Stanley A. Thayer, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Pharmacology E-mail: sathayer@umn.edu

Research Interests:

Dr. Thayer's laboratory is studying the regulation of the intracellular calcium concentration in neurons, and examining the components of this system as potential pharmacologic targets. Calcium is an essential second messenger involved in neurotransmitter release, gene regulation, and synaptic plasticity. Inappropriate elevation of the intracellular calcium concentration contributes to the neurodegeneration associated with AIDS, ischemia, epilepsy and head trauma.

Dr. Thayer's group uses electrophysiological and optical techniques to measure membrane ion currents and the fluorescence emitted by calcium-sensitive dyes in single neurons grown in tissue culture. Current research efforts are directed to three principal areas: 1) the processes which remove calcium from the cytoplasm are studied with respect to their modulation by drugs and second messenger systems; 2) in vitro models are used to evaluate strategies to prevent calcium-induced neurodegeneration; and 3) the influence of cannabinoid drugs on synaptic plasticity are studied.

Neurons have developed a complex system to maintain calcium homeostasis. Drugs targeted to specific components of this system are useful tools for studying signaling processes, have profound effects on synaptic transmission and may prove to be effective neuroprotective agents.

Selected Publications:

Waataja JJ, Kim HJ, Roloff AM, Thayer SA. Excitotoxic loss of post-synaptic sites is distinct temporally and mechanistically from neuronal death. J Neurochem. 2008 Jan;104(2):364-75.

Jackson JG, Usachev YM, Thayer SA. Bradykinin-induced nuclear factor of activated T-cells-dependent transcription in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. Mol Pharmacol. 2007 Aug;72(2):303-10.

Gilbert GL, Kim HJ, Waataja JJ, Thayer SA. Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol protects hippocampal neurons from excitotoxicity. Brain Res. 2007 Jan 12;1128(1):61-9.

Shideman, C. R. S. Hu, P.K. Peterson, and Thayer, S. A. (2006) CCL5 evokes calcium signals in microglia through a kinase, phosphoinositide and nucleotide-dependent mechanism J. Neurosci. Res. 83 :1471-84.

Usachev, Y. M., Marsh, A. J., Johanns, T. M., Lemke, M. M. and Thayer, S. A. (2006) Activation of Protein Kinase C in Sensory Neurons Accelerates Ca 2+ Uptake into the Endoplasmic Reticulum. J. Neurosci. 26 :311-318

Pottorf, W. J., Johanns, T. M, Derrington, S. M., Strehler, E. E., Enyedi, A., and Thayer, S. A. (2006) Glutamate-Induced Protease-Mediated Loss of Plasma Membrane Ca 2+ Pump Activity in Rat Hippocampal Neurons. J. Neurochem. 98 :1646-56.

Jackson, J. G. and Thayer, S. A. (2006) Mitochondrial Modulation of Ca 2+ -Induced Ca 2+ -Release in Rat Sensory Neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 96 :1093-104.

Kelley, B. K. and Thayer, S. A. (2004) delta 9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol antagonizes endocannabinoid modulation of synaptic transmission between hippocampal neurons in culture. Neuropharmacology 46 :709-715.

Kelley, B. K. and Thayer, S. A. (2004) Anandamide transport inhibitor AM404 and structurally related compounds inhibit synaptic transmission between rat hippocampal neurons in culture independent of CB1 receptors. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 496 33-39.

Former Graduate Students:

Jon Waataja (Ph.D. 2007, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Guangjian Wang (Ph.D. 1996, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota). Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Louisville

Timothy Piser (Ph.D., Pharmacology, 1995). Director of Neuroscience Research, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, Delaware

John Werth (Ph.D., Pharmacology, 1994). Scientific Liaison, Pfizer Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan

Daniel Kim (Ph.D., Pharmacology, 2000). Scientist, R and D Inc, Minneapolis, MN

Brooke Kelley (Ph.D., Pharmacology, 2004). Postdoctoral Fellow Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington.