VCU Neuroscience

A total of 58 faculty members in both basic science and clinical departments participate in the Neuroscience Program, offering a complete spectrum of research facilities equipped with contemporary instrumentation in the fields of molecular, cellular, developmental, systems, behavioral, and clinical neuroscience. Facilities also include state-of-the-art core facilities in molecular biology; microscopy; flow cytometry, nucleic acid analysis, transgenic mouse generation, biostatistical analysis, structural biology, hybridoma generation and proteomics. Library resources are extensive including holdings maintained on the MCV Campus and made available via electronic access.

Faculty in the Neuroscience Program hold appointments in the following Basic Science Departments:

Drug Abuse
Glial Cell Biology
Injury & Repair
Neuro-oncology
Plasticity & Development
Signaling

Mario D. Aceto Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D. Connecticut, 1959.
Mechanisms of action of psychotherapeutic drugs/drug dependence/opiates, nicotine and cocaine.

Patrick M. Beardsley Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Minnesota, 1982.
Behavioral pharmacology of drugs of abuse and development of medication for CNS disorders.

Jill C. Bettinger Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Minnesota, 1998.
Physiological effects of alcohol on synaptic transmission and behavior.

M. Scott Bowers, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina, 1999. Molecular mediators of motivation and cognitive disorders focused on addiction and schizophrenia.

Darlene H. Brunzell Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Massachusetts, 1999.
Neuropharmacology of drugs of abuse and mental illness, learning and memory.

M. Imad Damaj Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Paris, 1991.
Drugs of abuse and pharmacology of nicotine and calcium mechanisms of nicotine tolerance.

Andrew G. Davies Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Melbourne, 1993.
Neurobiology of alcohol intoxication and tolerance; C. elegans behavioral genetics and neuroscience

William L. Dewey Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Connecticut, 1967.
Action of drugs of abuse with emphasis on the opioids and the mechanisms of opioid tolerance and physical dependence.

Nazira El-Hage Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., Kentucky 2002.
Molecular mechanisms of immunomodulatory action of drugs of abuse with emphasis on opioids and infectious diseases.

Tom Green, Ph.D.
Identification of genes controlling behaviors underlying drug abuse and mental illness.

Kurt F. Hauser Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 1983.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) neuropathogenesis and its relationship to substance abuse; molecular mechanisms by which drug abuse alters CNS organization and function.

Kenneth Kendler Rachel Banks Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics and Director, Psychiatric Genetics Research Program; M.D., Stanford, 1977.
Genetic basis for schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, and the interrelationship between psychiatric disorders and substance abuse.

Aron H. Lichtman Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Dartmouth, 1989.
Physiological function of the endocannabinoid system; mechanisms and pharmacological effects of THC and other cannabinoids.

Michael F. Miles Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; MD, Ph.D., Northwestern, 1983.
Molecular mechanisms of experience-dependent plasticity occurring with drug abuse; molecular mechanisms underlying sensitization to cocaine or ethanol.

S. Stevens Negus Professor, Pharmacology; Ph.D., North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1990.
Drug effects on behavior and the neural substrates implicated in the mediation of those behaviors.

Katherine L. Nicholson Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; D.V.M., Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1998.
Behavioral pharmacology of drugs of abuse, in particular, drugs that alter glutamate neurotransmission.

Susan E. Robinson Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1976.
Effects and mechanisms of perinatal drug exposure, especially psychoactive drugs, on neurobehavioral development, neurotransmitters and growth factors.

Dana E. Selley Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Rochester, 1991.
Mechanism of action of G-protein-coupled receptors, especially those that mediate the effects of psychoactive drugs, such as opiates, cannabinoids and antidepressants.

Keith L. Shelton Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1995.
Behavioral pharmacology of abused inhalants, stimulants and alcohol; neurochemical mechanisms of subjective drug effects and behavioral mechanisms of relapse to drug taking.

Laura J. Sim-Selley Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Rochester, 1991.
Functional neuroanatomy of G-protein-coupled receptors, opioid and cannabinoid receptors, tolerance and dependence.

Sandra P. Welch Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1986.
Cellular pharmacology, in particular, the role of free intracellular calcium in tolerance and physical dependence to drugs of abuse, endocrine modulation of tolerance and second messenger systems.

Jenny L. Wiley Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1991.
Behavioral effects of drugs in animal models of schizophrenia and anxiety.

Michelle Block Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Penn State, 2002.
Role of microglia, the resident innate immune cell in the brain, in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Jeffrey L. Dupree Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1995.
Mechanisms and molecules underlying neuron-oligodendrocyte interactions in the adult and developing nervous system.

