University of Pittsburgh

School of Pharmacy

 


Robert Gibbs, Ph.D.

Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Director, Cell Imaging Core

University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, 1004 Salk Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261

e-mail: gibbsr@pitt.edu


Research

Dr. Gibbs's laboratory is located on the 10th floor of Salk Hall where investigators are studying the ability of gonadal hormone therapy to enhance and maintain the functional status of specific neural systems in the adult and aging brain. Current studies are focusing on the effects of estradiol and testosterone on cholinergic projections to the hippocampus and cortex, the enhancement of which may help to prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer's-related dementia in postmenopausal women.

 


Training Opportunities

A wide variety of molecular, histochemical, and behavioral techniques are used in the laboratory to study how brain function is affected by gonadal hormones and aging. Some of the techniques currently being utilized include quantitative RT-PCR, quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry, immunocytochemistry, in vivo microdialysis, enzyme assays, uptake assays, and measures of learning and memory. Students are encouraged to acquaint themselves with all of the techniques being used in the laboratory. Opportunities for additional predoctoral and postdoctoral training in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and in conjunction with the Center for Reproductive Physiology are also available.


 

Cell Imaging Core

The cell imaging core provides technical support and training in the use of modern quantitative histochemical techniques. Core facilities consist of a dedicated research laboratory, cryostat, microtomes, and a high quality photomicroscope equipped with fluorescence, digital imaging, and computer aided image analysis. Some of the techniques currently supported by the core include digital imaging, quantitative in situ hybridization, immunocytochemistry, autoradiography, TUNEL, as well as a variety of morphometric and stereological analyses. Core facilities are located on the 10th floor of Salk Hall adjacent to Dr. Gibbs's laboratory.

 


 

Recent Publications

Ramaswamy, S., Guerriero, K.A., Gibbs, R.B., Plant, T.M. (2008) Interactions between kisspeptin and GnRH Neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus of the male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) as revealed by double immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Endocrinology, In press.

Gibbs, R.B. and Johnson, D.A. (2008) Sex specific effects of gonadectomy and hormone treatment on acquisition of a 12-arm radial maze task by Sprague-Dawley rats. Endocrinology, 149(6): 3176-3183, PMC2408814.

Gibbs, R.B. (2007) Estradiol enhances DMP acquisition via a mechanism not mediated by turning strategy, but which requires basal forebrain cholinergic projections. Horm. & Behav., 52: 352-359, NIHMS 30086.

Gibbs, R.B. and Johnson, D.A. (2007) Cholinergic lesions produce task-selective effects on delayed matching to position and configural association learning related to response pattern and strategy. Neurobiol. Learning and Memory, 88: 19-32, PMC1991294.

Gibbs, R.B., (2006) Preclinical data relating to estrogenís effects on cognitive performance, In: Estrogenís Effects on Brain Function: Whatís Next, N. Rasgon, Ed. Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, MD, 9-45.

Lu, C., Walker, W.H., Sun, J., Weisz, O.A., Gibbs, R.B., Witchel, S.F., Sperling, M.A., and Menon, R.K. (2006) Insulin-like peptide 6 (Insl6): Characterization of secretory status and post-translational modification. Endocrinol. 147(12): 5611-5623.

Gibbs, R.B., Edwards, D., Lazar, N., Nelson, D., Talameh, J. (2006) Effects of long-term hormone treatment and or tibolone on monoamines and monoamine metabolites in the brains of ovariectomized, Cynomologous monkeys.  J. Neuroendocrinol. 18: 643-654.

Fitz, N, Gibbs, R.B., and Johnson, D. (2006) Aversive stimulus attenuates impairment of acquisition in a delayed match to position T-maze task caused by a selective lesion of septohippocampal cholinergic projections.  Brain Research Bulletin 69:660-665, PMC2366805.




Complete Publication List

Robert Gibbs - CV


Other sites of interest:

University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy

PhD Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Center for Research in Reproductive Physiology

Alzheimer's Disease Research Center