Gustav Akk, PhD
Associate Professor Professor of Anesthesiology
- Phone: 314-362-3877
- Email: akk@nospam.wustl.edu
Description of Research:
My lab is interested in how ligand-gated ion channel work. We focus on the GABAA and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The majority of these receptors are located in the postsynaptic cell membrane where they respond to presynaptically released transmitter molecules with a conformational change which results in the flow of ions through the cell membrane. The mechanisms by which agonists and antagonists interact with the ligand-gated ion channels, and how these events lead to conformational changes are critical to our understanding of synaptic transmission and its regulation.