Education:
Ph.D., Neuroscience, Georg-August University, Goettingen, Germany
M.B.B.S., J.N. Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, India
Post-doctoral Fellowship:
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Contact Information:
Office Phone: (405) 271-8001 ext. 47964
Fax Number: (405) 271-3548
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
College of Medicine
Department of Cell Biology
940 Stanton L. Young Blvd. BMSB 109
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Research Interests:
The primary goal of my research is to understand the mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity and modulation of neuronal activity. These phenomena underlie most adaptive behavior including learning and memory; thus, advances in knowledge in this area elucidate the biological mechanisms that mediate our experience-dependent behavior. This research also provides a foundation to understand the mechanistic underpinnings of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. We use cutting-edge techniques of physiological methods (patch-clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics, Ca2+ imaging), biochemical analysis of proteins and lipids at the molecular level (BRET assays, surface biotinylation, proximity labeling, click chemistry), in vivo and in vitro molecular manipulations (stereotaxic in vivo injections, virus preparation, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout), imaging on brain sections and primary neuronal cultures (immunochemistry, RNAscope, antibody feeding assays), and behavioral analysis to answer outstanding questions in the mammalian brain.
The ongoing projects in my laboratory, funded by the National Institutes of Health and various private foundations, are as follows:
1. Trafficking of AMPA-type glutamate receptors during long-term synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory
2. Intracellular regulation of oxytocin receptor activity and trafficking in neurons during social behavior
3. Regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity by very long chain fatty acids
Selected Publications:
George, K., Ahmad, M. Input-specific properties of excitatory synapses on oxytocin receptor-expressing neurons in the lateral septum. Journal of Neurophysiology. (in press).
Hoang, H. T.M., George, K., Ahmad, M. (2024). Application of bioluminescence resonance energy transfer assays in primary mouse neuronal cultures. STAR Protocols, 5(3), 103228. DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103228
George, K., Hoang HTM, Tibbs, T., Nagaraja, R. Y., Li, G., Troyano-Rodriguez, E., Ahmad, M. (2024). Robust GRK2/3/6-dependent desensitization of oxytocin receptor in neurons. iScience, 27(6), 110047. PMID: 38883814. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110047
Fessler, J. L., Stiles, M. A., Agbaga, M.-P., Ahmad, M., Sherry, D. M. (2024). The spinocerebellar ataxia 34-causing W246G ELOVL4 mutation does not alter cerebellar neuron populations in a rat model. Cerebellum (London, England). PMID: 38850484. DOI: 10.1007/s12311-024-01708-8
Nagaraja, R. Y., Stiles, M., Sherry, D. M., Agbaga, M.-P., Ahmad, M. (2023). Synapse-specific defects in synaptic transmission in the cerebellum of W246G mutant ELOVL4 rats- a model of human SCA34. The Journal of Neuroscience, 43(33), 5963-5974. PMID: 37491316
Dey, A., Pramanik, P. K., Dwivedi SKD, Neizer-Ashun, F., Kiss, T., Ganguly, A., Rice, H. C., Mukherjee, P., Xu, C., Ahmad, M., Csiszar, A., Bhattacharya, R. (2023). A role for the cystathionine-β-synthase /H(2)S axis in astrocyte dysfunction in the aging brain. Redox biology, 68, 102958. PMID: 37948927. DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102958
Baier, M., Nagaraja, R., Yarbrough, H., Owen D., Masingale, A., Ranjit, R., Stiles, M., Murphy, A., Agbaga, M.-P., Ahmad, M., Sherry, D., Kinter, M., Van Remmen, H., and Logan, S. (2022). Selective ablation of Sod2 in astrocytes induces sex-specific effects on cognitive function, D-serine availability, and astrogliosis. The Journal of Neuroscience, 42(31):5992-6006. PMID: 35760531; PMCID: PMC9351643.
Martin, E. E., Wleklinsky, E., Hoang, H.T.M., Ahmad, M. (2021). Interaction and subcellular association of PRRT1/SynDIG4 with AMPA receptors. Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience, 13:705664.
Nagaraja, R., Sherry, D. M., Fessler, J., Stiles, M., Li, F., Multani, K., Orock, A., Ahmad, M., Brush, R., Anderson, R. E., Agbaga, M.-P., Deak, F. (2021). W246G Mutant ELOVL4 impairs synaptic plasticity in parallel and climbing fibers and causes motor defects in a rat model of SCA34. Molecular Neurobiology, 58(10), 4921-4943. PMID: 34227061.
Troyano-Rodriguez E, Mann S, Ullah R, and Ahmad M (2019). PRRT1 regulates basal and plasticity-induced AMPA receptor trafficking. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. 2019 Jun 16;98:155-163.
Troyano-Rodriguez E, Wirsig-Wiechmann CR, and Ahmad M (2019). Neuroligin-2 Determines Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission in the Lateral Septum to Optimize Stress-Induced Neuronal Activation and Avoidance Behavior. Biological Psychiatry. 2019 Jun 15;85(12):1046-1055.
Bacaj T*, Ahmad M*, Jurado S*, Malenka RC and Südhof TC (2015). Synaptic function of Rab11Fip5: selective requirement for hippocampal long-term depression. The Journal of Neuroscience, 35(19):7460-7474. *contributed equally to the study
Soler-Llavina GJ, Arstikaitis P, Morishita W, Ahmad M, Südhof TC and Malenka RC (2013). Leucine-rich repeat transmembrane proteins are essential for maintenance of long-term potentiation. Neuron 79, 439-446.
Ahmad M, Polepalli JS, Goswami D, Yang X, Kaeser-Woo YJ, Südhof TC and Malenka RC (2012). Postsynaptic complexin controls AMPA receptor exocytosis during LTP. Neuron 73, 260-267.
Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1ZI7myh13SrQa/bibliography/44175599/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending
Profile Last Edited: July 30, 2024