Research in my laboratory is focussed on ion channels gated by receptors for the amino acid L-glutamate. Throughout the vertebrate central nervous system glutamate receptors in the postsynaptic membrane underlie the rapid transmission of information at excitatory synapses. The overall goal of our work is to provide a better understanding of excitatory transmission by determining the properties of glutamate receptors and of the channels that they control.
We use electrophysiological recordings to study the activation and desensitization of the receptors following rapid application of glutamate. We also study the pharmacology of compounds that block the glutamate binding site and compounds that physically occlude the ion pore. More recently, work has concentrated on a subtype of glutamate receptor expressed by peripheral sensory neurons that exhibits a unique form of desensitization. Comparison of the central and peripheral receptors should lead to a clearer picture of how the binding of glutamate operates the channels.
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