Current Postdoctoral
Training Opportunities

The laboratory is a good place to learn electrophysiology methods:

• Whole cell voltage clamp recordings of neurons in brain slices and in culture
• Two electrode voltage clamp of Xenopus oocytes to study ion channel and receptor signal transduction mechanisms

We use molecular biology methods to mutate receptors and channels to study signal transduction mechanisms in simple expression systems. We study the effects of drugs on synaptic transmission in brain slices. We use mouse genetics to alter genes potentially responsible for opiate receptor desensitization and behavioral tolerance.

The laboratory is a good place to learn receptor signal transduction analysis methods:

• Receptor desensitization by serine/threonine phosphorylation
• Regulation of signaling efficiency by tyrosine phosphorylation

The laboratory is a good place to learn transgenic mouse generation and behavioral characterization methods:

• We have an active program looking at the ways in which chronic behavioral stress activates endogenous opioid systems to control the behavioral responses to drugs of abuse.

We have active research in:

• receptor signaling mechanisms
• receptor desensitization
• synaptic plasticity
• drug tolerance