Education
B.A. English, magna cum laude, Willamette University
Ph.D. neuroscience, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Post-doctoral study, neuropharmacology, Emory University

Courses Taught
Mind and Brain (NSC 101)
Neurobiology (BIO/NSC 248)
Advanced Topics in Neuroscience (NSC 448)
Neurotransmitter Receptor Structure and Function (NSC 380)
Concepts of Biology: Drugs and Drug Abuse (BIO 115)
Other Bodies (DNA 108)

Research Interests
Pregnane neurosteroids are dynamically regulated in the central nervous system during stress, menstruation, and pregnancy. Recent studies indicate that metabolites of progesterone such as allopregnanolone (ALLO) exert their anxiolytic effects on the gamma-aminobutyric acid Type A (GABA_A) receptor, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor. In my laboratory, we are interested in mapping the ALLO binding site on this receptor. Early studies suggest that changing the subunit composition of the receptor affects its sensitivity to ALLO. Understanding this selectivity and resolving the structure of this binding pocket will help us understand how progesterone and its metabolites underlie the anxiety evoked during premenstrual syndrome, post-partum depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. My laboratory uses biochemical and physiological approaches to examine these poorly understood dysregulations of anxiety.

Recent Publications and Abstracts

Sancar F, Ericksen SS, Kucken AM, Teissere JA and Czajkowski C (2007) Structural determinants for high-affinity zolpidem binding to GABA_A receptors.  Mol Pharmacol 71:38-46.

Sheard LB ‘07, McGinniss JE ‘06 and Teissére JA (2006) Dissecting neurosteroid modulation of the GABA_A receptor using interreceptor chimeragenesis.  Atlanta, GA:  Society for Neuroscience 2006 Annual Meeting.  Online.

Balasubramanian S, Teissére JA, Raju DV and Hall RA (2004) Hetero-oligomerization between GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptors regulates GABA(B) receptor trafficking. J Biol Chem 279:18840-18850.

Kucken AM*, Teissére JA*, Kucken AM, Seffinga-Clark J, Wagner DA and Czajkowski C (2002) Structural requirements for imidazobenzodiazepine binding to GABA(A) receptors. Mol Pharmacol 63:289-296. (*Denotes equal first author contribution)

Teissére JA and Czajkowski C (2001) A beta-strand in the gamma2 subunit lines the benzodiazepine binding site of the GABA(A) receptor: Structural rearrangements detected during channel gating. J Neurosci 21:4977-4986.