Research Interests
Neuropharmacology, neuropsychiatric disorders
Research interests focus on durgs and diseases affecting the CNS dopamine systems. Major research areas are the D3 dopamine receptor as a therapeutic target for schizophrenia, drug addiction, Parkinson’s disease, and restless legs syndrome; modulation of dopamine receptors by monoamine oxidase inhibitors; mechanisms underlying behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants; and the role of developmental docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) deficiency in schizophrenia and ADHD. Additional interests include the anti-addictive mechanisms of ibogaine, the role of brain PUFA composition in postpartum depression, and the mechanism of dopamine in the prevention and reversal of diaphragm fatigue. An interdisciplinary approach incorporating behavioral, physiological, neurochemical, molecular, and proteomics methods are used to address these research questions.
Levant B, McCarson KE (2001) D3 dopamine receptors in rat spinal cord: implications for sensory and motor function. Neurosci. Lett. 303:9-12.
Levant B, Morgan KA, Ahlgren-Beckendorf JA, Grandy DK, Chen K, Shih JE, Seif I (2001) Modulation of [3H]quinpirole binding at striatal D2 dopamine receptors by a monoamine oxidaseA-like site: evidence from radioligand binding studies and D2 receptor- and MAOA-deficient mice. Life Sci. 70:229-241.
Carpenter TL, Pazdernik TL, Levant B (2003) Differences in quinpirole-induced local cerebral glucoseutilization between naïve and quinpirole-sensitized rats. Brain Res. 964:295-301.
Levant B (2003) Dopamine receptor binding and quantitative autoradiographic study. Meth. Mol. Med., 79:297-313.
Richtand NM, Welge JA, Levant B, Logue AD, Hayes S, Pritchard L, Geracioti TD, Coolen L, Berger SP (2003) Altered behavioral response to dopamine D3 receptor agonists 7-OH-DPAT and PD 128907 following repetitive amphetamine administration. Neuropsychopharmacology 28:1422-1432.
Varady J, Wu X, Fang X, Min J, Hu Z, Levant B, Wang S (2003) Modeling of the three-dimensional structure of dopamine 3 (D3) subtype receptor and discovery of novel and potent D3 ligands through a hybrid pharmacophore- and structure-based database searching approach. J. Med. Chem. 46:4377-4392.
Levant B, Pazdernik TL (2004) Differential effects of ibogaine on local cerebral glucose utilization in drug-naïve and morphine-dependent rats. Brain Res. 1003:159-157.
Levant B, Radel JD, Carlson SE. (2004) Decreased brain docosahexaenoic acid during development alters dopamine-related behaviors in adult rats that are differentially affected by dietary remediation. Behav. Brain Res. (in press).
Beth Levant, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, & Therapeutics
The University of Kansas Medical Center
MS 1018
3901 Rainbow Blvd.
Kansas City, KS 66160
Phone: (913) 588-7527
Fax: (913) 588-7501
E-mail address: blevant@kumc.edu
Curriculum Vitae in PDF Format
Updated 08/12/200
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The University of Kansas Medical Center