Overview

Research conducted by this laboratory is concerned with investigating neurochemical, pharmacological and anatomical aspects of central synaptic transmission. Of particular interest is the transport and metabolism of glutamate, as impaired transport of this excitatory transmitter is implicated in a number of disease states, including: Alzheimer's disease, neurodegeneration following head injury and stroke, and tissue damage accompanying the growth of brain tumours.
By studying the effects of glutamate transport modulators on in vitro brain preparations, this group has revealed metabolic deficiencies arising from glutamate transport impairment that may be involved in the development of some of the disease states described above.