Rebecca Prosser

Keywords:

Circadian rhythms; suprachiasmatic nucleus; brain slice; serotonin; glutamate; brain-derived neurotrophic factor; tissue plasminogen activator; BDNF; tPA; ethanol; PSA-NCAM

Research Area:

My research focuses on the mammalian circadian pacemaker and how it is modulated by its various inputs.

Description of Research:

All organisms share the characteristic that their behavior and physiology fluctuate over the course of the 24 hr day. These daily, or circadian, rhythms are controlled by clocks endogenous to the organisms, and they normally are synchronized to the external environment by the daily solar cycle. Research in my laboratory explores the cellular basis of mammalian circadian rhythms. This mammalian circadian clock is located in an area of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. While much is known about the cell types in this region and the areas of the brain that send it information, the mechanisms involved in producing these rhythms remain obscure. My research focuses on both the cellular processes involved in rhythm production as well as how the clock is modulated by other brain regions. The primary approach I have used for these studies is to study the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus after isolation in a brain slice preparation. The techniques used in these studies include electrophysiology, and neuropharmacology. An increased understanding of how the clock works and how it can be manipulated should help alleviate problems associated with circadian clock disfunction (including some sleep and manic depressive disorders) and with clock desynchronization (which occurs during jet lag and with shift work schedules).

Contact Information

Rebecca Prosser
Molecular Genetics and Systems Biology
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Cellular & Molecular Biology

UT
F211 Walters Life Sciences
1414 W. Cumberland Ave
Knoxville, TN 37996
865-974-2722

Email: rprosser@utk.edu

Degrees