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Neurophysiological Pharmacology Section
Judith R. Walters, Ph.D., Senior Investigator
Dr. Walters received her B.A.degree from Mt. Holyoke College and her Ph.D. from Yale University where she worked with Robert Roth and George Aghajanian studying the pharmacology and neurophysiology of the dopamine system in the basal ganglia. After postdoctoral work at Yale she became a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and then moved to the Experimental Therapeutics Branch in NINDS where she now serves as Section Chief of the Neurophysiological Pharmacology Section. Her laboratory is exploring the role of dopamine in basal
ganglia-thalamocortical function.
Staff:
- Bhooma Aravamuthan, B.S., Graduate Student, 301-496-2067 aravamuthanb@mail.nih.gov
- Nuzhat Ashgar, B.A., Office Manager, 301-402-1544 ashgarn@ninds.nih.gov
- Irene Avila, B.A., Graduate Student, 301-451-1723 avilai@ninds.nih.gov
- Debra A. Bergstrom, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, 301-496-2067 bergstrd@ninds.nih.gov
- Robin French, B.S., Post baccalaureate Fellow, 301-496-0291 frenchr@ninds.nih.gov
- Anne Kask, B.S., Contractor, 301-451-1723 kaska@ninds.nih.gov
- Jean A. Milstein, B.A., Graduate Student, 301-451-1721 milsteij@ninds.nih.gov
- Louise C. Parr-Brownlie, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, 301-451-1720 parrbl@ninds.nih.gov
Research Interests:
The goal of the Neurophysiological Pharmacology Section is to elucidate the
function of specific neuronal systems in regulating information processing in
basal ganglia-thalamocortical networks. The Section interests are currently
focused on relationships between dopamine and basal ganglia-thalamocortical
system function and dysfunction, especially with respect to movement disorders.
Effort is directed toward identifying mechanisms that could be manipulated to
prevent, correct, and/or compensate for dysfunction occurring in these systems
in disorders such as Parkinson's disease, dyskinesia, Huntington's disease,
Tourette's syndrome and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Neurophysiological approaches are utilized to investigate activity in basal
ganglia-thalamocortical circuits in normal and abnormal motor states and the
potential for modulating basal ganglia- thalamocortical network function with
drugs and other interventions such as deep brain stimulation. An area of
current interest is the role of dopamine receptor stimulation in modulation of
synchronized and oscillatory neuronal activity in a range of frequencies in the
context of basal ganglia-thalamocortical network function and dysfunction.
Techniques include in vivo recordings in anesthetized and awake behaving rodent
preparations in conjunction with selective lesion, stimulation or drug
treatments, and biochemical, behavioral and anatomical measures.
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Selected Publications:
- Walters JR, Hu D, Itoga CA, Parr-Brownlie LC, Bergstrom DA (2007) Phase Relationships Support a Role for Coordinated Activity in the Indirect Pathway in Organizing Slow Oscillations in Basal Ganglia Output after Loss of Dopamine , Neuroscience 144, 762-776.
- Parr-Brownlie, LC., Poloskey,SL, Gonzales, KK, Bergstrom, DA and Walters, JR (2007) Dopamine-lesion-induced changes in subthalamic nucleus activity are not associated with alterations in firing rate or pattern in layer V neurons of the anterior cingulate cortex in anesthetized rats , Eur. J. Neurosci 26, 1925-1939.
- Castellanos FX, Sonuga-Barke EJS, Scheres A, DiMartino A, Hyde C and Walters JR (2005) Varieties of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-related intra-individual variability, Biological Psychiatry 57, 1416-1423. Full Text/Abstract
- Allers KA, Bergstrom DA, Ghazi LJ, Kreiss DS and Walters JR (2005) MK801 and amantadine exert different effects on subthalamic neuronal activity in a rodent model of Parkinson's disease, Experimental Neurology 191, 104-118. Full Text/Abstract
- Walters JR, Hu D, Itoga CA, Parr-Brownlie LC and Bergstrom DA (2005) Do local field potentials reflect synchronized spiking activity of neuronal populations in the basal ganglia? Studies in a rodent model of Parkinson's disease, The Basal Ganglia VIII, edited by JP Bolam, C Ingham and PJ Magill , 37-46.
- Hutchison WD, Dostrovsky JO, Walters JR, Courtemanche R, Boraud T, Goldberg J and Brown P (2004) Neuronal oscillations in the basal ganglia and movement disorders: evidence from whole animal and human recordings, Journal of Neuroscience 24, 9240-9243. Full Text/Abstract
- Ruskin DN, Bergstrom DA, Tierney PL and Walters JR (2003) Correlated multisecond oscillations in firing rate in the basal ganglia: modulation by dopamine and the subthalamic nucleus, Neuroscience 117, 427-438. Full Text/Abstract
All Selected Publications
Contact Information:
Dr. Judith R. Walters
Neurophysiological Pharmacology Section, NINDS
Porter Neuroscience Research Center
Building 35, Room 1C-905
35 Convent Drive, MSC 3702
Bethesda, MD 20892-3702
Telephone: 301-496-2067 office,
301-496-2067 laboratory,
301-402-0625 fax
Email: waltersj@ninds.nih.gov
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