Malcolm S. Brodwick, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

  • Affiliations:
    Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology & Marine Biology Institute
  • Route: 1069 2.143E Medical Research Building (MRB)
  • Tel: (409) 772-2973
  • Fax: (409) 762-9382
  • mbrodwic@utmb.edu

Malcolm S. Brodwick, Ph.D.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, San Fernando Valley State College, 1967
• Doctor of Philosophy, University of California at Los Angeles, 1972
• Post-Doctoral Training, Duke University, 1972-1974

About the Lab

I am presently investigating two main areas of research: channel gating mechanisms and mechanisms of secretion and neurotransmission.  Aspects of channel gating are being studied using excitable membranes and artificial bilayer techniques.  In particular we have been investigating the effects of solution composition, especially viscosity, on the transition rates between the open and closed states.  The studies of secretion mainly concern the role of vesicular matrices and their ability to store hormones transmitter agents.  In collaboration with Dr. Nabekura, we have been investigating the mechanism of transmitter induced changes in secondary active transport.  The application of glutamate to hippocampal neurons increases dramatically the negativity of the reversal potential for GABA during the glutamate application and then, following glutamate removal, induces the GABA reversal to become very positive, so positive that it actually becomes an excitatory transmitter.  This latter effect appears to have two independent components: one mediated by calcium dependent activation of KCC and the other apparently activated by cytoplasmic acidification.  More recently in collaboration with the bioengineering department, we have been studying the efficacy of various nanotechnolgies in stimulating excitable cells.

Medical School Teaching

I am a co-director of the second year medical school Cardiovascular/Pulmonary course.  I am very actively involved in problem based learning.  I am also interested in designing a mechanism for determining the efficacy of medical education as judged by chief residents on a national scale.

Selected Publications

Curran, M.; Brodwick, M.S.  Ionic control of the size of the vesicle matrix of Beige mouse mast cells.  J. Gen. Physiol. 98:771-790; 1991.

Brodwick, M.S.; Curran, M.; Edwards, C.  Effects of osmotic stress on mast cell vesicles of the Beige mouse.  J. Membrane Biol.  126(2):159-169; 1992.

Tu, Q.; Velez, P.; Brodwick, M.; Fill, M.  Streaming potentials reveal a short ryanodine sensitive selectivity filter in cardiac Ca2+ release channel.  Biophysical J. 67:2280-2285, 1994.

Wright, S.N.; Brodwick, M.S.; Bittner, G.  Presynaptic calcium currents at voltage-clamped excitatory and inhibitory neuromuscular junctions of the crayfish.  J. Physiol. 496.2:347-361, 1996.

Wright, S.N.; Brodwick, M.S.; Bittner, G.  Presynaptic calcium currents, neurotransmitter release, and facilitation of release at voltage-clamped excitor and inhibitor neuromuscular junctions of the crayfish.  J. Physiol. 496.2:363-378, 1996.

Altamirano, J.; Brodwick, M.S.; Alvarez-Leefmans, F.J.  Regulatory volume decrease and intracellular Ca2+ in murine neuroblastoma cells studied with fluorescent probes.  J. Gen. Physiol.  112:145-160, 1998.

Wang, Z.M.; Rhee, J.S.; Brodwick, M.S.; Akaike, N.  Substance P abolishes the facilitatory effect of ATP on spontaneous glycine release in neurons of the trigeminal nucleus pars caudalis.  J. Neurosci. 21(9):2983-2991, 2001.

Jang, IS, Brodwick, MS, Wang, ZM, Jeong, HJ, Choi, BJ, Akaike, N.   Na+/H+ exchanger is a major regulator in GABAergic Presynaptic nerve terminals synapsing onto rat CA3 pyramidal neurons J. Neurochem 99(4)1224-36 2006.

Pappas, TC, Wickramanyakes, S, Jan E, Motamedi, M, Brodwick, M., Kotov, N.  Nanoscale engineering of cellular interface with semiconductor nanoparticle films for photoelectric stimulation of neurons.  Nano Letters. Nano Letters 7(2): 513-519 2007.