Dr. Istvan Mody
Tony Coelho Professor of Neurology and Physiology
NRB1 Room 1575D
310-206-4481
mody@ucla.edu
Visit my Lab

Research Interests:

Synaptic transmission in health and disease; interneurons; neuronal microcircuits; regulation of ligand-gated ion channels; basic mechanisms neurological and psychiatric disorders (epilepsies, stroke, depression); intraneuronal calcium homeostasis

Representative Publications:

Glykys, J., Peng, Z., Chadra, D., Homanics, G.E., Houser, C.R. and Mody, I. (2007) A novel naturally occurring GABAA receptor subunit partnership with high sensitivity to ethanol.  Nature Neuroscience, 10: 40-48.

Faas, G.C., Schwaller, B., Vergara, J.L., and Mody, I. (2007) Resolving the fast kinetics of cooperative binding: Ca2+ buffering by calretinin . PLoS Biol 5: 2646-2660.

Glykys, J. and Mody, I. (2007) The activation of GABAA receptors: the view from outside the synaptic cleft. Neuron, 56: 763-770.

Mann, E.O. and Mody, I. (2008) The multifaceted role of inhibition in epilepsy: seizure-genesis through excessive GABAergic inhibition in ADNFLE.  Curr. Opin. Neurol., 21:155-160.

Maguire, J. and Mody, I. (2008) GABAAR plasticity during pregnancy: relevance to postpartum depression. Neuron, 59: 207-213.

Link to PubMed

Representative Publications:

Chen, B.M. and Grinnell, A.D. (1997) Kinetics, Ca++ dependence, and biophysical properties of integrin-mediated mechanical modulation of transmitter release from frog motor neerve terminals. J. Neurosci.  17:904-916

Yazejian, B.M., Sun, X.-P., and Grinnell, A.D. (2000) Tracking presynaptic Ca++ dynamics during neurotransmitter release with Ca++-activated K+ channels. Nature Neurosci. 3:566-571.

Sun, V.-P., Yazejian, B, and Grinnell, A.D. (2004) Electrophysiological properties of BK channels in Xenopus motor nerve terminals. J. Physiol. 557:207-228

Synapse in Xenopus 
Nerve-muscle cell culture

Freeze-etch of frog nmj