A division of the Cellular and Neurocomputational Systems Branch
Section Chief
Contact
Location:
Triad Technology Center
333 Cassell Drive
Room 3302
Baltimore, MD 21224
Phone: 667-312-5203
Email: clupica@mail.nih.gov
About the Lab
The Electrophysiology Research Section conducts investigations in the following areas of study:
Mechanisms of action of abused drugs on synaptic neuronal circuitry:
- Cannabinoid effects in hippocampus, ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens
- Effects of cannabinoids and cocaine on synaptic plasticity in brain reward circuits
Physiological characterization of Parkinson’s disease in transgenic models:
- Respiratory chain dysfunction in dopamine neuron mitochondria
- Dopamine neuron degeneration and early physiological events
Laboratory approaches:
- Brain slices
- Patch clamp electrophysiology
- Confocal microscopy
- Ultraviolet laser photolysis of caged molecules
- Electrochemistry of dopamine in brain slices
- Transgenic models
