cortical neurons. J Neurophysiol 96:1084-1092.

Simeone, T.A., Wilcox, K.S., and White, H.S. (2006) Subunit selectivity of topiramate modulation of heteromeric GABAA receptors. Neuropharmacology 50(7):845-57.

Otto, J.F., Yang, Y., Frankel, W.N., White, H.S. and Wilcox, K.S. (2006) A Spontaneous Mutation Involving Kcnq2 (Kv7.2) Reduces M Current Density and Spike Frequency Adaptation in Mouse CA1 Neurons. J. Neurosci. 26(7): 2053-9.

Pharmacology & Toxicology   College of Pharmacy   30 S. 2000 E., Rm 201, SLC  UT 84112  phone: 801-581-6287  fax: 801-585-5111 phtx@pharm.utah.edu