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Dept of Physiology & Biophysics
Stefano Vicini, Ph.D.
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Stefano Vicini, Ph.D.

Professor of Physiology
Ph.D., U Torino, Italy 1979
(202) 687-6441 

svicin01@georgetown.edu   

My laboratory is studying excitatory (glutamate) and inhibitory (GABA) amino acid - mediated synapses by electrophysiological (Patch-clamp recordings), anatomical (immunocytochemistry) and pharmacological techniques. The structural determinants of these synapses are responsible for the proper developmental pattern of connections throughout the CNS through synapse formation and modification and therefore they are involved in the control of plasticity in the CNS. Alterations of these receptor systems have been implicated in the pathogenesis of major neurological and psychiatric disorders. On the basis of results on specific and remarkable differences of functional properties at selected CNS synapses that I gathered in the past years, I am investigating the postsynaptic receptor molecular assemblies as structural determinants of synaptic strength.

My general hypothesis is that the postsynaptic receptors for amino acid neurotransmitter themselves are the most important determinants of the synaptic strength. Alterations of these receptors may underlie the primary cause of neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, I am resolving the specific properties of postsynaptic amino acid receptors in neurons of rat visual cortex and cerebellum performing single-channel current recordings (patch-clamp) in brain slices and primary neuronal cultures. I am also comparing native with recombinant NMDA and GABAa receptors for their functional and pharmacological characteristics. I am also using subunit specific antibodies to study the subcellular localization of distinct receptor subtypes in neurons.

Selected Publications:

  • Sans N, Prybylowski K, Petralia RS, Chang K, Wang YX, Racca C, Vicini S, Wenthold RJ. NMDA receptor trafficking through an interaction between PDZ proteins and the exocyst complex. Nat Cell Biol. 5(6):520-30, 2003
  • Borodinsky LN, O'Leary D, Neale JH, Vicini S, Coso OA, Fiszman ML. GABA-induced neurite outgrowth of cerebellar granule cells is mediated by GABA(A) receptor activation, calcium influx and CaMKII and erk1/2 pathways. J Neurochem. 84:1411-20, 2003
  • Losi G, Prybylowski K, Fu Z, Luo J, Wenthold RJ, Vicini S. PSD-95 regulates NMDA receptors in developing cerebellar granule neurons of the rat. J Physiol. 1;548(Pt 1):21-9, 2003
  • Ramadan E, Fu Z, Losi G, Homanics GE, Neale JH, Vicini S. GABA(A) receptor beta3 subunit deletion decreases alpha2/3 subunits and IPSC duration. J Neurophysiol. 89:128-34, 2003
  • Sahibzada N, Ferreira M Jr, Williams B, Wasserman A, Vicini S, Gillis RA. Nicotinic ACh receptor subtypes on gastrointestinally projecting neurones in the dorsal motor vagal nucleus of the rat. J Physiol. 545:1007-16, 2002
  • Ha BK, Vicini S, Rogers RC, Bresnahan JC, Burry RW, Beattie MS. Kainate-induced excitotoxicity is dependent upon extracellular potassium concentrations that regulate the activity of AMPA/KA type glutamate receptors. J Neurochem. 83:934-45, 2002
  • Al-Hallaq RA, Jarabek BR, Fu Z, Vicini S, Wolfe BB, Yasuda RP.  Association of NR3A with the N-Methyl-D-aspartate Receptor NR1 and NR2 Subunits.  Mol Pharmacol. 62:1119-1127, 2002
  • Prybylowski K, Fu Z, Losi G, Hawkins LM, Luo J, Chang K, Wenthold RJ, Vicini S.  Relationship between availability of NMDA receptor subunits and their expression at the synapse.  J Neurosci.  22:8902-10, 2002
  • Vicini S, Losi G, Homanics G.  GABA(A) receptor delta subunit deletion prevents neurosteroid modulation of inhibitory synaptic currents in cerebellar neurons.  Neuropharmacology. 434:646, 2002
  • Lea PM, Custer SJ, Vicini S, Faden AI.  Neuronal and glial mGluR5 modulation prevents stretch-induced enhancement of NMDA receptor current.  Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 73:287-98, 2002
  • Losi G, Prybylowski K, Fu Z, Luo JH, Vicini S. Silent synapses in developing cerebellar granule neurons. J Neurophysiol. 87:1263-1270, 2002
  • Vicini S, Ferguson C, Prybylowski K, Kralic J, Morrow AL, Homanics GE. GABA(A) receptor alpha1 subunit deletion prevents developmental changes of inhibitory synaptic currents in cerebellar neurons. J Neurosci. 21:3009-16, 2001
  • Losi,G, Prybylowski, K.L., Fu,Z, Luo, JH, Whenthold R.J. and Vicini, S.  PSD-95 regulates NMDA receptors in developing cerebellar granule neurons. J Physiol. 548:21-29, (2003)
  • Borodinsky,L.N., O 'Leary, D., Neale, J.H., Vicini, S., Coso, O.A., and Fiszman, M.L.  GABA-induced neurite outgrowth of cerebellar granule cells is mediated by GABAA receptor activation, calcium influx and CaMKII and erk1/2 pathways. J Neurochem 84:1411-1420, (2003)
  • Sans, N., Prybylowski, K.L., Petralia, R., Chang, K., Wang,X-W, Racca, C., Vicini, S. and Whenthold R.J.   NMDA receptor trafficking through an interaction between PDZ Proteins and the exocyst complex. Nature Cell Biology 5:520-530, (2003)


To get more interesting facts, go to the following website:

 http://expertise.cos.com/cgi-bin/exp.cgi?id=545634


For more publications, check the PubMed site at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/
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