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ANACHEM & SAS SEPTEMBER MEETNG
PRENSENTATION & VISIT TO NSF LABORATORIES
SUSAN WALKINSHAW
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011
REGISTRATION 4:30-5:00PM
PROGRAM STARTS AT 5:00PM
LOCATION: 789 DIXBORO RD, Ann Arbor, MI
ANACHEM/SAS OCTOBER MEETING
TOPIC: |
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Electrochemistry: Revealing the Potential of Dopamine:
Dynamics in the Brain |
SPEAKER: |
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Tiffany Mathews, Assistant Professor Chem Dept, WSU |
SITE: |
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U of D Mercy Engineering Building, Room131 |
DATE/TIME: |
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Thursday, October 6th,starting at 6pm
See udmercy.edu site for directions |
ABSTRACT
Using analytical chemistry to decipher the brain. One of the fundamental
objectives of bioanalytical chemistry is to quantify biological molecules
in their native environments. This goal is exceedingly difficult because
implantation of a sensor or electrode inherently perturbs the endogenous
environment (tissue damage) and can lead to fouling of the surface of the
sensor/electrode. Often, it is easier to use an in vitro model such as cell
lines or liposomes to measure biological molecules. However, without native
complexity, crucial findings remain undiscovered. This objective of this
talk will focus on how we are using electrochemical techniques to decipher
neurochemical signaling from the brain.
Tiffany received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Buffalo and
her Ph.D. in Chemistry under the direction of Dr. Anne M. Andrews at Penn
State University.
Using in vivo microdialysis, she studied the roles of serotonin and dopamine
in degenerative and psychiatric diseases in the brains of mutant mice. She
continued her post-doctoral research in the Department of Physiology and
Pharmacology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine under the tutelage
Dr. Sara R. Jones. There she received a training grant from the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and became a Ruth L.
Kirschstein NRSA Post-doctoral fellow where she expanded her technical expertise
in in vivo and slice voltammetry, loco-motor activity, and alcohol exposure
protocols. In 2007, she joined the Department of Chemistry at Wayne State
University as an Associate Professor and researcher in their Translational
Neuroscience Program. Since then, she has been awarded a K22, Career Transition
Award from NIAAA. As the Primary Investigator (PI), her laboratory is delving
into how Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a protein responsible
for neuronal growth and survival, influences dopamine during synaptic activity.
Her laboratory is also exploring how imbalances in the concentration of BDNF
and dopamine play a role in central nervous system diseases and impact alcohol
drug abuse susceptibility.
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