University of Kansas, 19982096 Kansas Life Sciences Innovations Center
3901 Rainbow Blvd.
Kansas City, KS 66160
Phone: 913-588-7416
Fax: 913-588-5677
jstanford@kumc.edu
Basal ganglia function in relation to altered motor function in animal models of normal aging and Parkinson’s disease
Neuromuscular function in preclinical models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Exploiting operant behavioral techniques to measure motor control in animal models
The primary focus of my research is the analysis of basal ganglia function in relation to movement deficits in preclinical animal models of normal aging and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Because diminished and slowed motor activity (bradykinesia) and gait disturbances are cardinal Parkinsonian signs, functional changes in the nigrostriatal dopamine system are believed to play a primary role in their increased expression in the elderly. A central hypothesis of my research is that age-related changes in the functional dynamics of this system, especially as it interacts with glutamatergic and cholinergic neurotransmission, disrupt the normal processing of motor-related information throughout the basal ganglia. As an extension of this research, I am very interested in characterizing and promoting the use age-relevant preclinical models of age-related neurodegenerative and neuromuscular conditions, especially PD. Because normal physiological function is changed in aging, the use of older animals as models should facilitate the development of effective neuroprotective or restorative therapies. I am also involved in studies examining clinically-analogous measures of motor function in preclinical models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and prescription drug use and abuse in the elderly (e.g., benzodiazepines). We have also recently initiated studies examining insulin resistance in the brain and periphery in rodent models of PD.
Zhang H, Stanford JA (2008) Acute and rebound effects of lorazepam on orolingual motor function in young vs aged F344/BN rats. Behavioural Pharmacology 19:161-165.
Zhang H, Bethel CS, Smittkamp SE, Stanford JA (2008) Age-related changes in orolingual motor function in F344 vs F344/BN rats. Physiology & Behavior, 93, 461-466.
Smittkamp SE, Brown J, Stanford JA (2008) Time-course and characterization of orolingual motor deficits in B6SJL-Tg(SOD1-G93A)1GUR/J mice. Neuroscience, 151, 613-21.
Stanford JA, Salvatore MF, Joyce BM, Zhang H, Gash DM, Gerhardt GA (2007) Bilateral effects of unilateral intrastriatal GDNF on locomotor-excited and nonlocomotor-related striatal neurons in aged F344 rats. Neurobiology of Aging, 28, 156-165.
Stanford JA, Osterhaus GL, Vorontsova E, Fowler SC (2006) Measuring forelimb force control and movement in F344/BN rats: effects of age and lorazepam. Behavioural Pharmacology, 17, 725-730.
Enna SJ, Reisman SA, Stanford JA (2006) CGP 56999A, a GABAB receptor antagonist, enhances expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and attenuates dopamine depletion in the rat corpus striatum following a 6-Hydroxydopamine lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway. Neuroscience Letters, 406, 102-106.
Stanford JA, Gerhardt GA (2004) Aged rats exhibit altered electrophysiological activity in locomotor-unrelated but not locomotor-related striatal neurons. Neurobiology of Aging. 25, 509-515.
Stanford JA, Vorontsova E, Surgener SP, Gerhardt GA, Fowler SC (2003) Aged Fischer 344 rats exhibit altered orolingual motor function: Relationships with nigrostriatal neurochemical measures. Neurobiology of Aging, 24, 259-266.
Stanford JA, Fowler SC (2002) Dantrolene alters the relationship between forelimb force and tremor at doses that do not decrease operant behavior in rats. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 10, 385-391.
Stanford JA, Gerhardt GA (2001). Age-related differences in striatal function of freely- moving F344 rats. Neurobiology of Aging, 22, 659-669.
Stanford JA, Currier TD, Purdom MS, Gerhardt GA (2001). Nomifensine reveals age- related changes in
K+ -evoked DA overflow in F344 rats. Neurobiology of Aging, 22, 495-502.
Stanford JA, Vorontsova E, Fowler SC (2000). The relationship between isometric force requirement and forelimb tremor in the rat. Physiology & Behavior, 69(3), 285- 293.
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