P. Jeffrey Conn, Ph.D.

P. Jeffrey Conn, Ph.D.

Lee E. Limbird Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry
Director, Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (VCNDD)

Areas of Interest: Neuroscience; Synthetic & Medicinal Chemistry; Natural Products

Member: VCNDD

The primary focus of research in Dr. Conn’s laboratory is to develop a detailed understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in regulating chemical and electrical signaling in the central nervous system. Such changes in neuronal function are likely to play important roles in all normal physiological processes in the brain and are critical for development of a variety of brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, epilepsy, drug dependence and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. We are especially interested in understanding how signaling is regulated in identified neuronal circuits that are important for these human neurological and psychiatric disorders. This is a highly multidisciplinary endeavor in which we employ a broad range of techniques including electrophysiology, biochemistry, imaging, anatomy, molecular biology, and behavioral techniques. In addition, we employ high throughput screening (HTS), cheminformatics, and medicinal chemistry of novel small molecule reagents that aid in validating novel therapeutic approaches and in understanding the biology of signaling in the central nervous system.

For more information on the Conn Lab Research and VCNDD, please visit: www.vcndd.org/