Photograph courtesy of "Kevin M. Cox/ The Galveston County Daily News"

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Volker Neugebauer, M.D., Ph.D., Professor

  • Director, Neuroscience Graduate Program
  • Affiliations: Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology
  • Route: 1069, 2.140D Medical Research Building (MRB)
  • Tel: (409) 772-5259
  • Fax: (409) 762-9382
  • voneugeb@utmb.edu

Dr. Neugebauer's Lab

Dr. Neugebauer's CV

Volker Neugebauer, M.D., Ph.D.

Education

                                • M.D., University of Würzburg, Germany, 1991

                                  Ph.D. (equivalent, Physiology), University of Würzburg, Germany, 1992

                                  Internship, University of Würzburg, Germany, 1991-1992

                                  Postdoctoral Fellowship, Physiology, University of Würzburg, Germany, 1992-1995

                                  Postdoctoral Fellowship, Pharmacology, UTMB, 1995-1997

                                  Postdoctoral Fellowship, Neuroscience, UTMB, 1997-1998

Research Interests

                                • The overall goal of our research is the better understanding of brain functions and dysfunctions in affective and cognitive behavior and disorders. The focus is on the systems and cellular neurobiology of the emotional-affective component of pain. Pain research is particularly attractive because of its clinical significance and usefulness as a basic science approach to study higher brain functions. Persistent pain has a strong emotional component and can lead to depression and anxiety. Conversely, patients suffering from depression and anxiety experience pain more strongly and are more likely to develop chronic pain. Positive emotional-affective states as created in music therapy can relieve pain. Pain is also known to impair cognitive functions such as decision making. We have identified the amygdala and its interactions with prefrontal cortical areas as a key player in the emotional-affective and emotion-based cognitive dimensions of pain. 

                                  Ongoing projects use an integrative approach of systems and cellular electrophysiology, behavior and pharmacology to determine the role of the amygdala and its interactions with the prefrontal cortex (upstream) and spinal cord (downstream) in pain. A patented computerized vocalization analysis system allows the study of nociceptive and affective pain behavior. Visceromotor responses serve as pseudo-affective measures. Anxiety-like behavior is analyzed in the elevated plus-maze test. A novel cognitive behavioral test determines emotion-based decision-making. Pharmacological and electrophysiological changes in the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex and spinal cord are measured using extracellular single-cell recordings at the systems level and whole-cell patch-clamp and imaging in slice preparations.

                                  Recent collaborative research projects include mechanisms of cognitive dysfunctions related to Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Long-term potentiation is measured in the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in different animal models.

                                  Select Publications

                                                                • Fu, Y. and Neugebauer, V. Differential mechanisms of CRF1 and CRF2 receptor functions in the amygdala in pain-related synaptic facilitation and behavior. J. Neurosci. 28:3861-3876, 2008.

                                                                  Ji, G. and Neugebauer, V. Pro- and anti-nociceptive effects of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in central amygdala neurons are mediated through different receptors. J. Neurophysiol. 99:1201-1212, 2008.

                                                                  Ji, G., Fu, Y., Ruppert, K.A. and Neugebauer, V. Pain-related anxiety-like behavior requires CRF1 receptors in the amygdala. Mol. Pain 3:13-17, 2007.

                                                                  Neugebauer, V. Glutamate receptor ligands. Handb. Exp. Pharmacol. 177:217-249, 2006.

                                                                  Han, J.S., Li, W. and Neugebauer, V. Critical role of CGRP1 receptors in the amygdala in synaptic plasticity and pain behavior. J. Neurosci. 25:10717-10728, 2005.

                                                                  Bird, G.C., Lash, L.L., Han, J.S., Zou, X., Willis, W.D. and Neugebauer, V. PKA-dependent enhanced NMDA receptor function in pain-related synaptic plasticity in amygdala neurons. J. Physiol. 564.3:907–921, 2005.

                                                                  Neugebauer, V., Li, W., Bird G.C. and Han, J.S. The amygdala and persistent pain. Neuroscientist 10: 221-234, 2004.

                                                                  Neugebauer, V., Li., W., Bird, G.C., Bhave, G. and Gereau, R.W. Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala in a model of arthritic pain: differential roles of metabotropic glutamate receptors 1 and 5. J. Neurosci. 23:52-63, 2003.

                                                                  Link to my publications on pubmed