Babette Fuss Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 1992.
Biology of the myelin forming cell of the CNS, the oligodendrocyte, and functional characterization of novel oligodendrocyte-specific proteins.

Pamela Knapp Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Ohio State, 1983.
Glial-neuronal interactions during development and disease processes and the neuropathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and co-morbidity of substance abuse.

Carmen Sato-Bigbee Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ph.D., Buenos Aires, 1985.
Regulation of oligodendrocyte proliferation and differentiation, signal transduction systems; effects of perinatal opiate exposure in brain development.

Ray Colello Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; D.Phil., Oxford, 1990.
Oligodendrocyte migration and myelination; biology of neural stem/progenitor cells and neurogenesis following traumatic brain injury.

Richard Costanzo Professor, Physiology and Biophysics; Ph.D., SUNY Upstate Medical Center, 1975.
Neural regeneration, repair, and replacement in the mammalian nervous system and mechanisms limiting neurogenesis and neuronal recovery following injury.

Andrew K. Ottens Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Ph.D., University of Florida, 2003.
Protein chemistry perturbation in the brain following trauma or exposure to toxins; characterization of protein proteolysis following brain injury.

Linda Phillips Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Wake Forest, 1980.
Interactions between excessive neuroexcitation and neuronal deafferentation following traumatic brain injury (TBI), and how this interaction affects both the ensuing pathology and recovery mechanisms involving synaptic plasticity.

John T. Povlishock Professor and Chair, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., St. Louis, 1973.
Elucidating the initiating mechanisms that lead to brain damage following traumatic brain injury, focusing on both traumatically induced vascular and axonal change.

Tom Reeves Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Southern Illinois, 1984.
Electrophysiology of brain injury and recovery of function.

William Broaddus Professor, Neurosurgery and Anatomy and Neurobiology; M.D., Ph.D., Case Western, 1984. Gene therapy strategies to examine the biology of malignant gliomas; role of matrix metalloproteinases in glioma and strategies for direct intraparenchymal infusion to deliver therapeutic agents into the central nervous system.

Helen Fillmore Associate Professor, Neurosurgery and Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Memphis, 1993.
Neuro-oncology and brain tumor biology, in particular, mechanisms of metastasis and tumor cell invasion; stem cell transplantation for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease.

Paul B. Fisher, Ph.D.
Identification and characterization of genes involved in neurodegeneration and as a consequence of HIV-1 infection; identifying novel compounds with neuro-protective properties.

Martin Graf Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery and Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., California, Irvine, 1996. Immune mechanisms in malignant glioblastoma.

Tomek Kordula Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ph.D. Jagiellonian University, Poland, 1992.
Astrocyte-specific expression of an amyloid-associated protein a1-antichymotrypsin and its stimulation by proinflammatory cytokines; plasminogen activator system in astrocytes in response to cytokines and growth factors.

Seok-Geun Lee, Ph.D.
Role of glutamate toxicity in neurodegenerative disease and brain cancer

Devanand Sarkar, Ph.D.
Altered gene in expression in astrocytes and primary human glioma cells

Dong Sun Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, MD, PhD, University of Southampton, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, China.Biology of neural stem/progenitor cells; neurogenesis after traumatic brain injury.

Ching-Kang Jason Chen Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle), 1995.
The biology of vertebrate retinal photoreceptors with the long-term goal to recount the molecular basis of the differences in sensitivity and response kinetics in rod and cone phototransduction.

Michael L. Fine Professor, Biology, Ph.D. Rhode Island, 1976.
Central nervous system control of reproductive behavior and sound production of fishes; sexual dimorphism of the brain.

Michael A. Fox Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 2004.
Identification of synaptic organizing signals in the mammalian nervous system, in particular, the role of collagens.

Michael S. Grotewiel Professor of Human Genetics; Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1995.
Molecular genetic bases of nervous system function and aging in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster to facilitate a global understanding of the molecular events underlying brain function and aging

William Guido Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., North Carolina at Greensboro, 1985.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the activity-dependent refinement of sensory connections.

Kimberle Jacobs Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Ph.D., Brown University, 1994.
Cortical elements and circuitry that contribute to plasticity of the nervous system, including alterations in synaptic strengths, cellular differentiation and neuronal excitability.

A. Rory McQuiston Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Alberta, 1995.
Role of inhibitory interneurons in the integration of excitatory activity in the hippocampus and how the hippocampal network is altered in HIV-1 associated dementia and chronic use of drugs of abuse.

