University of Pittsburgh
School of Pharmacy
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Robert Gibbs, Ph.D.Professor of Pharmaceutical SciencesDirector, Cell Imaging CoreUniversity 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
Other sites of interest:
University of Pittsburgh School of
Pharmacy
PhD Program in
Pharmaceutical Sciences