Prof. Alasdair Gibb, Department of Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK.A major theme of his research has been the work on the biophysical properties and pharmacology of the glutamate receptors in the central nervous system, particularly NMDA receptors. Moreover, he works on identification of the role of cell signalling in the assembly and function of synaptic connections in the vertebrate nervous system.
Prof. Stephan Kroger, Institute of Physiology, University of Munich, Germany. He focuses mostly on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the formation, maintenance and regeneration of synaptic connections as well as their changes during pathological conditions.
Prof. Jack McMahan, Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA.In his research program he examines how the synapses form in the embryo and function in the adult organizm of various animal species. Research projects from his laboratory use a wide range of research methods, including the nascent technology of high-resolution electron microscope tomography.
Prof. John Nicholls, Department of Neurobiology, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy. His work is concerned with regeneration of the nervous system after an injury and mechanisms that give rise to the respiratory rhythm. He is the co-author of "From Neuron to brain".
Prof. Shlomo Rotshenker, Department of Anatomy/Cell Biology, Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. In his scientific research he focuses mainly on degeneration and regeneration in the peripheral and central nervous systems. In addition, he studies the involvement of the immune system in demyelinating degenerative diseases of the nervous system.
Prof. Wesley Thompson, School of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin. The main theme of his research involves studying the formation and maintaining of synapses on the model of neuromuscular junction (NMJ). He is particularly concerned with the role of Schwann cells and their interactions with axons at normal state, as well as during sprouting and reinnervation. Research in his lab uses mouse transgenic technology and imaging in exploring mechanisms of synaptic maintanance and repair of neuronal lesions.
Published Date: 26.02.2012
Published by: Marta Gajowa