The Graduate Program in Neuroscience

Faculty Profile
Dan Cowen, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience & Cell Biology BA 1985 Brandeis University Ph.D. 1989 Case Western Reserve University M.D. 1991 Case Western Reserve University Postdoctoral Training 1994 - 1996 University of Pennsylvania
UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Department of Psychiatry CAB, Room 2200 125 Paterson Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (732) 235-8576 FAX: (732) 235-7677 E-mail: cowends@umdnj.edu
Research Interests		Research Techniques
I am interested in understanding the downstream actions of antidepressants that selectively increase serotonin (5-HT).		Primary neuronal cultures. Use of stable and transient cell transfections. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis Kinase assays Receptor binding assays
Research Summary
Although depression affects approximately 15% of the population, little is known about the mechanism of action of antidepressants. Many of the newer medications work by selectively increasing the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT). However, which of the at least 14 receptors for 5-HT, and which of the cellular signaling pathways regulated by these receptors, are relevant to treating depression, remain unknown. A useful starting point appears to be that depression is known to cause pathological changes in the hippocampus, while antidepressants conversely have been shown to induce neuroprotective changes. We consequently use cultured hippocampal neurons and transfected neuronal cell lines as model systems for studying the coupling of specific 5-HT receptors to signaling pathways previously found to confer the neuroprotective changes induced by growth factors and neurotrophins. We utilize an array of techniques in our studies including immunofluorescence, immunoblot analysis, receptor binding assays and kinase assays. We have found that 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptors may have particular relevance in mediating the protective actions of 5-HT in the hippocampus.

Key References
For complete list: PubMed Johnson-Farley N.N., Travkina T., and Cowen D.S. (2006) Cumulative Activation of Neuroprotective Akt Pathway by Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 316: 1062-1069 Cowen D.S., Johnson-Farley N.N., and Travkina T. (2005) 5-HT1A Receptors Couple to Activation of Akt, But Not Extracellular-Regulated Kinase (ERK), in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons. J. Neurochem. 93: 910-917. Quinn J.C., Johnson-Farley N.N., Yoon J.Y., and Cowen D.S. (2002) Activation of Extracellular-Regulated Kinase by 5-HT2A Receptors in PC12 Cells is Protein Kinase C-Independent and Requires Calmodulin and Tyrosine Kinases. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 303: 746-752. Lin S.L., Johnson-Farley N.N., Lubinsky D.R., and Cowen D.S. (2003) Coupling of Neuronal 5-HT7 Receptors to Activation of Extracellular-Regulated Kinase Through a Protein Kinase A-Independent Pathway That Can Utilize Epac. J. Neurochem. 87: 1076 –1085.. Johnson-Farley N.N., Kertesy S.B., Dubyak G.R., and Cowen D.S. (2005) Enhanced Activation of Neuroprotective Akt and Extracellular-Regulated Kinase (ERK) Pathways by Simultaneous Occupancy of Gq-coupled 5-HT2A Receptors and Gs-Coupled 5-HT7A Receptors in PC12 Cells. J. Neurochem. 92: 72-82. Cowen D.S., Johnson-Farley N.N., and Travkina T. (2005) 5-HT1A Receptors Couple to Activation of Akt, But Not Extracellular-Regulated Kinase (ERK), in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons. J. Neurochem. In Press.