Dr Keith Brain
Research Areas
Medical Sciences Division Themes
- Neuroscience
- Ion Channels and Transporters
- Imaging
Group Members
- Ms Sabine Kobayter, DPhil Student
- Mr James Kennard, PRS Student
Former Group Members
- Dr Robert Amos, now with Tessella: Scientific Software Solutions
- Dr Damian Williams, now with National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda
| Web | Lab Website |
|---|---|
| Department | Department of Pharmacology |
Dr Keith Brain
The regulation of transmission in the vas deferens and mesenteric artery
Noradrenergic and Nitrergic Transmission in the Anococcygeus – An exploration into the function of the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and nitric oxide in an important experimental preparation, the rat anococcygeus. How does noradrenaline, acting at metabotropic receptors, rapidly depolarize the smooth muscle cells to active voltage-gated Ca2+ channel? How do nitrergic nerves release NO, and how does such NO inhibit contraction?
The regulation of purinergic transmission in the urinary bladder – Acetylcholine is not the only parasympathetic neurotransmitter in the bladder. In the overactive bladder (such as that arising following spinal cord injury), and in the elderly, purinergic transmission becomes functionally important. We seek to understand such purinergic transmission, how it is endogenously modulated, and how drugs might be used to modify its effects.
Packeted versus quantal ATP release – a series of fundamental studies investigating the basic properties of transmission at the sympathetic neuroeffector junction, in collaboration with Dr Tom Cunnane's laboratory.
Sources of Funding
- Wellcome Trust 2004- 2009
- British Heart Foundation 2007- 2010
Biography
Dr Brain graduated with a PhD in Physiology in 1998 and in Medicine in 1999 from the University of Sydney, Australia. After working as a medical officer at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney he joined the Department in 2001.
In collaboration with Professor Max Bennett at the University of Sydney, he developed an optical technique for measuring calcium changes in autonomic nerve terminals. By using this technique, Dr Brain explores the regulation of calcium at sites of neurotransmitter release: the nerve terminal varicosities. Such studies allow the mechanisms of action of drugs such as nicotine to be explored in Oxford’s Department of Pharmacology.
In collaboration with Dr Tom Cunnane of this department, he has developed an optical technique for detecting packets of neurotransmitter released from single nerve terminal varicosities on an impulse-to-impulse basis. This now allows the pharmacology and physiology of autonomic neurotransmission to be explored with unparalleled spatial resolution.
