PAUL HERRON, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

The University of Tennessee College of Medicine

Address

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

855 Monroe Avenue, Suite 515

Memphis, TN 38163

Tel: (901) 448-5824; Fax: (901) 448-7193;

Lab: 228 Wittenborg Anatomy

Education

Ph.D. Institution: Michigan State University

Postdoctoral: University of New South Wales, College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Sydney, Australia; McGill University, College of Medicine, Departments of Physiology and Neurosurgery, Montreal, Quebec

Research Interests

The research emphasis in my laboratory is to understand how cholinergic inputs from the basal forebrain impact cortical functioning. Particularly, this research seeks to understand how the loss of acetylcholine inputs effects the responsiveness of neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex to tactile stimulation and the ability of the somatosensory cortex to undergo experience-dependent plasticity. This research utilizes neurophysiological, neuroanatomical, and immunocytochemical techniques to assess these effects. Results suggest that, when acetylcholine inputs are removed, the responsiveness of cortical neurons is reduced and the ability of the cortex to undergo plasticity as a result of experience is also significantly reduced.

Recent Publications

• Herron P, Schweitzer JB. Effects of cholinergic depletion on neural activity in different laminae of the rat barrel cortex. Brain Res. 2000 Jul 28;872(1-2):71-6. PMID: 10924677
• Thompson JW, Chesney RW, Stocks RM, Shmerling J, Herron P. Pediatric hospitals' and physician strategies for the 21st century. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1999 May;38(5):259-63. PMID: 10349522
• Herron P, Li Z, Schweitzer JB. Effects of cholinergic depletion on evoked activity in the cortex of young and aged rats. Int J Dev Neurosci. 1998 Nov-Dec;16(7-8):633-43. PMID: 10198812
• Herron P, Baskerville KA, Chang HT, Doetsch GS. Distribution of neurons immunoreactive for parvalbumin and calbindin in the somatosensory thalamus of the raccoon. J Comp Neurol. 1997 Nov 10;388(1):120-9. PMID: 9364242
• Baskerville KA, Schweitzer JB, Herron P. Effects of cholinergic depletion on experience-dependent plasticity in the cortex of the rat. Neuroscience. 1997 Oct;80(4):1159-69. PMID: 9284068
• Herron P, Zhang L, Li Z, Schweitzer JB. Effects of cholinergic depletion on glutamic acid decarboxylase immunoreactivity in the somatosensory cortex of rats. Anat Embryol (Berl). 1997 Jul;196(1):27-38. PMID: 9242886

view complete list of references (pubmed link)