Alexandre E. Medina Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Ph.D. Rio de Janiero, 1996.
Effects of alcohol exposure on brain development and neuronal plasticity and its role in mental retardation and fetal alcohol syndrome.

M. Alex Meredith Professor, Anatomy; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1981.
Neural circuitry underlying how the brain processes simultaneous information from different sensory modalities, and how the loss or injury to one sensory system might lead to compensatory changes in the others.

Sarah Spiegel, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ph.D., Weizmann (Israel), 1983.
Biological functions of sphingosine 1-phosphate in apoptosis and neuronal development.

Jennifer K. Stewart Professor, Biology, Ph.D. Emory, 1975.
Synthesis, release and function of catecholamines in cells of the immune system

Robert M. Tombes Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D. Washington (Seattle), 1986.
Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK-II) in neuronal development and differentiation.

Galya Abdrakhmanova Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., Charles (Prague) 2000.
Role of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in disorders of the nervous system, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, pain, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, Tourette’s syndrome, smoking cessation and nicotine dependence.

Hamid Akbarali Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., St. John’s Memorial (Canada), 1988.
Ion channels in gastrointestinal smooth muscle and neurons.

Clive M. Baumgarten Professor, Physiology and Biophysicis, Ph.D., Northwestern, 1976.
Understanding the electrical activity of the heart at the cell, membrane, and channel level.

Severn Ben Churn Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University, 1991.
Signal transduction systems that modulate neuronal excitability, synaptic strength and receptor function; calcium-regulated mechanisms that modulate neuronal excitability and receptor function in prolonged status epilepticus.

Robert J. DeLorenzo Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology and Neurology; Ph.D., 1973, M.D., Yale, 1974.
Neurochemical and electrophysiological basis of epilepsy and stroke.

Guo-Huang Fan Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., Shanghia Jiao Tong University, 1996.
Role of chemokine receptors and their interacting proteins in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis.

John R. Grider Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, Ph.D., Hahnemann, 1981.
Identification of neurotransmitters released from neurons of the enteric nervous system and their role in coordinating contraction and relaxation of the gut smooth muscle.

Diomedes E. Logothetis Professor and Chair, Physiology and Biophysics, Ph.D., Harvard, 1987.
Signaling mechanisms leading to the control of the activity of ion channel proteins.




