Brian McCool, PhD
Brian McCool, PhD
Education
Post-Doc, Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1997
PhD Molecular Biology, Vanderbilt University, 1993
BS Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 1988
Research Area
Neurobiology of Alcohol Abuse and Anxiety
Academic Activities
Editorial Board, Alcohol
Chair, Institutional Chemical Safety Committee
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Chair, Track 6 (Neuroscience) Student Evaluation Committee
Track 6 (Neuroscience) Student Recruitment Committee
Activities in Medical and Graduate Education
Director, IPP 713, Alcohol Research Data and Journal Club
Lectures in: NUSC712
Medical lecture: “Neurobiology of Alcohol”
Brief Summary of Research
Our lab is currently focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing the interaction between anxiety and drugs of abuse. We are especially interested in the chronic effects of ethanol on excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter systems in brain areas regulating such behaviors. We employ several different model systems including both rodent and non-human primates. Experimentally, we utilize whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology with in vitro brain slice and isolated cell preparations to investigate alterations in receptor pharmacology and function. We also utilize molecular biological approaches like single-cell RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR to understand the contribution of gene expression.
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