Development of Technologies to Study Membrane Potential. Biophysics, membrane structure and function, and cellular neurobiology. Primary research has been in membrane electrophysiology, the study of ion channels, and their properties in excitable cells. Previous studies have been on excitation-contraction coupling in muscle, studies on regulatory groups on proteins of membrane ion channels, the reconstitution of active transport systems into artificial bilayer membranes, the utilization of patch and single electrode voltage clamping to study ion channels and the control of their openings and closings.
Current research is in several areas.
One study involves reconstitution of the catecholamine transporter into lipid bilayers and determining their regulation. This research involves developing micro-techniques of fast cyclic voltametry for catecholamine detection. Other research utilizes brain slice preparations to investigate the input-output transfer functions of neurons utilizing voltametry and newly developed solid state microelectrodes. A focus here is on the modulatory role of neurotransmitters in the hippocampus and other limbic structures. Union of Physiol.