July 22, 2016: 'Alcohol dependence disrupts voltage-gated calcium channels in the rat central amygdala'

Friday, July 22, 1-2 p.m. ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building, Room 105A

Postdoctoral fellow Florence Varodayan, from the Scripps Research Institute, will be at UAA presenting a seminar on "Alcohol dependence disrupts voltage-gated calcium channels in the rat central amygdala."

Abstract: Alcoholism is a disorder characterized by the compulsion to drink alcohol in an effort to stave off the negative emotions experienced during withdrawal. Within the brain, the central amygdala region is associated with stress, anxiety and alcohol drinking. Therefore, dysfunction of the central amygdala after chronic alcohol exposure is proposed to play a critical role in the development of alcohol dependence. Recently, voltage-gated calcium channels have been found to play a critical role in several psychiatric disorders that involve amygdala dysfunction and show high co-morbidity with alcoholism, such as bipolar disease, schizophrenia and major depression. Therefore, we investigated the role of voltage-gated calcium channels in acute alcohol's effects on rat central amygdala cellular and behavioral function, and their potential dysregulation with chronic alcohol exposure.

July Archive