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Welcome to the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at Georgetown University.
The diverse research programs of our faculty focus on cellular communication and signal transduction.
Our department offers graduate programs leading to both the Ph.D. and M.S. degrees. Please explore our website.
- Ken Dretchen, Chair
Because research is such an important aspect of our programs, we include links to recent faculty publications - Click each title to see the abstracts
Molecular and neural bases underlying roles of BDNF in the control of body weight, Front. Neurosci. Epub, March 21, 2013
Two newly identified exons in human GRM1 express a novel splice variant of metabotropic glutamate 1 receptor, Gene 519:367-373, 2013
Differential effects of serotonin-specific and excitotoxic lesions of OFC on conditioned reinforcer devaluation and extinction in rats, Behav. Brain Res. 246:10-14, 2013
Midbrain-derived neurotrophins support survival of immature striatal projection neurons, J Neurosci 33:3363-3369, 2013
Mossy fiber-CA3 synapses mediate homeostatic plasticity in mature hippocampal neurons, Neuron 77:99-114. 2013
Defense-like behaviors evoked by pharmacological disinhibition of the superior colliculus in the primate, J Neurosci 33:150-155, 2013
Direct and GABA-mediated indirect effects of nicotinic ACh receptor agonists on striatal neurones, J Physiol. 2013 591:203-217, 2013
Topography of dyskinesias and torticollis evoked by inhibition of substantia nigra pars reticulata, Mov Disord. 2012 Oct 31
Ethics and eplerenone, J Med Ethics. 2012 Sep 26.
Effects of chronic Sazetidine-A, a selective alpha4beta2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor desensitizing agent on pharmacologically-induced impaired attention in rats, Psychophharm, Oct, 2012
BDNF promotes differentiation and maturation of adult-born neurons through GABA-ergic transmission. J Neurosci 32:14318, 2012
Superior colliculus mediates cervical dystonia evoked by inhibition of the substantia nigra pars reticulata. J Neurosci 32:13326, 2012
Transient inactivation of basolateral amygdala during selective satiation disrupts reinforcer devaluation in rats. Behav Neurosci 126:562, 2012
Iron chelation inhibits the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling. Free Radic Biol Med. 2012 Aug 25
Chronic sazetidine-A at behaviorally active doses does not increase nicotinic cholinergic receptors in rodent brain. J Pharmacol Exp Ther Aug 16. 2012
A new radioligand binding assay to measure the concentration of drugs in rodent brain ex vivo. J Pharmacol Exp Ther Aug 16. 2012
Histocompatibility and in vivo signal throughput for PEDOT, PEDOP, P3MT, and polycarbazole electrodes. J Biomed Mater Res A. Jul 20, 2012
TRPA1 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid sensor in mammals. PLoS One, in press, 2012
Reactive oxygen species and antioxidants in pulmonary hypertension, Antioxid Redox Signal, in press, 2012
Wherefore Art Thou, Homeo(stasis)? Neural Plasticity,in press, 2012
Ligand bias at metabotropic glutamate 1a receptor: Molecular determinants that distinguish beta-arrestin from G protein mediated signaling. Mol Pharmacol in press, 2012
Proposed role of primary protein carbonylation in cell signaling. Redox Rep. 17:90-94, 2012
Dendritic BDNF synthesis is required for late-phase spine maturation and recovery of cortical responses following sensory deprivation. J Neurosci 32:4790, 2012
Oxidant signaling for interleukin-13 gene expression in lung smooth muscle cells. Free Radic. Biol. Med. 52:1552, 2012
Anticonvulsant effect of retigabine during postnatal development in rats. Epilepsy Res Apr 5,2012 epub
Dendritically targeted Bdnf mRNA is essential for energy balance and response to leptin. Nature Medicine 18:564, 2012
Effects of sazetidine-A, a selective alpha4beta2* desensitizing agent, on body temperature regulation in mice and rats. Eur J Pharmacol Feb 2012
Assessing the effects of chronic sazetidine-A on nicotine self-administration in both male and female rats. Psychopharmacol. Feb 2012
Neonatal exposure to phenobarbital potentiates schizophrenia-like behavioral outcomes in the rat. Neuropharmacology Feb 2012
Identification and functional characterization of polo-like kinase 2 autoregulatory sites. Neuroscience Jan 2012
Ventral pallidum mediates amygdala-evoked deficits in prepulse inhibition. Behavioral Neuroscience Jan 2012
Effects of neonatal antiepileptic exposure on cognitive, emotional, and motor function in adult rats. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. Mar 2012