Research Interest
Synaptic physiology and synaptic modulation using patch-clamp electrophysiology from brain slices and primary neuronal culture (olfactory bulb, hippocampus). We examine neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels related to neurodegenerative conditions (e.g. Alzheimer's disease, stroke) and psychiatric disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, schizophrenia). One model is the olfactory bulb of the mammalian brain which contains two primary population of neurons. Large neurons, mitral/tufted cells, receive signals about odors in the environment from sensory neurons in the nose. This odor information is then sent to higher brain regions for further processing. Small interneurons, granule and periglomerular cells, modify the output of mitral/tufted cells. The olfactory bulb has high concentrations of neuroactive substances implicated in a variety of neurophathological conditions. Click on the link below to see an example of an electrophysiology experiment demonstrating the activation of receptors involved in some of these conditions.
Publications
- Davila NG, Houpt TA, Trombley PQ. Expression and function of kainate receptors in the rat olfactory bulb. Synapse. 61(5):320-34. (2007)
- Blakemore LJ, Levenson CW, Trombley PQ. Neuropeptide Y modulates excitatory synaptic transmission in the olfactory bulb. Neuroscience. 138(2):663-74. (2006)
- Blakemore LJ, Resasco M, Mercado MA, Trombley PQ. Evidence for Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptors in the olfactory bulb. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 290(3):C925-35. (2006)
- Horning MS, Kwon B, Blakemore LJ, Spencer CM, Goltz M, Houpt TA, Trombley PQ. Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptor subunit expression in rat olfactory bulb. Neurosci Lett. 372(3):230-4. (2004)
- Blakemore LJ, Trombley PQ. Diverse modulation of olfactory bulb AMPA receptors by zinc. Neuroreport. 15(5):919-23. (2004)