Department of Anesthesiology

Dr. Flood’s main area of research is in the mechanism of action of general anesthetics and how central nicotinic inhibition by general anesthetics affects synaptic transmission. General anesthetics inhibit several ion channels including the neuronal type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which is thought to be involved in memory and attentiveness. The potent inhibition of the activity of this receptor by volatile anesthetics may underlie certain aspects of anesthesia. Her laboratory uses molecular biologic (chimeras and site directed mutagenesis), electrophysiologic and behavioral techniques to identify the inhibitory site for general anesthetics. A related interest is the effects of general anesthetic drugs on pain sensitivity.

Neil Harrison, Ph.D.
Professor of Anesthesiology & Pharmacology
Publications

Dr. Harrison’s main area of research interest is in synaptic transmission, especially at inhibitory synapses, which are necessary for the normal processing of information in the mammalian brain. Failure of synaptic inhibition leads to epilepsy, while enhancement of synaptic inhibition is associated with reduced anxiety, muscle relaxation, sedation, hypnosis and anesthesia. The lab studies the details of inhibitory synaptic function, its modulation and plasticity, using a variety of modern electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. Projects within the lab study these synapses at several different levels of organization, including brain slice, single cell and subcellular preparations. A major focus of the lab is on the GABA-A receptor, the principal receptor protein at inhibitory synapses in the brain. The lab personnel include physiologists, biophysicists, molecular biologists and pharmacologists.

Robert A. Whittington, M.D.
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology

Dr. Whittington’s research deals with the anesthetic modulation of central nervous system excitotoxicity induced by cocaine. Currently, he is using a unique in vivo cerebral microdialysis technique to examine dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems in the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain linked to cocaine’s excitatory effects in animals. He is also involved in clinical research projects examining ultra-rapid opioid detoxification under general anesthesia.