Email: leslie_morrow@med.unc.edu

Phone: (919) 966-7682

Website: www.med.unc.edu/alcohol/molneuro.html





Education:

B.S., Psychobiology, University of California, Davis
Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego
Post Doctoral Fellowship, Molecular Neuropharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health

Research Interests:

Dr. Morrow's laboratory is engaged in studies of the function, expression, regulation and molecular biology of GABA receptors in the CNS. We are particularly interested in the molecular mechanisms that underlie the effects of acute and chronic ethanol consumption with the ultimate goal of developing new therapeutics for alcohol use disorders.


Representative Publications:

1. Kumar S., Ren, Q., BeckleyY, J.H., O’Buckley, T.K., Gigante, E.D., Santerre, J.L., Werner D.F., and Morrow, A.L.  Ethanol activation of protein kinase A regulates GABAA receptor subunit expression in the cerebral cortex and contributes to ethanol-induced hypnosis.  Front. Neurosci. 6:44 (2012) doi: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00044.
2. Girdler S.S., Lindgren, M., Porcu, P., Rubinow, D.R., Johnson, J.L. and Morrow, A.L. A History of depression in women is associated with an altered GABAergic neuroactive steroid profile.  Psychoneuroendocrinology 37:543-53 (2012) PMCID: PMC3233657
3. Porcu, P., O’Buckley, T.K., Song, S.C., Harenza, J.L., Lu, L., Wang, X., Williams, R.W., Miles, M.F., and Morrow, A.L. Genetic analysis of the neurosteroid deoxycorticosterone and its relation to alcohol phenotypes: Identification of QTLs and downstream gene regulation.  PLOS One 6:e18405 (2011).
4. Werner D.F., Kumar S., criswell, H.E., Suryanarayanan, A., Fetzer, A.J., Comerford, C.E., and Morrow, A.L.  PKCg is required for ethanol-induced increases in GABAA receptor a4 subunit expression in cultured cerebral cortical neurons.  J. Neurochem. 116: 554-563, (2011). PMCID: PMC303344
5. Boyd K.N., Kumar, S., O’Buckley, T.K., Morrow, A.L. Chronic ethanol exposure produces tolerance to elevations in neuroactive steroids: mechanisms and reversal by exogenous ACTH. J Neurochem. 115: 142–152 (2010). PMCID: PMC3037825