Staff Page Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology Dr. El-Fakahany's research interests are focused in the areas of neuronal receptor modulation, mechanisms of receptor coupling to second messenger signal transduction pathways, and Alzheimer's disease. One of the main ongoing research areas is the investigation of the cellular pathways that link muscarinic acetylcholine receptors to the generation of nitric oxide in neurons, particularly in relation to hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids and calcium signaling. The laboratory is also interested in elucidating the mechanisms of feedback regulation of nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide plays major roles in the regulation of cerebral blood flow, memory and neurotoxicity.
Another area of interest is the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of action of drugs used for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. All of these questions are addressed by applying a combination of pharmacological and molecular biology techniques in mammalian brain, cultured neurons, or genetically engineered cells.