Emeritus Professor,
I graduated from Liverpool University in 1980 with a BSc in Pharmacology and continued in the same department to obtain a PhD on the central control of respiration in 1984. I then moved to the University of Nottingham and commenced an MRC post doctoral research fellowship with Professor CA Marsden and Dr GW Bennett, examining the role of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) in bulbospinal raphe neurones controlling motor function. This established my long-standing interest in the mechanism of action of 5-HT in the CNS and Nottingham has since been my home for this research. In 1988 I was appointed to the position of Lecturer in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and I became a Senior lecturer in 1996, a Reader in 2003, and obtained a personal Chair in 2006 in what was then the School of Biomedical Sciences. I was elected a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society in 2012 and became a Fellow of the British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP) in 2024 when I was also awarded the BAP Outstanding Contribution Award. I became Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience in December 2021.
My work used a whole animal integrated physiological approach to investigate the functional role of 5-HT and dopamine in the CNS and to evaluate the impact of early-life interventions on brain development and behaviour. A particular interest was developing and validating rodent models that help improve our understanding of the neurobiological basis of common neurodevelopmental disorders. I have had extensive research collaborations with pharmaceutical companies around the world.
While I was a member of staff I delivered lectures to Neuroscience, MPharm and BMedSci degrees at The University of Nottingham. During my time at The University of Nottingham I served as Admissions… read more
My research interest is the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine and dopamine in neurological and mental disorders and the impact of lesions, pharmacological or environmental interventions during early-life… read more
While I was a member of staff I delivered lectures to Neuroscience, MPharm and BMedSci degrees at The University of Nottingham. During my time at The University of Nottingham I served as Admissions tutor, Examination Officer and Senior Tutor for the undergraduate Neuroscience degrees and was a member of the Science Faculty Examination Board for the University. I supervised 46 successful PhD students and acted as External Examiner for over fifty PhD theses in UK, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Australia.
My research interest is the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine and dopamine in neurological and mental disorders and the impact of lesions, pharmacological or environmental interventions during early-life on subsequent behavioural and neuronal development. My particular research focus is on the development and assessment of predictive models for schizophrenia, ADHD, depression and anxiety, and cognitive disorders. The fundamental approach is to concomitantly measure neurotransmitter function, neurochemistry and behaviour in paradigms designed to model CNS disorders. Techniques used include behavioural analysis, immunohistochemistry, radiotelemetry, microdialysis, electrophysiology, and MRI to identify changes in neuronal circuits in the brain that underlie the alterations in behaviour and neurophysiology seen. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the neurobiological aetiology of common CNS disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression and ADHD, and to help develop novel therapeutic treatment strategies.
The University of Nottingham Address line two Nottingham, postcode
telephone: +44 (0) 115 XXX XXXX email: research-group-email@nottingham.ac.uk