Ferguson, Alastair V - Queen's University - Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

个人简介

Current Funding: Canadian Institutes for Health Research Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario National Institues for Health Training: BSc. Biological Sciences, Honours Physiology, Birmingham University, Birmingham, England, Ph.D. Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

研究领域

We are an interdisciplinary Neuroscience research group studying the role of the central nervous system in autonomic processing, with a specific emphasis on understanding changes in brain function associated with hypertension and obesity. The focus of my Neuroscience research program is directed toward understanding how central autonomic control centres maintain many critical variables (glucose, oxygen, blood pressure, sodium, potassium, calcium ....) within the finely controlled limits that are essential to normal physiological function and thus “optimal health.” In particular we are interested in the circuitry and the diverse chemical transmitters which make these physiological systems work. We have approached this problem using multidisciplinary approaches and a variety of different tools as illustrated below: These studies are designed ultimately to provide targets for potentially understanding changes which may take place in the brain and contribute to the development of autonomic disease states such as hypertension and obesity. Our studies have contributed to a growing literature emphasizing the integration and overlap of separate autonomic systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, immune, metabolic....) within the same autonomic control centers in the CNS.

近期论文

查看导师最新文章（温馨提示：请注意重名现象，建议点开原文通过作者单位确认）

Pulman, K.J., Fry, M., Cottrell, G.T. and Ferguson, A.V. The Subfornical Organ: A central target for circulating feeding signals. J. Neurosci. 26(7):2022-2030, 2006. Fry, M, Smith, P. M., Hoyda, T., Duncan, M, Ahima, R., Sharkey, K and Ferguson, A.V. Area postrema neurons are modulated by the adipocyte hormone adiponectin. Journal of Neuroscience 26(38):9695-9702, 2006. Fry, M., Hoyda, T.D. and Ferguson, A.V. Making sense of it: Roles of the sensory circumventricular organs in feeding and regulation of energy homeostasis. Experimental Biology and Medicine 232:14-26, 2007. Hoyda, T., Fry, M., Ahima, R. and Ferguson, A.V. Adiponectin selectively inhibits oxytocin neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. J. Physiol. 585: 805-16 2007. Price CJ, Hoyda TD, Ferguson AV. The Area Postrema: A Brain Monitor and Integrator of Systemic Autonomic State. The Neuroscientist 14:182-194 2008. Price CJ, Hoyda TH, Samson WK, Ferguson AV. Nesfatin-1 Influences the Excitability of Paraventricular Nucleus Neurones. J. Neuroendocrinol. 20:245-250 2008. Price C.J, Samson W.K, and Ferguson A.V. Nesfatin-1 inhibits NPY neurons in the arcuate nucleus. Brain Research 1230:99-106 2008. Hindmarch, CCT., Fry, M., Yao, S., Smith, PM., Murphy, D., and Ferguson, AV. Microarray analysis of the transcriptome of the subfornical organ in the rat: regulation by fluid and food Deprivation. Am. J. Physiol. 295: R1914-R1920 2008. Samson, WK., Zhang, JV., Avsian-Kretchmer, O., Cui, K., Yosten, GLC., Klein, C., Lyu, R., Wang, YX., Chen, ZQ., Yang, J., Price, CJ., Hoyda, TD., Ferguson, AV., Yuan, X., Chang, JK., and Hsueh AJW. Neuronostatin encoded by somatostatin gene regulates neuronal, cardiovascular, and metabolic functions. Journal of Biological Chemistry 283 (46) 31949-31959 2008. Ferguson AV., and Sharkey KA. How satiety factors reach CNS appetite centers. Immun., Endoc. & Metab. Agents in Med. Chem. 8:286-291 2008. Hoyda, T.D., Samson, W.K. and Ferguson, A.V. Adiponectin depolarizes parvocellular paraventricular nucleus neurons controlling neuroendocrine and autonomic function. Endocrinology 150(2): 832-840 2009. Hoyda T.D., Smith, P.M., Ferguson A.V. Adiponectin acts in the nucleus of the solitary tract to decrease blood pressure by modulating the excitability of neuropeptide Y neurons. Brain Research, 1256:76-84, 2009. Smith, P.M., Chambers, A.P., Price, C.J., Ho, W., Hopf, C., Sharkey, K.A. and Ferguson A.V. The subfornical organ: A central nervous system site for actions of circulating leptin. Am. J. Physiol., 296: R512-R520, 2009. Smith, P.M., Rozanski, G., and Ferguson A.V. Acute Electrical Stimulation of the Subfornical Organ Induces Feeding in Satiated Rats. Physiology & Behavior 99:534-537, 2010. Alim, I, Fry, W.M., Walsh, M.H. and Ferguson, A.V. Actions of adiponectin on the excitability of subfornical organ neurons are altered by food deprivation. Brain Research 1330:72-82, 2010. Hoyda, T.D. and Ferguson, A.V. Adiponectin modulates excitability of rat paraventricular nucleus neurons by differential modulation of potassium currents. Endocrinology 151(7):3154-3162, 2010. Smith, P.M. and Ferguson, A.V. Circulating signals as critical regulators of autonomic state – central roles for the subfornical organ. Am. J. Physiol., 299:R405-R415, 2010. Baraboi, E-D., Michel, C., Smith, P., Thibaudeau, K., Ferguson, A.V. and Richard, D. Effects of albumin-conjugated PYY on food intake: the respective roles of the circumventricular organs and vagus nerve. Eur. J. Neurosci., 32: 826-839, 2010. Hindmarch C.C., Fry M., Smith P.M., Yao S.T., Hazell G.G., Lolait S.J., Paton J.F., Ferguson A.V., Murphy D. The transcriptome of the medullary area postrema: the thirsty rat, the hungry rat and the hypertensive rat. Exp Physiol. 96:495-504 2011.