Secretary and Treasurer Georgetown Chapter, Sigma Xi, 1980-1988. 4 cr., Fall semester. Evolution, Immunity and Mind. Sony Endowed Course. Advances at this frontier lead not only to fundamental understanding of mind function but also to pharmacological therapies for treatment of emotional disorder and stroke-induced neurological deficits.
Peptides are a diverse group of compounds that mediate communication among neurons and glia.
Our research group actively pursues the mechanisms through which NAAG chemically communicates information among cells. We have identified the receptors that this peptide activates and have cloned an enzyme that mediates its inactivation in the extracellular space. We pursue the function of NAAG using a variety of approaches from cell cultures of neurons and glia to behavioral analysis of knock-out mice. We apply methods of biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, cell biology and electrophysiology with the goal of rigorously establishing the mechanisms of action of this peptide transmitter. Currently, we focus on determining the role of endogenous NAAG at identified synapses, characterization of peptidases that hydrolyze NAAG in the nervous system, and development of novel compounds that inhibit these peptidases.