Ronald Alkana
Professor, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, NIBBS, College of Letters Arts & Sciences
Research Topics
- Molecular mechanisms of drug action
- Psychopharmacology
- Behavioral pharmacology
- Ethanol
- Ligand-gated ion channels
- Allosteric modulation.
Research Overview
Dr. Alkana uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the mechanisms of action of psychoactive drugs at the cellular and molecular levels. His overall goal is to increase understanding of the neurochemical basis of brain function and behavior in order to develop new prevention and treatment strategies for alcoholism, drug abuse and psychological disorders. Current techniques in the laboratory include: Behavioral Loss of righting reflex, locomotor activity, convulsant-anticonvulsant effects, learning and memory, aggression and anxiety. Biochemical chloride ion uptake, high affinity binding, gas chromatographic drug analyses. Electrophysiological 2-electrode voltage clamp. Molecular -- Xenopus oocyte expression system. Hyperbaric (increased atmospheric pressure) novel ethanol antagonist and selective uncoupler of allosteric modulation of ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs). These studies are carried out in collaboration with Dr. Daryl Davies in the Alcohol and Brain Research Laboratory at USC.Contact Information
- Web Site:
- Home Page
- E-mail:
- alkana@usc.edu
- Mailing Address:
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy
University of Southern California
1985 Zonal Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90089-9121 - Office Location:
- PSC 506, HSC
- Office Phone:
- (323) 442-1429
- Lab Location:
- PSC 500, HSC
- Lab Phone:
- (323) 442-1427
- Fax:
- (323) 442-1704
Education
- Pharm.D., School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, 1970
- Ph.D., Biological Sciences, Department of Psychobiology, University of California, Irvine, 1975
Selected Publications
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Crawford DK, Perkins, DI, Trudell JR, Bertaccini EJ, Davies DL and Alkana RL. Roles for
Asatryan L., Popova M., Woodward J.J., King B.F., Alkana R.L., Davies D.L. Roles of ectodomain and transmembrane regions in
Perkins DI, Trudell JR, Crawford DK, Alkana RL, Davies DL. (2008) Targets for ethanol action and antagonism in Loop 2 of the extracellular domain of glycine receptors. J. Neurochem 106:1337-1349, 2008 J Neurochem, 106: 1337–1349, 2008. PMID: 18485105
Crawford DK, Trudell JR, Bertaccini EJ, Li K, Davies DL, Alkana RL. (2007) Evidence that ethanol acts on a target in Loop 2 of the extracellular domain of alpha1 glycine receptors. J Neurochem. 102(6):2097-2109. -PubMed
Davies DL, Asatryan L, Kuo ST, Woodward JJ, King BF, Alkana RL, Xiao C, Ye JH, Sun H, Zhang L, Hu XQ, Hayrapetyan V, Lovinger DM, Machu TK. (2006) Effects of ethanol on adenosine 5'-triphosphate-gated purinergic and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 30(2):349-358. -PubMed
Davies DL, Kochegarov AA, Kuo ST, Kulkarni AA, Woodward JJ, King BF, Alkana RL. (2005) Ethanol differentially affects ATP-gated P2X(3) and P2X(4) receptor subtypes expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Neuropharmacology. 49(2):243-253. -PubMed
Davies DL, Crawford DK, Trudell JR, Mihic SJ, Alkana RL. (2004) Multiple sites of ethanol action in alpha1 and alpha2 glycine receptors suggested by sensitivity to pressure antagonism. J Neurochem. 89(5):1175-1185. -PubMed
Davies DL, Alkana RL. (2003) Benzodiazepine agonist and inverse agonist coupling in GABAA receptors antagonized by increased atmospheric pressure. Eur J Pharmacol. 469(1-3):37-45. -PubMed
Davies DL, Kuo ST, Alkana RL. (2005) Differential effects of propofol and ethanol on P2X4 receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Int Congr Ser. 1283:285-287. -PubMed
Davies DL, Trudell JR, Mihic SJ, Crawford DK, Alkana RL. (2003) Ethanol potentiation of glycine receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes antagonized by increased atmospheric pressure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 27(5):743-755. -PubMed