The mission of the Gantz lab is to discover and characterize novel interactions between G protein-coupled receptors and ion channels in the brain. We use patch-clamp electrophysiology in brain slices to record synaptic communication between neurons. We also record ion channel activity directly in dissociated neurons using a multi-barrel perfusion system that allows for better voltage-clamp to assay biophysical properties and high-throughput screening of interacting compounds. Electrophysiological studies are often complemented with histochemistry, microscopy, genetic strategies, and behavioral approaches. Recently, we discovered that alpha1-adrenergic receptors in serotonin neurons augment current carried by orphan delta glutamate receptor 1 (GluD1)-channels to promote action potential firing. Known more broadly as a scaffold protein, very little is known about the ionotropic nature of GluD1. There are no known agonists that gate the channel. Thus, our latest research raises an intriguing question: What is opening GluD1?

Recent publications