Vladimir Parpura, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Primary Department Affiliation: Neurobiology
Primary Research Area: Ion channels and Synaptic Function
Systems Neuroscience and Vision
Recent Publications
Dr. Parpura holds both a medical degree, awarded from the University of Zagreb in Croatia in 1989, and a doctorate, received in neuroscience and zoology from Iowa State University in 1993.
Prior to joining UAB, Dr. Parpura was a faculty member at: (i) Iowa State for four years, teaching courses in neuroscience and physiology for the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and the Department of Zoology and Genetics; and then (ii) University of California Riverside for seven years, teaching courses in neuroscience at undergraduate and graduate levels in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience.
His current research, supported by the NIH, focuses on understanding the modulation of calcium-dependent glutamate release from astrocytes.
Additional Research
Glial cells were long considered to serve merely as the supporting cast and scenery against which the starring neuronal roles would be played out. Relatively recent evidence, however, indicates that glial cells are intimately involved in many of the brain's functions, including its computational power. Our research has been instrumental in demonstrating a novel functional role for glial cells. Hence, astrocytes, a sub-type of glial cell, can exocytotically release the neurotransmitter glutamate and, in turn, that glutamate released from astrocytes can signal to adjacent neurons. Indeed, by releasing glutamate, astrocytes can modulate synaptic transmission in response to experimental stimuli. Since intracellular calcium ion levels critical for secretion from astrocytes are within the physiological range, this release of glutamate from astrocytes could represent an additional site for modulation of synaptic transmission and integration in the CNS.
Lab Members
- William Lee
- Wei Liu
- Randy F. Stout, Jr.
- Reno C. Reyes
- Vladimir Grubisic
- Roberto Gomez-Suarez
- Josheua J. Samuelson
- J. Robert Grammer
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