Home Home Research Research Programs Core Facilities For Prospective Students Program Overview Curriculum Application Information Beginner's guide to VCU Things to do at VCU Things to do in Richmond University resources For Current Students University resources Candidacy form Links of interest Current Students Alumni Seminars Anatomy & Neurobiology Biochemistry & Cell Biology Pharmacology & Toxicology Physiology and Biophysics	A total of 58 faculty members in both basic science and clinical departments participate in the Neuroscience Program, offering a complete spectrum of research facilities equipped with contemporary instrumentation in the fields of molecular, cellular, developmental, systems, behavioral, and clinical neuroscience. Facilities also include state-of-the-art core facilities in molecular biology; microscopy; flow cytometry, nucleic acid analysis, transgenic mouse generation, biostatistical analysis, structural biology, hybridoma generation and proteomics. Library resources are extensive including holdings maintained on the MCV Campus and made available via electronic access. Faculty in the Neuroscience Program hold appointments in the following Basic Science Departments: Anatomy and Neurobiology Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Biology Human and Molecular Genetics Pharmacology and Toxicology Physiology and Biophysics Faculty are grouped below according to major research interests: Drug Abuse Glial Cell Biology Injury & Repair Neuro-oncology Plasticity & Development Signaling Mario D. Aceto Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D. Connecticut, 1959. Mechanisms of action of psychotherapeutic drugs/drug dependence/opiates, nicotine and cocaine. Patrick M. Beardsley Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Minnesota, 1982. Behavioral pharmacology of drugs of abuse and development of medication for CNS disorders. Jill C. Bettinger Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Minnesota, 1998. Physiological effects of alcohol on synaptic transmission and behavior. M. Scott Bowers, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina, 1999. Molecular mediators of motivation and cognitive disorders focused on addiction and schizophrenia. Darlene H. Brunzell Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Massachusetts, 1999. Neuropharmacology of drugs of abuse and mental illness, learning and memory. M. Imad Damaj Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Paris, 1991. Drugs of abuse and pharmacology of nicotine and calcium mechanisms of nicotine tolerance. Andrew G. Davies Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Melbourne, 1993. Neurobiology of alcohol intoxication and tolerance; C. elegans behavioral genetics and neuroscience William L. Dewey Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Connecticut, 1967. Action of drugs of abuse with emphasis on the opioids and the mechanisms of opioid tolerance and physical dependence. Nazira El-Hage Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., Kentucky 2002. Molecular mechanisms of immunomodulatory action of drugs of abuse with emphasis on opioids and infectious diseases. Tom Green, Ph.D. Identification of genes controlling behaviors underlying drug abuse and mental illness. Kurt F. Hauser Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 1983. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) neuropathogenesis and its relationship to substance abuse; molecular mechanisms by which drug abuse alters CNS organization and function. Kenneth Kendler Rachel Banks Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics and Director, Psychiatric Genetics Research Program; M.D., Stanford, 1977. Genetic basis for schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, and the interrelationship between psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. Aron H. Lichtman Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Dartmouth, 1989. Physiological function of the endocannabinoid system; mechanisms and pharmacological effects of THC and other cannabinoids. Michael F. Miles Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; MD, Ph.D., Northwestern, 1983. Molecular mechanisms of experience-dependent plasticity occurring with drug abuse; molecular mechanisms underlying sensitization to cocaine or ethanol. S. Stevens Negus Professor, Pharmacology; Ph.D., North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1990. Drug effects on behavior and the neural substrates implicated in the mediation of those behaviors. Katherine L. Nicholson Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; D.V.M., Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1998. Behavioral pharmacology of drugs of abuse, in particular, drugs that alter glutamate neurotransmission. Susan E. Robinson Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1976. Effects and mechanisms of perinatal drug exposure, especially psychoactive drugs, on neurobehavioral development, neurotransmitters and growth factors. Dana E. Selley Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Rochester, 1991. Mechanism of action of G-protein-coupled receptors, especially those that mediate the effects of psychoactive drugs, such as opiates, cannabinoids and antidepressants. Keith L. Shelton Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1995. Behavioral pharmacology of abused inhalants, stimulants and alcohol; neurochemical mechanisms of subjective drug effects and behavioral mechanisms of relapse to drug taking. Laura J. Sim-Selley Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Rochester, 1991. Functional neuroanatomy of G-protein-coupled receptors, opioid and cannabinoid receptors, tolerance and dependence. Sandra P. Welch Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1986. Cellular pharmacology, in particular, the role of free intracellular calcium in tolerance and physical dependence to drugs of abuse, endocrine modulation of tolerance and second messenger systems. Jenny L. Wiley Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1991. Behavioral effects of drugs in animal models of schizophrenia and anxiety. Michelle Block Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Penn State, 2002. Role of microglia, the resident innate immune cell in the brain, in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Jeffrey L. Dupree Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1995. Mechanisms and molecules underlying neuron-oligodendrocyte interactions in the adult and developing nervous system. Babette Fuss Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 1992. Biology of the myelin forming cell of the CNS, the oligodendrocyte, and functional characterization of novel oligodendrocyte-specific proteins. Pamela Knapp Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Ohio State, 1983. Glial-neuronal interactions during development and disease processes and the neuropathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and co-morbidity of substance abuse. Carmen Sato-Bigbee Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ph.D., Buenos Aires, 1985. Regulation of oligodendrocyte proliferation and differentiation, signal transduction systems; effects of perinatal opiate exposure in brain development. Ray Colello Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; D.Phil., Oxford, 1990. Oligodendrocyte migration and myelination; biology of neural stem/progenitor cells and neurogenesis following traumatic brain injury. Richard Costanzo Professor, Physiology and Biophysics; Ph.D., SUNY Upstate Medical Center, 1975. Neural regeneration, repair, and replacement in the