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Faculty Detail     Name J MICHAEL WYSS   Campus Address THT 946 Zip 0006 Phone 205-934-6086 E-mail jmwyss@uab.edu Other websites http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=8048

Faculty Appointment(s) Appointment Type Department Division Rank Primary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Professor Secondary  Medicine  Med - Cardiovascular Disease Professor Center  Neurology   Alzheimer's Disease Center Professor Center  Center for Aging  Center for Aging Professor Center  Civitan International Research Center  Civitan International Research Center Professor Center  Medicine  Comprehensive Diabetes Ctr Professor Center  General Clinical Research Center  Comprehensive Neuroscience Center Professor Center  Ctr for Glial Bio in Med  Ctr for Glial Bio in Med Professor Center  Medicine  Ctr Cardiovasc Bio Professor Center  Neurology   Ctr Neurodegeneration & Exp Ther (CNET) Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology  Cellular and Molecular Biology Program  Genetics and Genomic Sciences  Integrative Genetics Graduate Program  Medical Scientist Training Program  Neuroscience  Neuroscience Graduate Program  Neurosciences

Biographical Sketch  Dr. J. Michael Wyss (b. 1948), Professor (Cell Biology, Medicine, Neurobiology and Psychology) and Director (Center for Community OutReach Development), completed his undergraduate studies in neurobiology at Concordia College, Indiana (B.S., 1970), and received a Ph.D. in neurobiology from Washington University (St. Louis) in 1976. During his postdoctoral studies at Washington University School of Medicine he applied cell biological methods to elucidate the role of the limbic cortex in behavior and autonomic control, and has continued to expand this research at Birmingham (1979-present). His work on the central control of the autonomic nervous system has propelled him into the studies of the neurocellular mechanisms controlling arterial pressure. Outside of the laboratory he enjoys swimming, soccer and photography.

Society Memberships Organization Name Position Held Org Link AAALAC, International  Member of Council    American Physiological Society  Member of Council    Society for Neuroscience

Research/Clinical Interest Title Neuroplasticity in aging and neuro cardiovascular control Description The current studies in our laboratory center in two major research areas. The first focus is on neuronal plasticity and grows out of our studies that demonstrate that a specific group of pyramidal neurons in the rat retrosplenial cortex display a dramatic alteration in their structure as the animal ages. These neurons show considerable plasticity in these rats, in that their apical denrites diminish to about 1/3 of its normal length, while basal dendrites extend to about 4-5 times their adult length. Concurrent with these changes in structure, we have demonstrated that cellular, molecular and behavioral changes occur, including a significant decrease in spatially learning. We are also investigating the role that a newly discovered growth and differentiation factor (neuregulin) and its receptors (erbB 2-4) play in neuronal plasticity and the role of clacium homeostasis int he pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. The second focus of our research involves the role of the central nervous system in the pathogenesis of hypertension. In these studies we are testing the mechanisms by which a decrease in norepinephrine release in the anterior hypothalamic nucleus leads to of salt-sensitive hypertension. We have recently demonstrated that in addition to the selective changes in the hypothalamus, high salt diets also alter the ability of arteries to vasodialate, and that this is due at least in part to an alteration in the NO and superoxide signaling cascades. These studies have also demonstrated that plant polyphenols and estrogen protect against hypertension and underlying neurological dysfunction in rats. We are currently defining the mechanism(s) underlying these effects.

Selected Publications  Publication PUBMEDID Cho, T.M., N. Peng,, J.T. Clark, L. Novak., S. Roysommuti, J. Prasain and J.M. Wyss. Dietary genistein blunts NaCl-sensitive hypertension in young male stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. Endocrinology, [Epub ahead of print], 2007.  17673523   Gerecke, K.M., J.M. Wyss and S.L. Carroll. Neuregulin-1β induces neurite extension and arborization in cultured hippocampal neurons. Molecular Brain Research, 27:379-394, 2004.    Peng, N., J.T. Clark, J. Prasain, H. Kim, N Brissie and J.M. Wyss. Antihypertensive and cognitive effects of grape polyphenols in estrogen-depleted, female, spontaneously hypertensive rats. Amer J Physiol, 289:771-775, 2005.    Veerasingham, S.J., K. Berecek, J.M. Wyss and M.K. Raizada. PI3-Kinase p85α expression in presympathetic brain areas is associated with hypertension. Circulation Research, 96:277-279, 2005.     Wyss, J.M. Central nervous system in arterial pressure regulation. In J.L. Izzo, and H.R. Black, Hypertension Primer, 3rd edition, Lippincott, New York, 99-102, 2007.    Radbill, A.E., A.T. Reddy, J.M. Markert, J.M. Wyss, M.M. Pike, N.S. Akella, N. Bharara and G.Y., Gillespie. Effects of G207, a conditionally replication-competent oncolytic herpes simplex virus, on the developing mammalian brain. J Neurovirol. 13:118-129, 2007.    Prasain, J.K., N. Peng, E. Acosta, R. Moore, A. Arabshahi, E. Meezan, S. Barnes and J.M. Wyss. Pharmacokinetic study of puerarin in rat serum by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Biomed Chromatography, Biomed Chromatogr. 21:410-414, 2007.

Keywords Alzheimers, hypertension, neuronal plasticity, behavior, blood pressure, botanicals

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