Perioperative Neurosciences and Pain
For example, James Hecker is developing both biomarkers and novel non-viral vehicles for CNS expression of heat shock proteins in primates and eventually patients. Likewise, Andrew Kofke is exploring genetic risk factors and biomarkers for CNS damage in patients undergoing cardiac and major vascular surgery. Similarly, Albert Cheung and Stuart Weiss are developing biomarkers and clinical methods for preserving the spinal cord during aortic aneurism surgery. Thomas Floyd is studying the effect of cardiac surgery on cerebral blood flow and CNS injury in patients using novel MRI tools. Roderic Eckenhoff is exploring whether specific anesthetic protein interactions might contribute to neurodegeneration like Alzheimer's disease and William Armstead is using a pig model to dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms of vascular responses to traumatic brain injury. Exploring a novel potential mechanism of anesthetic neurotoxicity, Huafeng Wei studies the effects of anesthetics on calcium regulation, particularly the IP3 receptor. Max Kelz is studying the overlap between the neurobiology of sleep and anesthesia. Rita Valentino, PhD, head of the Stress Neurobiology Group, and colleagues, Sheryl Beck and Seema Bhatnagar, are studying the effects of stressful stimuli on brain function and behavior. Raymond Roginski has discovered a novel gene, GRINL, that may play a role in glutamatergic signaling. Finally, E. Andrew Ochroch is studying the genetic and gender basis of surgical pain in thoracic surgery patients.
|
Subthemes in this research area include: 
Perioperative medicine carries a risk for neural injury via many mechanisms, but has the unique advantage of temporal predictability. Mechanisms of and strategies for neuroprotection comprise a rapidly expanding focus of several of the basic and clinical investigators in the department. 
This theme is marked by strong collaborations with the departments of 