mammalian nervous system and mechanisms limiting neurogenesis and neuronal recovery following injury. Andrew K. Ottens Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Ph.D., University of Florida, 2003. Protein chemistry perturbation in the brain following trauma or exposure to toxins; characterization of protein proteolysis following brain injury. Linda Phillips Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Wake Forest, 1980. Interactions between excessive neuroexcitation and neuronal deafferentation following traumatic brain injury (TBI), and how this interaction affects both the ensuing pathology and recovery mechanisms involving synaptic plasticity. John T. Povlishock Professor and Chair, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., St. Louis, 1973. Elucidating the initiating mechanisms that lead to brain damage following traumatic brain injury, focusing on both traumatically induced vascular and axonal change. Tom Reeves Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Southern Illinois, 1984. Electrophysiology of brain injury and recovery of function. William Broaddus Professor, Neurosurgery and Anatomy and Neurobiology; M.D., Ph.D., Case Western, 1984. Gene therapy strategies to examine the biology of malignant gliomas; role of matrix metalloproteinases in glioma and strategies for direct intraparenchymal infusion to deliver therapeutic agents into the central nervous system. Helen Fillmore Associate Professor, Neurosurgery and Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Memphis, 1993. Neuro-oncology and brain tumor biology, in particular, mechanisms of metastasis and tumor cell invasion; stem cell transplantation for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease. Paul B. Fisher, Ph.D. Identification and characterization of genes involved in neurodegeneration and as a consequence of HIV-1 infection; identifying novel compounds with neuro-protective properties. Martin Graf Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery and Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., California, Irvine, 1996. Immune mechanisms in malignant glioblastoma. Tomek Kordula Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ph.D. Jagiellonian University, Poland, 1992. Astrocyte-specific expression of an amyloid-associated protein a1-antichymotrypsin and its stimulation by proinflammatory cytokines; plasminogen activator system in astrocytes in response to cytokines and growth factors. Seok-Geun Lee, Ph.D. Role of glutamate toxicity in neurodegenerative disease and brain cancer Devanand Sarkar, Ph.D. Altered gene in expression in astrocytes and primary human glioma cells Dong Sun Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, MD, PhD, University of Southampton, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, China.Biology of neural stem/progenitor cells; neurogenesis after traumatic brain injury. Ching-Kang Jason Chen Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle), 1995. The biology of vertebrate retinal photoreceptors with the long-term goal to recount the molecular basis of the differences in sensitivity and response kinetics in rod and cone phototransduction. Michael L. Fine Professor, Biology, Ph.D. Rhode Island, 1976. Central nervous system control of reproductive behavior and sound production of fishes; sexual dimorphism of the brain. Michael A. Fox Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 2004. Identification of synaptic organizing signals in the mammalian nervous system, in particular, the role of collagens. Michael S. Grotewiel Professor of Human Genetics; Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1995. Molecular genetic bases of nervous system function and aging in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster to facilitate a global understanding of the molecular events underlying brain function and aging William Guido Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., North Carolina at Greensboro, 1985. Cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the activity-dependent refinement of sensory connections. Kimberle Jacobs Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Ph.D., Brown University, 1994. Cortical elements and circuitry that contribute to plasticity of the nervous system, including alterations in synaptic strengths, cellular differentiation and neuronal excitability. A. Rory McQuiston Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Ph.D., Alberta, 1995. Role of inhibitory interneurons in the integration of excitatory activity in the hippocampus and how the hippocampal network is altered in HIV-1 associated dementia and chronic use of drugs of abuse. Alexandre E. Medina Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Ph.D. Rio de Janiero, 1996. Effects of alcohol exposure on brain development and neuronal plasticity and its role in mental retardation and fetal alcohol syndrome. M. Alex Meredith Professor, Anatomy; Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth, 1981. Neural circuitry underlying how the brain processes simultaneous information from different sensory modalities, and how the loss or injury to one sensory system might lead to compensatory changes in the others. Sarah Spiegel, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ph.D., Weizmann (Israel), 1983. Biological functions of sphingosine 1-phosphate in apoptosis and neuronal development. Jennifer K. Stewart Professor, Biology, Ph.D. Emory, 1975. Synthesis, release and function of catecholamines in cells of the immune system Robert M. Tombes Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D. Washington (Seattle), 1986. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK-II) in neuronal development and differentiation. Galya Abdrakhmanova Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., Charles (Prague) 2000. Role of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in disorders of the nervous system, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, pain, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, Tourette’s syndrome, smoking cessation and nicotine dependence. Hamid Akbarali Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., St. John’s Memorial (Canada), 1988. Ion channels in gastrointestinal smooth muscle and neurons. Clive M. Baumgarten Professor, Physiology and Biophysicis, Ph.D., Northwestern, 1976. Understanding the electrical activity of the heart at the cell, membrane, and channel level. Severn Ben Churn Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University, 1991. Signal transduction systems that modulate neuronal excitability, synaptic strength and receptor function; calcium-regulated mechanisms that modulate neuronal excitability and receptor function in prolonged status epilepticus. Robert J. DeLorenzo Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology and Neurology; Ph.D., 1973, M.D., Yale, 1974. Neurochemical and electrophysiological basis of epilepsy and stroke. Guo-Huang Fan Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D., Shanghia Jiao Tong University, 1996. Role of chemokine receptors and their interacting proteins in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. John R. Grider Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, Ph.D., Hahnemann, 1981. Identification of neurotransmitters released from neurons of the enteric nervous system and their role in coordinating contraction and relaxation of the gut smooth muscle. Diomedes E. Logothetis Professor and Chair, Physiology and Biophysics, Ph.D., Harvard, 1987. Signaling mechanisms leading to the control of the activity of ion channel proteins.