Paul S. Buckmaster, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Title
Assistant Professor
Department
Comparative Medicine
Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Research Interests
epilepsy, brain, hippocampus, electrophysiology, anatomy, interneurons,
dentate gyrus, seizures, neurophysiology, stereology, immunocytochemistry,
electron microscopy, in vivo, in situ hybridization, intracellular recording,
whole-cell patch recording
Email
psb@stanford.edu
Phone
498-4774
Fax
498-6259
Address
Edwards Building R106C
Mail Code: 5330
Faculty Research Description
Temporal lobe epilepsy is common, frequently refractory to treatment,
and devastating to those affected. My long term goal is to understand
the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disease so that rational and
effective therapies can be developed. I use electrophysiological and anatomical
techniques to examine the neuronal circuitry of temporal lobe structures
in normal and in epileptic brains. I have: (1) characterized the normal
electrophysiological properties and connectivity of neurons in the hilus
of the dentate gyrus - the most severely altered region of the brain in
temporal lobe epilepsy, and (2) described changes in neuron subpopulations,
connectivity, and functional properties in the dentate gyrus of animal
models of temporal lobe epilepsy. In the future, I will continue this
line of research to identify the critical factors for generating seizures
in temporal lobe epilepsy.
Buckmaster, P.S. and F.E. Dudek (1997) Neuron loss, granule cell axon
reorganization, and functional changes in the dentate gyrus of epileptic
kainate-treated rats. Journal of Comparative Neurology 385:385-404.
Buckmaster, P.S. and F.E. Dudek (1999) In vivo intracellular analysis
of granule cell axon reorganization in epileptic rats. Journal of Neurophysiology
81:712-721.
Buckmaster, P.S. and A.L. Jongen-Relo (1999) Highly specific neuron loss
preserves lateral inhibitory circuits in the dentate gyrus of kainate-induced
epileptic rats. Journal of Neuroscience 19:9519-9529.
Buckmaster, P.S., A.L. Jongen-Relo, S.B. Davari, and E.H. Wong (2000)
Testing the disinhibition hypothesis of epileptogenesis in vivo and during
spontaneous seizures. Journal of Neuroscience 20:6232-6240.
Buckmaster, P.S. and D.G. Amaral (2001) Intracellular recording and labeling
of mossy cells and proximal CA3 pyramidal cells in macaque monkeys. Journal
of Comparative Neurology 430:264-281.
Areas of Study
Cellular Neurobiology
Membrane Excitability
SBRC
Ph.D.