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Professor Emeritus, Pharmacology
Director, University of Toronto Epilepsy Research Program
General Area of Research: Neuropharmacology
Studies of Seizures & Anticonvulsant Drugs |
At present, we do not know why seizures occur, how they affect the brain, or how anticonvulsant drugs suppress them. My laboratory is working on these problems, using a variety of animal models and biochemical assays. Current projects include: 1) a study of how seizures enhance neurogenesis, gliosis and cell death; 2) a molecular biology study of the long-term effects of seizures on gene expression ; 3) a study of the anticonvulsant effects of progesterone-like compounds; 4) a study of the behavioral effects of seizures; and 5) a study of the mechanism of action of the ketogenic diet.
Selected Recent Publications:
Nylen,K., Velazquez J.L.P., Likhodii S., Cortez M., Shen L., Leshchenko Y., Adeli K., Gibson, M., Burnham W.M. and Snead C. A ketogenic diet rescues the murine succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficient henotype. Exp. Neurol. 2008; 210(2): 449-57.
Taha AY, Huot PS, Reza-LC3pez S, Prayitno NR, Kang JX, Burnham WM, Ma DW. Seizure resistance in fat-1 transgenic mice endogenously synthesizing high levelsof omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. J. Neurochem. 2008; 105(2):380-8.
Abdelmalik PA, Liang P, Weisspapir M, Samoilova M, Burnham WM, Carlen PL. Factors which abolish hypoglycemic seizures do not increase cerebral glycogencontent in vitro. Neurobiol Dis. 2008 Feb; 29(2):201-9.
Thompson MD, Percy ME, Burnham WM, Cole DE. G protein-coupled receptors disrupted in human genetic disease. Methods Mol Biol. 2008; 448:109-37.
Studzinski C.M., MacKay W.A., Beckett T.L., Henderson S.T., Murphy M.P., Sullivan P.G.,.and Burnham, W.M. Induction of Ketosis May Improve Mitochondrial Function and Decrease Steady-State Amyloid-<beta> Precursor Protein (APP) Levels in the Aged Dog. Brain Res. 2008; 1226: 209-217.
Likhodii S.S., Nylen, K. and Burnham W.M. Acetone as an Anticonvulsant. Epilepsia. 2008; 49(Suppl.8): 83-86.
Contact Address: University of Toronto
Department of Pharmacology
Room 4309, Medical Sciences Building
1 King's College Circle
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1A8
Phone: [416]978-0779
FAX: [416]978-6395
Email: mac.burnham@utoronto.ca