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Neil L. Harrison, Ph.D.
Professor, Anesthesiology and Pharmacology
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Research
Summary
Areas of Research: Biophysics/Ion Channels, Synapses & Circuits
Specialization: GABA receptors; synaptic inhibition
The Harrison laboratory is interested in synaptic transmission, especially at inhibitory synapses, which are necessary for the normal processing of information in the mammalian brain. Failure of synaptic inhibition leads to epilepsy, while enhancement of synaptic inhibition is associated with reduced anxiety, muscle relaxation, sedation, hypnosis and anesthesia. The lab studies the details of inhibitory synaptic function, its modulation and plasticity, using a variety of modern electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. Projects within the lab study these synapses at several different levels of organization, including brain slice, single cell and subcellular preparations. A major focus of the lab is on the GABA-A receptor, the principal receptor protein at inhibitory synapses in the brain. The lab personnel include physiologists, biophysicists, molecular biologists and pharmacologists.
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Selected Publications:
1. Keramidas A, Kash TL, Harrison NL. (2006) The pre-M1 segment of the a1 subunit is a transduction element in the activation of the GABA-A receptor. Journal of Physiology
575:11-22
2. Chandra D, Jia F, Werner DF, Suryanarayanan A, Liang J, Spigelman I, Houser C, Olsen RW, Harrison NL, Homanics GE. (2006) GABAA receptor alpha-4 subunits mediate extrasynaptic inhibition in thalamus and dentate gyrus and the action of gaboxadol. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A
103:15230-15235
3. Pignataro L, Miller A, Ma L, Midha S, Protiva P, Herrera DG, Harrison NL. (2007) Alcohol regulates gene expression in neurons via activation of heat shock factor 1. Journal of Neuroscience
27:12957-12966
4. Jia F, Yue M, Chandra D, Keramidas A, Goldstein PA, Homanics GE, Harrison NL. (2008) Taurine is a potent activator of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in the thalamus. Journal of Neuroscience
28:106-115
5. Jia F, Yue M, Chandra D, Goldstein PA, Homanics GE, Harrison NL. (2008) Isoflurane is a potent modulator of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in the thalamus. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
324:1127-1135
6. Keramidas A, Harrison NL. (2008) Kinetic properties of GABAA receptors incorporating the a4 subunit. Journal of General Physiology
131:163-181
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