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Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology | |
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MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR NEUROPHARMACOLOGY OF ADDICTION, EPILEPSY AND NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERSNeuropharmacology, which is the study of how drugs affect the structure and function of the nervous system, is a major research strength in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Utah, particularly in the specific areas of addiction, epilepsy and basal ganglia function. A highly interactive group of department faculty is investigating the cellular mechanisms underlying the actions of the psychostimulants of abuse, including methamphetamine, amphetamine and cocaine, on the dynamics of brain neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems. These investigators are also seeking to understand the mechanisms of tolerance, dependence and neurotoxicity associated with these agents. Faculty in the Center for Human Toxicology have developed highly sensitive and specific assay methods for detecting drugs of abuse in a variety of human and animal tissues, which makes possible detailed studies on how these drugs are distributed and metabolized in the body. Faculty in the Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program are in the forefront of research directed towards identifying new drugs for the symptomatic treatment of epilepsy, as well as to discover new ways of treating therapy-resistant epilepsy and to prevent the development of epilepsy. Because the more recently introduced drugs for treatment of seizure disorders have shown great efficacy in other disorders, such as pain and bipolar disease, this program is expanding its efforts in these areas. These investigators employ a battery of sophisticated behavioral and electrophysiological tests to study the actions and mechanisms of action of these drugs. Studies at the genetic level are examining a variety of genes that encode proteins whose function may be critical for understanding epilepsy and other neurological disorders such as neuropathic pain. Understanding how neurotransmitters and neuropeptides interact in the basal ganglia is the focus of studies using multidisciplinary experimental approaches such as intracellular electrophysiology and in situ hybridzation to measure gene expression. This work may provide new insights into movement disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, epilepsy and addiction. Numerous research collaborations within and across these specific areas provide graduate students with diverse and multi-faceted research opportunities. The neurophamacology faculty and graduate students stay abreast of recent exciting research developments by participating in a weekly Neuropharmacology Journal Club throughout the year. Faculty Involved in Neuropharmacology (click on each name to learn more about specific research interests):
Graduate Students Working in Neuropharmacology:
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