ADRIANA GALVAN
Instructor
Department of Neurology
Emory University
I joined Yoland’s lab in the spring of 2000, as a post-doc fellow. I had obtained my PhD
in neurosciences a few months before at the Center of Research and Advanced Studies in
Mexico City, where I am originally from.
I started doing research in neuroscience several years ago, when I was an undergraduate
in college. Back then, I worked on behavioral paradigms to explore the reward and
reinforcing properties of dopamine and opioids. Afterwards, during my master and
doctoral studies, I became interested in the role of the basal ganglia in the modulation of
movement. In my thesis work, I explored the role of extrastriatal dopamine in normal and
parkinsonian rats.
I became interested in the work done in Yoland’s lab because I was puzzled by the very
complex circuitry of the basal ganglia. The approach of the lab to try to understand the
relations between anatomy and physiology is very appealing to me. Also, since the lab is
part of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, I consider that it is a major
privilege to be able to explore these questions in primates.
Currently, my research projects are:
1. Ultrastructural localization of GABA receptors in the basal ganglia
2. Function of GABA receptors in normal and pathological conditions in the
primate basal ganglia
I’ll summarize the rationale for these projects in the next paragraphs.
The basal ganglia are a group of subcortical structures in the central nervous system
involve with planning, learning and execution of motor activity. Dysfunction of these
nuclei results in severe motor disorders.
In the basal ganglia circuitry, GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter. However,
the subcellular localization and functions of ionotropic and metabotropic GABAergic
receptors are still poorly known. The existence evidence indicates that GABAergic
receptors function is altered in pathological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. For
this reason it is important to understand the interactions between these receptors and the
basal ganglia circuitry.
My research involves electron microscopy analysis of the subcellular and subsynaptic
localization of ionotropic GABA-A and metabotropic GABA-B receptors in different
nuclei of the basal ganglia. Also, in order to better understand the functions of
GABAergic receptors in normal and pathological conditions, I perform microdialysis and
extracellular recording in basal ganglia nuclei of awake rhesus monkeys following local
drug applications that modulate GABAergic neurotransmission.
The microdialysis experiments help us understand if the presynaptic GABA-A and
GABA-B receptors modulate the release of other neurotransmitters, like glutamate and
GABA. The roles of postsynaptic GABA receptors are also explored using extracellular
recordings, combined with intracerebral infusions of GABAergic agonists and
antagonists
Publications
Galvan A, Charara A, Pare JF, Levey AI and Smith Y. (2004) Differential subcellular
and subsynaptic distribution of GABAA and GABAB receptors in the monkey
subthalamic nucleus. Neuroscience, in press
Charara A, Galvan A, Kuwajima M, Hall RA, and Smith Y. (2004) An electron
microscope immunocytochemical study of GABAB R2 receptors in the monkey basal
ganglia: a comparative analysis with GABAB R1 receptors distribution. J. Comp. Neurol.,
in press.
Galvan A, Smith Y, Wichmann T (2003) Continuous monitoring of intracerebral
glutamate levels in awake monkeys using microdialysis and enzyme fluorometric
detection. J Neurosci Methods.126(2):175-85.
Galvan A, Floran B, Erlij D, Aceves J. (2001) Intrapallidal dopamine restores motor
deficits induced by 6-hydroxydopamine in the rat. J Neural Transm. 108(2):153-66.
Agmo A, Galvan A, Talamantes B. (1995) Reward and reinforcement produced by
drinking sucrose: two processes that may depend on different neurotransmitters.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 52(2):403-14.
Agmo A, Galvan A, Heredia A, Morales M. (1995) Naloxone blocks the antianxiety but
not the motor effects of benzodiazepines and pentobarbital: experimental studies and
literature review. Psychopharmacology (Berl).120(2):186-94.