Peter H. Breen, MD, FRCPC, Associate Professor
Dr. Breen investigates “Gas Kinetics and Metabolism During Non-Steady State in Anesthesia.” Dr. Breen’s research has expanded from non-steady-state carbon dioxide kinetics (NHLBI R29 grant HL-42637) into the more general gas kinetics in anesthesia during non-steady state. The NIH RO1 grant “Gas kinetics in Anesthesia during Non-Steady State” was funded until June 2003. These studies explored and tested hypotheses of gas exchange, metabolism, and the state of “tissue wellness” during non-steady-state conditions in anesthesia and critical care medicine. Experiments included bench simulations, computer modeling, and clinical studies. These studies stimulated collaborations and consultations with Information and Computer Science, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and the Department of Mathematics. Other areas of Dr. Breen’s research programs include the study of the pathophysiology and treatment of combined carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning and studies of respiratory mechanics.
Abraham (Avi) Rosenbaum, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology
After finishing a research fellowship and being mentored by
Dr. Breen, Dr. Rosenbaum continued with this collaboration and expanded it into its clinical phase. His project focuses on monitoring and investigating metabolic gas exchange during non-steady state in anesthetized patients. The work is directed towards a new noninvasive monitor for the rapid measurement of O2 uptake and CO2 elimination during anesthesia. The team has completed
two major study stages thus far:
- Development and construction of new devices: a bymixer (patent pending) and a fast response humidity sensor (patented). They have also written complex computer software for both data capture and analysis.
- An extensive validation process for the humidity sensor, bymixer, and the measurement as a whole, using a self-constructed unique laboratory bench setup, has been completed.
At present time the team has begun conducting clinical studies.
Michael Alkire, MD, Associate Professor in Residence, Vice Chair for Research
Dr. Alkire’s work investigates the mechanisms of anesthetic action on memory, consciousness and pain processing. He uses the neuroimaging technologies of positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and high density electroencephalography (EEG), as well as small animal experimentation to identify and experimentally manipulate various key sites of anesthetic action. Dr. Alkire is the principle investigator on NIH RO1 65212 studying “The
Role of the Amygdala in Anesthetic-induced Amnesia.” This animal experimentation work is performed in the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (CNLM). Dr. Alkire discovered the amygdala plays a key role in causing the amnesia of inhalational anesthesia. This was recently published with
editorial highlight in Anesthesiology.
Dr. Alkire collaborates with the members of the CNLM and was named an Honorary Associate Fellow of the center. Dr. Alkire is Co-PI with Dr. Larry Cahill on an additional NIH RO1 study, “Neural Mechanisms of Emotional Memory Consolidation.” Dr. Alkire also collaborates with Dr. John Guzowski investigating how the immediate early gene product Arc-protein may mediate the long-term memory consolidation blocking effects of anesthesia. Though still in its infancy, this work has already been nominated for the Kosaka Award at the International Anesthesia Research Society meeting.
Dr. Alkire’s work to use brain imaging as a tool to understand anesthetic-induced unconsciousness is bringing an international reputation to the Department of Anesthesiology at Irvine. Dr. Alkire was a keynote speaker discussing “Anesthesia and Consciousness” at the recent Peter Wall Summer Institute in Vancouver, BC. He was also a recent keynote speaker at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, UK. Most recently he lectured on "Anesthesia and Consciousness" at the Winter Conference on Brain Research where he showed his recent discovery that the thalamus is a critical brain site mediating the effects of anesthetics on consciousness. He has discovered that intra-thalamic microinfusions of nicotine will block the unconsciousness producing aspect of anesthesia and allow an animal to wake up and move around within a chamber filled with anesthetic.
Zhigang David Luo, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
Dr. Luo’s research interests focus on molecular mechanisms of chronic pain. Being supported by research funding from NIH,
the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund of California, and
the Christopher Reeve Foundation, Dr. Luo and his team are studying how chronic pain inducing conditions, such as peripheral nerve injury, bone cancer and spinal cord injury, induce changes in gene expression in sensory pathways that lead to changes in pain perception.
Two approaches are utilized in Dr. Luo’s research. First, they use gene chip analysis to compare gene expression profiles between control and experimental tissue samples, taken from pathological conditions associated with abnormal sensations, to identify genes that may be the molecular determinants of specific nociceptive states and serve as targets for the development of more specific and safer analgesics.
Their second approach is to study how altered target gene expression contributes to spinal sensitization, a central mechanism of abnormal sensations. Briefly, they use behavioral pharmacology, cellular and molecular biology and immunohistochemistry techniques to study how these genes are regulated under pain-inducing conditions, and how these changes contribute to abnormal sensation development and maintenance. Finally, Dr. Luo’s team is developing and validating novel interventions for chronic pain management.
Dr. Luo’s research accomplishments are well recognized in the pain research field. Dr. Luo has been invited to present his research findings in numerous international and national meetings, and has provided consultations to and established collaborations with investigators within UC Irvine and from other institutions around the world.
Current Open Protocols
ANIMAL
|
Lead Researcher Name |
Protocol Title |
|
ALKIRE,MICHAEL |
Central Nervous System Sites of Anesthetic Action Synopsis: To understand how anesthetic agents interact with the central nervous system (CNS) to exert their effects |
|
LUO, DAVID
|
Gene Expression Regulation and Drug Effects on Rat and Mouse Nociception Models Synopsis: Mechanisms underlying and pathophysiology of pain medicine |