Geoffrey G. Murphy, Ph.D.
Research Professor, MBNI
Professor, Department of Physiology

5037 BSRB
109 Zina Pitcher Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2200

murphyg@umich.edu

(734) 936-8926

My Website

Current Research Interests:

My current research interests are reflective of the journey and not a destination. Even as an undergraduate, I was interested in learning and memory and to this day I am still fascinated by the topic. Specifically, I am interested in how changes in intrinsic neuronal excitability contribute to memory formation, storage and retrieval. To this end I am interested in a class of proteins, known as voltage gated ion channels. These channels selectively permit charged ions to cross the cell membrane and therefore control a vast array of neuronal functions. My interest in these channels (specifically voltage-gated calcium channels) has in turn led me to investigate how altered ion channel dynamics and expression play a role in age-related cognitive decline. These studies have subsequently led me to the study of Alzheimer's disease using genetically engineered mice that emulate specific Alzheimer's disease pathologies. My interest in calcium channels has also extended to investigate their putative role in psychiatric diseases including bipolar disorder. I am also interested in how proteins that are associated with ion channels (so called auxiliary subunits) regulate channel function and neuronal excitability under normal conditions and disease states. Because a lot of my work relies on mice and mouse genetics I have also developed a strong interest in the neurobiological differences between inbred mouse strains and how these difference might be exploited to gain insights into polygenic diseases that manifest as mental illness. Finally, the University Michigan is such a wonderful place to participate in team science—as such my lab collaborates with a number of other labs whose research is focused on temporal lobe epilepsy, blood brain barrier dysfunction and axonal guidance. The journey continues.

Selected Publications:

View publications on PubMed - NCBI