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I started doing research in neuroscience several years ago, when I was an undergraduate in college. Back then, I worked on behavioral paradigms to explore the reward and reinforcing properties of dopamine and opioids. Afterwards, during my master and doctoral studies, I became interested in the role of the basal ganglia in the modulation of movement. In my thesis work, I explored the role of extrastriatal dopamine in normal and parkinsonian rats. I became interested in the work done in Yoland's lab because I was puzzled by the very complex circuitry of the basal ganglia. The approach of the lab to try to understand the relations between anatomy and physiology is very appealing to me. Also, since the lab is part of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, I consider that it is a major privilege to be able to explore these questions in primates. I'll summarize the rationale for these projects in the next paragraphs. The basal ganglia are a group of subcortical structures in the central nervous system involve with planning, learning and execution of motor activity. Dysfunction of these nuclei results in severe motor disorders. In the basal ganglia circuitry, GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter. However, the subcellular localization and functions of ionotropic and metabotropic GABAergic receptors are still poorly known. The existence evidence indicates that GABAergic receptors function is altered in pathological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. For this reason it is important to understand the interactions between these receptors and the basal ganglia circuitry.
The microdialysis experiments help us understand if the presynaptic GABA-A and GABA-B receptors modulate the release of other neurotransmitters, like glutamate and GABA. The roles of postsynaptic GABA receptors are also explored using extracellular recordings, combined with intracerebral infusions of GABAergic agonists and antagonists
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Galvan, A., M. Kuwajima and Y. Smith (2006) Glutamate and GABA Receptors in the basal ganglia: What does their Subsynaptic Localization Reveal about their Function? Neuroscience 143: 351-375. Bogenpohl JW, Verreault M, Galvan A, Liu J, Smith Y, (2006) The use of MGluR5 antagonists as antiparkinsonian therapy in MPTP-treated monkeys. Soc for Neurosci Abstr 175.3 Galvan, A., M.A. Kliem, Y. Smith and T. Wichmann (2005) GABAergic and dopaminergic modulation of basal ganglia output in primates. In Bolam, JP et al (eds), IBAGS VIIIth, Plenum press, New York, pp. 575-584. Galvan, A., R. Villalba, S. West, N. Maidment, L. Ackerson, Y. Smith and T. Wichmann (2005) GABAergic modulation of the activity of globus pallidus neurons in primates: An in vivo analysis of GABA-A, GABA-B and GABA transporters function. J. Neurophysiol. 94: 990-1000. Galvan, A., Y. Smith and T. Wichmann (2004) GABAergic transmission in the monkey globus pallidus: An in vivo study using extracellular recording and intracerebral drug infusion. 8th IBAGS meeting, Crieff, P87.
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Galvan, A., A. Charara, JM Fritschy, AI Levey and Y. Smith (2004) Differential subsynaptic localization of GABA-A and GABA-B receptors in the primate subthalamic nucleus. Neuroscience 127: 709-721.
Charara A., Galvan A., Kuwajima M., Hall R. A., and Smith Y. (2004) An electron microscope immunocytochemical study of GABAB R2 receptors in the monkey basal ganglia: A comparative analysis with GABAB R1 receptor distribution. J Comp Neurol. 476, 65-79
Galvan, A. Y. Shimo, M. Kliem, A. Charara, Y. SMith and T. Wichmann (2003) Effects of GABA-A and GABA-B receptors stimulation on neuronal activity in the monkey globus pallidus. Soc. For Neurosci. Abstra. 706.14.
Galvan, A., Smith, Y. and Wichmann, T. (2003) Continuous monitoring of intracerebral glutamate levels in awake primates using microdialysis and enzyme fluorometric detection. J Neurosci. Methods 126(2):175-185
Soares, J., A. Galvan, T. Wichmann, N.T. Maidment, A. Charara, M.A. Kliem and Y. Smith (2001) Effects of GABA-B receptor activation on glutamate and GABA release in the globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus of monkey. Soc. for Neurosci. 27: 826.11.
Galvan, A., A. Charara, J.-F. Pare, A.I. Levey, J.-M. Fritschy and Y. Smith (2001) Differential subcellular and subsynaptic distribution of GABA-B and GABA-A receptors in the subthalamic nucleus. Soc. for Neurosci. 27: 290.10.
Galvan, A., Floran, B., Erlij, D. and Aceves, J. (2001) Intrapallidal dopamine restores motor deficits induced by 6-hydroxydopamine in the rat. J Neural Transm 108(2):153-166
Agmo, A., Galvan, A., Heredia A. and Morales M. (1995) Naloxone blocks the antianxiety but not the motor effects of benzodiazepines and pentobarbital: experimental studies and literature review. Psychopharm, 120:180-194
Agmo, A., Galvan, A. and Talamantes, B. (1995) Reward and reinforcement produced by drinking sucrose: Two processes that may depend on different neurotransmitters. Pharmac, Biochem and Behav. 52(2):403-414
I joined Yoland's lab in the spring of 2000, as a post-doc fellow. I had obtained
my PhD in neurosciences a few months before at the Center of Research and
Advanced Studies in Mexico City, where I am originally from. 
My research involves electron microscopy analysis of the subcellular and subsynaptic localization of ionotropic GABA-A and metabotropic GABA-B receptors in different nuclei of the basal ganglia. Also, in order to better understand the functions of GABAergic receptors in normal and pathological conditions, I perform microdialysis and extracellular recording in basal ganglia nuclei of awake rhesus monkeys following local drug applications that modulate GABAergic neurotransmission.