| Research
My interest in neuroscience began in Brazil when I was first exposed to research on the action of cholinesterase inhibitors at the neuromuscular junction as an undergraduate. This interest was further strengthened with my doctoral level research on the nicotinic receptors in the CNS in Dr E.X. Albuquerque at the University of Maryland. For my thesis I studied the effects of galantamine in Alzheimer’s disease and the protective effects of pyridostigmine in the CNS against nerve agents such as Soman, Sarin, and VX.
Recently, I have been working with Dr Cha-Min Tang trying to better understand an exciting but inconsistent finding. It deals with a potential mechanism for short-term storage and retrieval of information mediated by NMDA receptors on the thin distal dendrites. A subpopulation of neurons seem to have the ability to markedly potentiate the response to a ‘read-out’ dendritic stimulus if a very weak distributed glutamate stimulus is provided over the surrounding dendrite 100 to 400 ms before the test pulse. This phenomenon is distinct from the classic paired pulse facilitation which is mediated by presynaptic mechanisms. My immediate goal is being directed at understanding why we see this phenomenon sometime but not at other times.
Research Techniques
- Patch-clamp recordings
- Ultraviolet photolysis of glutamate
- Calcium dynamics in dendrites
- Confocal Microscopy
- Hippocampus/cortex Slice preparation
Personal History
2004- up to now – Postdoc position - Dr. Cha-Min Tang – Dep of Neurology - University of Maryland at Balitmore
2003-2004 – Postdoc position – Dr. Asaf Keller’s Lab – Dep of Anatomy and Neurobiology – University of Maryland at Balitmore
2002 – Ph.D. in Biological Sciences - Federal Univ. of Rio de Janeiro/Univ.of Maryland
1997 – Master in Biological Sciences - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil
1992– Pharm.D. Federal University of Maranhao – Brazil
Publications
1- Camara, A.L., Braga, M.F.M., Rocha, E.S., Santos, M.D., Cortes, W.S., Cintra, W.M., Aracava, Y., Maelicke, A. e Albuquerque, E.X. Methamidophos: An anticholinesterase, without significant effects on postsynaptic receptors or transmitter release. Neurotoxicology, 18: 589-602, 1997.
2 - E.S. Rocha, S.R. Chebabo, M.D Santos, Y. Aracava and E.X. Abuquerque. An Analysis of Low Level Doses of Cholinesterese inhibitors in cultured Neurons and Hippocampal Slices of Rats. Drug and Chemical Toxicology 21(suppl.1) 191-200, 1998.
3 - Edson S. Rocha, M. D. Santos, Simone R. Chebabo, Yasco Aracava, and Edson X. Albuquerque. Low Concentrations of the Organophosphate VX Affect Spontaneous and Evoked Transmitter Release from Hippocampal Neurons: Toxicological Relevance of Cholinesterase-Independent Actions. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 159:31-40, 1999.
4 - Simone R. Chebabo, M. D. Santos and Edson X. Albuquerque. The Organophosphorate Sarin, at Low Concentrations, Inhibits the evoked Release of GABA in Rat Hippocampal Slices. NeuroToxicoly 20(6):871-882, 1999.
5 - E.X. Albuquerque, M.D. Santos, M.Alkondon, E.F.R. Pereira and A. Maelicke. Modulation of Nicotinic Report Activity in the Central Nervous System: A Novel Approach to the Treatment of Alzheimer Disease. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders 15(1): s19-s25, 2001.
6 - Pereira EFP, Santos MD, Engelhardt E, Calvacanti JLS, Temponi GM e Albuquerque EX. A Galantamine no Tratamento da Doenca de Alzheimer: da pesquisa ao paciente. “Galantamine is the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: from reseach to the patient” Revista Brasileira de Neurologia 37(1):6-12, 2001.
7 - M.D. Santos, Manickavasagom Alkondon, Edna F.R. Pereira, Yasco Aracava, Howard M. Eisenberg, Alfred Maelicke, and Edson X. Albuquerque. The nicotinic allosteric potentiating ligand galantamine facilitates synaptic transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. Molecular Pharmacology 61:1222-1234, 2002.
8 - E.F.R. Pereira, C. Hilmas, M.D. Santos, M.Alkondon and E.X. Albuquerque. Unconventinal ligands and modulatorys of nicotinic receptors. J Neurobiol. 53(4):479-500, 2002 - Review
9 - M.D. Santos, Edna F.R. Pereira, Yasco Aracava, Newton G. Castro, and Edson X. Albuquerque. Low concentrations of pyridostigmine prevent soman-induced inhibiton of GABAergic transmission in the central nervous system: toxicological relevance. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET), 304:254-265, 2003.
10 - Conrad W. Liang, Mariton D. Santos, Xiang Cai, Lin-Yun Liu, Joseph P. Y. Kao, Scott M. Thompson, and Cha-Min Tang. Characteristics of slow EPSP summation in the distal apical dendrites of CA1 neurons. in preparation
11- Mariton D. Santos, Michael Mohammadi, Joseph P. Y. Kao, Scott M. Thompson, and Cha-Min Tang. A Dendritic Mechanism for Short-term Storage and Retrieval of Prior Synaptic Excitation. in preparation, 2008
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