The Bowie Lab uses a combination of techniques to study ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), GABA_A receptors and more recently, voltage-gated Na⁺-channels.
All of these ion-channel families are widespread in the vertebrate brain and fulfill many important roles in healthy individuals as well as being implicated in disease states associated with postnatal development (e.g. autism, schizophrenia), cerebral insult (e.g. stroke, epilepsy) and aging disorders (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinsonism).
We are looking at iGluRs, GABA_A receptors and voltage-gated Na⁺-channels at two inter-related levels. In molecular terms, we are examining the events that occur when each ion-channel family is activated with the aim of developing novel therapeutic compounds. At the cellular level, we are studying the role that these ion-channel families fulfill in shaping the behaviour of neuronal circuits and how these processes may be corrected in disease states. The seminar will focus on unpublished data uncovering the central role of non-canonical signaling by NMDA-type iGluRs in Fragile X syndrome.