Ken D. McCarthy - Senior Editor

Dr Ken D. McCarthy is Professor of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is well known for his work on signalling in astrocytes and astrocyte biology. A primary goal of his laboratory is to determine how astrocytes and neurons signal one another and the functional outcome of neuron-astrocyte conversation. He is currently testing the hypothesis that there are microdomains within astrocytic syncytium that interact with neuronal synapses to facilitate or to dampen neuronal excitability and/or neurotransmission. Through a combination of 2-photon confocal imaging, electrophysiological, behavioural and molecular studies, he hopes to begin unravelling the role of these cells in brain function and animal behaviour.