Kodeeswaran Parameshwaran

Research Interests:

• Developmental nicotine exposure and molecular mechanisms of memory impairment
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Endocytosis and trafficking of membrane proteins in hippocampal neurons

CURE-E Course: Vertebrate Physiology (BIOL 416), first introduced with CURE-E in Fall 2021

Project Title: Physiological effects of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activation on acetylcholine synthesis and neurophysiology

This research project will be part of the lab section of the course. Students will meet twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, for hands-on research project activities. The overall objective of the project is to develop ideas and assays for solutions to real world challenges, specifically those that are related to brain diseases, and to identify physiologically compatible and effective treatment solutions. Cellular physiological approaches will be utilized that the students will use to understand basic activities in brain cells and to assess the impacts caused by disruptions to these activities. Students will produce cell lines that express proteins interest and study the effects of nicotine in these cells. Later on, tissue (brain) culture experiments will be performed to study the effects of nicotine. Throughout the process, students will have to identify the challenges and solutions, both conceptual and technical. At the end of the project, students will come up with findings that will add new knowledge on how activation of a receptor protein regulates transporter proteins.