Anthony A. Grace, Ph.D.
Professor, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Psychology- Ph.D. Yale University (1983)
- Office: 456 Langley Hall
- Telephone:412-624-4609
- Fax:412-624-9198
- E-mail: graceaa@pitt.edu
- Website:
Neurophysiology of basal ganglia system related to psychiatric disorders.
Research Summary:
Dr. Grace's research interests lie at the interface of neurobiology and psychiatry. Experiments conducted in his laboratory combine in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recordings of identified neurons with behavioral and neuroanatomical techniques to study central dopaminergic systems, with the ultimate goal of determining the neurobiological correlates of mental disorders and the modes of action of psychotherapeutic drugs. Ongoing studies into the neurobiology of schizophrenia involve study of the interaction of the prefrontal cortex and antipsychotic drugs with subcortical dopamine systems, and examining the impact of developmental disruption on limbic system function, as a model for the pathophysiological changes underlying schizophrenia in humans. Additional studies are aimed at examining plasticity in the limbic system, with a particular focus on the amygdala, in response to chronic stress exposure and to drugs of abuse in animal models of drug addiction, craving, and affective disorders. The techniques employed in these analyses include: 1) recordings of identified neurons using intracellular and extracellular electrophysiological techniques, 2) anatomical studies of identified neurons and neurotransmitter pathways, 3) producing neurochemically specific lesions of neurons and selective disruptions of neuronal development, and 4) behavioral measures that correlate with electrophysiological studies. Through this approach, the basic neurobiological processes that contribute to psychiatric disorders may be elucidated, and insight may be gained into more effective therapeutic strategies for treating these diseases in humans.
Selected Publications:
Bissière, S., Plachta, N., McAllister, K.H., Hoyer, D., Olpe, H.-R., Grace, A.A. and Cryan, J.F. The rostral anterior cingulate cortex modulates the efficiency of amygdala-dependent fear learning. Biological Psychiatry 63: 821-831, 2008.
Onn, S.-P., Lin, M., Liu, J. and Grace, A.A. Dopamine DARPP-32-dependent modulation of prefrontal cortical input and intercellular coupling in mouse accumbens spiny and aspiny neurons. Neuroscience 151: 802-816, 2008.
Wong, D.F., Brasic, J., Singer, H., Schretlen, D., Kuwabara, H., Zhou, Y., Nandi, A., Maris, M., Alexander, M., Ye, W., Rousset, O., Kumar, A., Szabo, Z., Gjedde, A. and Grace, A.A. Mechanisms of dopamine and serotonin in Tourette syndrome: Clues from an in vivo neurochemistry study with PET. Neuropsychopharmacology 33: 1239-1251, 2008.
Lisman, J.E., Coyle, J.T., Greene, R.W., Javitt, D.C., Benes, F.M., Heckers, S. and Grace, A.A. Circuit-based framework for understanding neurotransmitter and risk gene interactions in schizophrenia Trends in Neurosciences 31: 234-242, 2008.
Jedema, H.P..P, Gold, S.J., Gonzalez-Burgos, G., Sved, A.F., Tobe, B.J., Wensel, T.G. and Grace, A.A. Chronic cold exposure increases RGS7 expression and decreases a2-autoreceptor-mediated inhibition of noradrenergic locus coeruleus neurons. European Journal of Neuroscience 27: 2433-2443, 2008.
Goto, Y. and Grace, A.A. Dopamine modulation of hippocampal-prefrontal cortical interaction drives memory-guided behavior. Cerebral Cortex 18: 1407 – 1414, 2008.
McGinty, V.B. and Grace, A.A. Selective activation of medial prefrontal-to-accumbens projection neurons by amygdala stimulation and pavlovian conditioned stimuli. Cerebral Cortex 18: 1961-1972, 2008.
Lodge, D.J. and Grace, A.A. Augmented hippocampal drive of mesolimbic dopamine neurons: A mechanism of psychostimulant sensitization. Journal of Neuroscience 28 7876-7882, 2008.
Grace, A.A. Physiology of the normal and dopamine-depleted basal ganglia: Insights into L-DOPA pharmacotherapy. Movement Disorders 25S3: S560-S569, 2008.
Belujon, P. and Grace, A.A. Critical role of the prefrontal cortex in the regulation of hippocampus-accumbens information flow. Journal of Neuroscience 28: 9797-9805, 2008.