Summary
Our lab is currently working on two different research topics. The first one is on the basic mechanisms of gut motility. We take an approach that combines functional contractility assays (gut transit, fecal pellet output, colon migrating motor complex, pellet transit) with functional cell- specific Ca2+ imaging techniques in intact colon. For example, we use mice that express the genetically-encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6f in cholinergic neurons of the myenteric plexus of the colon, and we analyze the onset, duration, amplitude and frequency of cholinergic neuronal responses during migrating motor complex activity. By combining this technique with post-hoc immunohistochemistry and pharmacological modulators, we are beginning to identify functional subtypes of myenteric neurons. Our second one is on the use of specific electrical stimulation modalities to activate excitable cells in vivo. For those studies, we are collaborating with others in electrical and biomedical engineering here at UNR.
Education
- B.A., Psychology, University of California, San Diego
- Ph.D., Neuroscience, Wake Forest University