Milton S. Hershey
Medical Center
Penn State College of Medicine
P.O. Box 850,
500 University Drive
Hershey, PA 17033-2390
Ian A. Simpson,
Ph.D.
Neural and Behavioral Sciences
Office Information
Phone: 717-531-4156
Mail Code: H109
Education
Ph.D.,
University College (London), 1975
Primary
Area of Interest
There are two
major projects ongoing in the
laboratory. The first is focused on
the mechanism(s) of transport of
nutrients such as glucose, ketone
bodies, amino acids and iron across
the blood -brain barrier. In these
studies we use a combination of in
vivo and in vitro approaches to
investigate the activities of these
proteins that facilitate the passage
of the nutrients into the brain. The
second field of interest is focused
on the inter-relationship between
diabetes and stroke. Using mouse
models of diabetes, we are
investigating the underlying causes
of the impaired recovery from stroke
observed in the diabetic mice
compared to their non-diabetic
littermates. Specifically we have
observed that the cytokine-mediated
activation of the brain's
inflammatory/wound healing
mechanism(s), are delayed and
diminished in the diabetic brain
following a stroke and are thus
investigating the underlying causes
for retarded responses.
Graphic
A schematic
representation of the distributation
glucose and monocarboxylate
transporters.
