Aldo Rustioni, MD
Professor
Primary appointment in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy

Education:

MD, University of Parma, 1965

Neuroanatomy/Neurophysiology

The complexity of the nervous system is so overwhelming and the task to unravel it so unique that one may wonder whether it is even conceivable that the human mind may, one day, understand itself. Many pathological conditions that involve the nervous system, nevertheless, can be resolved with the available information and with the help of basic research. Most notable among the achievements of basic neurological research is the discovery of monoamines and the widespread use of drugs that regulate these neurotransmitters's action for the treatment of, for instance, Parkinson's disease, depression and schizophrenia. Two amino acids are likely to dominate the functions of the central nervous system: glutamic acid and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). For many years, and before the present knowledge about neurotransmitters, we were engaged in anatomical and electrophysiological research aimed at understanding mechanisms responsible for pain transmission. It turns out that glutamic acid and GABA may well be the main central mediators that make possible to perceive pain as such, and that regulation of their action may have widespread implications not only for treatment of pain but for a variety of neurological syndromes.

We are focused now on the study of glutamic acid and its role in transmission of cutaneous stimuli. We use primarily immunocytochemical techniques to reveal presence and density of glutamic acid molecules as well as their colocalization with other possible neurotransmitters. For several years now, we have taken a leading role in state-of-the-art use of neurochemical techniques by, for instance, developing optimal methods for post-embedding immunocytochemistry. Recently the field of glutamic acid research has shifted to the study of receptors for this amino acid. With our methodology we found ourselves in the right place at the right time for taking on the challenge of identifying which receptor subunit is present at which synapses, which combination of receptor subunits is matched with which neurotransmitter, and how receptor subunit combination changes in response to injury, drug treatment or behavioral modifications. The research is based on the use of electron microscopy: Our methodological and conceptual approach, combined with our past experience, provides an unique vehicle for bringing together anatomy, physiology, behavior, neurochemistry and molecular biology for the study of one of the phenomena that has both afflicted and protected humankind since its beginning.

Selected Publications:

Hwang S.J., Pagliardini S., Rustioni A., Valtschanoff J.G. (2001) Presynaptic kainate receptors in primary afferents to the superficial laminae of the rat spinal cord. J. Comp. Neurol. 436:275-289.

Valtschanoff J.G., Rustioni A., Guo A., Hwnang S.J. (2001) Vanilloid receptor VR1 is both presynaptic and postsynaptic in the superficial laminae of the rat dorsal horn. J. Comp. Neurol. 436:225-235.

Hwang S.J., Pagliardini S., Boukhelifa M., Parast M.M., Otey C.A., Rustioni A., Valtschanoff J.G. (2001) Palladin is expressed preferentially in excitatory terminals in the rat central nervous system. J. Comp. Neurol 436:211-224.

Jia H., Rustioni A., Valtschafnoff J.G. (1999) Metobotropic glutamate receptors in superficial laminae of rat dorsal horn. J. Comp. Neurol 410:627-642.

Gonzalez-Hernandez, T. and Rustioni A. (1999) Expression of three forms of nitric oxide synthase in peripheral nerve regeneration. J. Neurosci. Res. 55:198-207.