University of British Columbia
MacVicar Lab
Recent Alumni
Lab Alumni
Julie Robillard, PhD. Candidate
PhD.in Neuroscience
The aging process translates into many changes in the brain. The functional properties of hippocampal activity are particularly susceptible to aging, and aged animals display significant calcium (Ca2+) dysregulation in the hippocampal pyramidal cells. This dysregulation in turn impairs synaptic plasticity that involves Ca2+-dependent processes, and it has been established that hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular model for learning and memory, is altered in aged animals. The goal of my research is to use naturally aging mice and a combination of electrophysiology and molecular biology techniques to determine more precisely how aging affects different forms of synaptic plasticity in the mouse hippocampus, and to investigate what mechanisms are responsible for these changes.
Dustin Hines, PhD.
PhD in Neuroscience
Dustin Hines completed his PhD. in May 2009. His thesis title was : "The Roles of Microglia in Response to Pathological Stimuli in the Brain". Dustin moved shortly thereafter to Boston, where he is now working as a post-doc at the University of Boston for Dr. P. Hayden, and is continuing his research in the roles for astrocyte regulation of behavior.
Masanori Tachikawa, PhD.
PhD. Pharmaceutical Sciences
My current research has been mainly focused on the physiological function and regulation of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB forms complex tight junctions of brain microvascular endothelial cells. I and my colleagues have discovered that various influx and efflux transporters at the BBB function as supporting and protecting systems for the brain. Although these BBB functions must be closely related with the cerebral blood flow and various neural conditions (i.e., inflammation) the mechanism of the relationship between the BBB, glia and neuron remains to be fully understood. It has been proposed that astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the brain, are key players in coordinating in the neuro-vascular coupling. I am now interested in the field of research on calcium signaling in astrocyte and its role in cerebral blood flow and inflammation, using two-photon laser scanning microscopy in acute brain slices of the hippocampus and cortex.
Chao Tai
PhD. Candidate, Neuroscience
BSc., Physiology & Biophysics
Minor Diploma, Computer Software
During my PhD studies, I have been using multiple methods including electrophysiological, pharmacological, biochemical and two-photon imaging techniques to study the muscarinic modulations of several Ca2+-permeable ion channels in the CNS, and the impacts of these modulations in several brain disorders and activities. The brain’s cholinergic system plays a key role in modulating neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity and neuronal intrinsic properties. It is also implicated in many brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and stroke. The diverse impact of the cholinergic system arises from the extensive number of ion channels that are modulated by acetylcholine. I have also been studing cholinergic modulation of several ion channels and the potential functions of these modulations: 1) Muscarinic enhancement of R-type calcium currents contributes to theta oscillations; 2) Muscarinic-induced translocation of TRPC5 channels contributes to plateau potential in seizures; 3) Muscarinic modulation of NMDA receptors contributes to synaptic plasticity.
