Douglas Bayliss

Pharmacology, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, United States of America

Signaling between cells in the brain relies on electrical and chemical transmission. Ion channels traverse brain cell membranes to serve as conduits for the flow of ionic current; this current creates the potential differences across the membrane that are ultimately responsible for triggering release of the chemical messengers that act on nearby neurons.

Our laboratory attempts to characterize neuronal signaling in terms of identifying the molecular basis for neuronal ion channels and understanding cellular mechanisms that modulate their activity. We are particularly interested in studying those ion channels that determine intrinsic excitability of brain cells, because they are often subject to regulation by endogenous neurochemicals and since they ultimately mediate effects of many drugs, therapeutic and otherwise.

A number of technical approaches are employed in our laboratory, including chemical neuroanatomy, cellular electrophysiology in brain tissue and transfected cells, molecular biology and in vivo gene transfer. Our hope is that information combined from these different approaches will illuminate mechanisms responsible for physiological and pharmacological modulation of neuronal excitability.

Any competing interests declared are displayed with individual evaluations.

Faculty Member: Anesthesiology & Pain Management > Anesthetic Mechanisms (since 17 July 2007)

Links

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/neuroscience/faculty/fac-behav.cfm?uva_id=dab3y&hideintro=1

All recent recommendations

• 8.0
  General anaesthesia: from molecular targets to neuronal pathways of sleep and arousal.
  Recommended by Edward Bertaccini, Douglas Bayliss
  
• 3.0
  An essential role for orexins in emergence from general anesthesia.
  Recommended by Douglas Bayliss
  
• 6.6
  Reversal of pathological pain through specific spinal GABAA receptor subtypes.
  Recommended by Douglas Bayliss, Gerd Geisslinger with Achim Schmidtko, Nanna Finnerup, Franz Frei
  
• 9.0
  Neural substrates of awakening probed with optogenetic control of hypocretin neurons.
  Recommended by Douglas Bayliss
  
• 3.0
  Central serotonergic neurons are differentially required for opioid analgesia but not for morphine tolerance or morphine reward.
  Recommended by Douglas Bayliss