UCDHSC Neuroscience: People

Biochemistry

Nicholas W. Seeds, Ph.D., Professor
Developmental neurobiology: molecular aspects of neuronal migration and neurite outgrowth.
John M. Stewart, Ph.D., Professor
Neuropeptide biology and chemistry.
Leslie Krushel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Mechanisms and regulation of protein synthesis in the nervous system.

Cell and Developmental Biology

Kristin Bruk Artinger, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Developmental mechanisms involved during vertebrate embryogenesis.
Linda A. Barlow, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Molecular-, cellular-, and tissue-level mechanisms that generate and pattern the taste system during embryogenesis.
Steven G. Britt, M.D., Associate Professor
Molecular genetics of eye development and color vision.
John H. Caldwell, Ph.D., Professor
Ion Channels in the nervous system.
Thomas E. Finger, Ph.D., Professor
Chemical senses (taste, smell and trigeminal); receptor cell development and differentiation; transmission and processing of primary sensory information.
Diego Restrepo, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Program
Neurobiology of olfaction at the systems and cellular levels, neural implants.

Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology

Alberto Costa, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology.
Curt R. Freed, M.D., Ph.D., Professor
Neuropharmacology and Neurotransplantation.
W. Michael Zawada, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Cell replacement therapies in the brain, signaling mechanisms of cell death in Parkinson's disease and effects of alcohol on stem cells.

Pharmacology

K. Ulrich Bayer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Molecular memory in signal transduction and neuronal function.
Michael D. Browning, Ph.D., Professor
Molecular mechanisms of neuronal function with particular emphasis on protein phosphorylation.
Mark Dell'Acqua, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Postsynaptic protein kinase and phosphatase signaling complexes in synaptic plasticity.
Robert Freedman, M.D., Professor
Basic and clinical psychopharmacology.
Kim A. Heidenreich Ph.D., Professor
Molecular mechanisms of insulin and insulin-like growth factor action in the central nervous system.
Sherry S. Leonard, Ph.D., Professor
Molecular neurobiology of schizophrenia.
William A. Sather, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Structural basis of calcium channel function.
James M. Sikela, Ph.D., Professor
Evolutionary neurogenomics, genome organization and human genetic disease.
Alexander Sorkin, Ph.D., Professor
Mechanisms of endocytosis of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor.
Nancy R. Zahniser, Ph.D., Professor
Regulation of neurotransmitter release, transporters and receptors in brain; mechanisms underlying cocaine and ethanol actions.

Pediatrics

Kimberly Bjugstad, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Neural pathway reconstruction and cell replacement in Parkinson’s and Down Syndrome.
Lee Niswander, Ph.D., Professor
Genetics and molecular mechanisms of neural patterning and closure of the neural tube during vertebrate embryogenesis.
Karl H. Pfenninger, M.D., Professor
Cell and molecular biology of neurite outgrowth, the nerve growth cone, and network formation during brain development.
John Sladek

Physiology

Kurt Beam, Ph.D., Professor
Biophysics of excitation-contraction coupling.
William J. Betz, Ph.D., Professor
Exocytosis, endocytosis and endosomal trafficking.
Rock Levinson, Ph.D., Professor
Sodium channel expression and function; role of glycosylation.
Angie Ribera, Ph.D., Professor
Potassium channel expression and function during neuronal development.
Nathan E. Schoppa, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Cellular and synaptic physiology of the olfactory bulb.
Celia D. Sladek, Ph.D., Professor
Neuroendocrinology. Regulation of vasopressin and oxytocin secretion.
Daniel Tollin, PhD., Assistant Professor
Sound localization in the auditory system.
Sukumar Vijayaraghavan, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor's role in normal and abnormal functions of the central nervous system.
Bruce Wallace, Ph.D., Professor
Formation of post-synaptic specializations; mechanism of action of agrin.

Psychiatry

Donald Rojas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Neuromagnetic imaging.
Jason Tregellas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Inhibitory dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Miscellaneous

Manisha Patel, Ph.D., Associate Professor

Oxidative stress in neurodegeneration.

Katie Rennie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Ion channels in type I and type II vestibular hair cells.

Stephen Davies, Ph.D., Visiting Associate Professor, Dept. of Neurosurgery

Spinal cord regeneration.

Anne-Laure Perraud, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Biological role of the TRPM cationic channels; Ion channel function in the immune system.

Margaret E. Wierman, MD, Professor

Developmental ontogeny of GnRH neurons and mechanisms of neuronal migration and gene expression

Neurology

Tim Benke, M.D., Assistant Professor
Pediatrics and Neurology.
Ken Tyler, M.D., Professor
Molecular and genetic basis of virus-induced cell death (apoptosis) and pathogenesis using the reovirus model.

Affiliate Members

Dan Linseman, Ph.D., Affiliate Faculty/Instructor

Cell biology of neuronal apoptosis.

Irina Grichtchenko, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Bicarbonate ion transporters in epithelia and neurons.