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Peter J. West

Peter J. West, PhD

Research Asociate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology

Research Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology

Contact: Peter.West@utah.edu

Office: 206 Skaggs Hall

Education:

  • B.S. 1997, Biochemistry, Lehigh University 
  • Ph.D. 2003, Neuroscience, University of Utah

FAR Webpage

Research Interests

Dr. West is interested in the pathophysiology and treatment of diseases that affect cognition. His research is conducted both independently and in collaboration with the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP, Principal Investigator: Karen Wilcox, Ph.D.) where he is a co-investigator. In this capacity, he directs studies developing novel animal models of pharmacoresistant seizures and determining the efficacy and cognitive side-effect profiles of proprietary investigational compounds.

Dr. West’s independently funded research is focused on understanding the pathophysiology of cognitive comorbidities associated with epilepsy. In order to identify novel molecular targets and test potential treatments, an understanding of the pathophysiological basis of cognitive deficit in epilepsy must first be obtained and preclinical model systems must be developed. Accordingly, studies intended to characterize synaptic plasticity deficits and cognitive dysfunction in animal models of Epilepsy are underway.

Furthermore, his laboratory is developing the first rodent model of pediatric epilepsy due to abnormal hypothalamic development (hypothalamic hamartoma); one goal of this research is to better understand the developmental origin of gelastic (laughing) seizures in this patient population and their concurrent cognitive dysfunction. Dr. West’s laboratory employs genetic, electrophysiological, pharmacological, immunohistochemical, and behavioral techniques to achieve these goals. Of particular note, the lab uses specialized equipment which allows the experimenter to perform simultaneous recordings from multiple brain slices, thus allowing for the high-throughput evaluation of numerous electrophysiological phenomena associated with learning and memory (e.g. synaptic plasticity).

Publications

    1.Giangrasso, D. M. et al. Glutamate dynamics in the dorsolateral striatum of rats with goal-directed and habitual cocaine-seeking behavior. Front Mol Neurosci 16, 1160157 (2023). 

    2.Heruye, S. H. et al. Ascorbic Acid Reduces Neurotransmission, Synaptic Plasticity, and Spontaneous Hippocampal Rhythms in In Vitro Slices. Nutrients 14, 613 (2022). 

    3.Gibson, A. S., West, P. J. & Keefe, K. A. Effects of methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity on striatal long-term potentiation. Psychopharmacology 1–12 (2022) doi:10.1007/s00213-021-06055-8. 

    4.West, P. J. et al. Spontaneous recurrent seizures in an intra-amygdala kainate microinjection model of temporal lobe epilepsy are differentially sensitive to antiseizure drugs. Exp Neurol 349, 113954 (2022). 

    5.Pernici, C. D. et al. Development of an antiseizure drug screening platform for Dravet syndrome at the NINDS contract site for the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program. Epilepsia 62, 1665–1676 (2021). 

    6.Cohen, N. T. et al. Hypothalamic Hamartomas. Neurology 97, 864–873 (2021). 

    7.Thomson, K. E., West, P. J., Metcalf, C. S. & Wilcox, K. S. Response: Usefulness of the post‐kainate spontaneous recurrent seizure model for screening for antiseizure and for neuroprotective effects. Epilepsia 62, 1290–1290 (2021). 

    8.Metcalf, C. S. et al. Screening of prototype antiseizure and anti‐inflammatory compounds in the Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus model of epilepsy. Epilepsia Open (2021) doi:10.1002/epi4.12550. 

    9.Li, X. et al. Discovery of the First Vitamin K Analogue as a Potential Treatment of Pharmacoresistant Seizures. J Med Chem 63, 5865–5878 (2020). 

    10.Thomson, K. E. et al. Evaluation of subchronic administration of antiseizure drugs in spontaneously seizing rats. Epilepsia 61, 1301–1311 (2020). 

    11.Wilcox, K. S., West, P. J. & Metcalf, C. S. The current approach of the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program contract site for identifying improved therapies for the treatment of pharmacoresistant seizures in epilepsy. Neuropharmacology 166, 107811 (2019). 

    12.Umpierre, A. D., West, P. J., White, J. A. & Wilcox, K. S. Conditional Knock-out of mGluR5 from Astrocytes during Epilepsy Development Impairs High-Frequency Glutamate Uptake. J Neurosci 39, 727–742 (2018). 

    13.Nagarajan, N., Jones, B. W., West, P. J., Marc, R. & Capecchi, M. R. Corticostriatal circuit defects in Hoxb8 mutant mice. Mol Psychiatr 23, 1–10 (2018). 

    14.West, P. J. et al. Recurrent epileptiform discharges in the medial entorhinal cortex of kainate‐treated rats are differentially sensitive to antiseizure drugs. Epilepsia 59, 2035–2048 (2018). 

    15.Remigio, G. J. et al. Corneal kindled C57BL/6 mice exhibit saturated dentate gyrus long-term potentiation and associated memory deficits in the absence of overt neuron loss. Neurobiol Dis 105, 221–234 (2017). 

    16.Metcalf, C. S. et al. Development and pharmacologic characterization of the rat 6 Hz model of partial seizures. Epilepsia 58, 1073–1084 (2017). 

    17.Basu, R. et al. Heterophilic Type II Cadherins Are Required for High-Magnitude Synaptic Potentiation in the Hippocampus. Neuron 96, 160-176.e8 (2017). 

    18.Patel, D. C. et al. Hippocampal TNFα Signaling Contributes to Seizure Generation in an Infection-Induced Mouse Model of Limbic Epilepsy. Eneuro 4, ENEURO.0105-17.2017 (2017). 

    19.Kaufmann, D. et al. sec-Butylpropylacetamide (SPD), a new amide derivative of valproic acid for the treatment of neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Pharmacol Res 117, 129–139 (2016). 

    20.Barker-Haliski, M. L. et al. Validation of a Preclinical Drug Screening Platform for Pharmacoresistant Epilepsy. Neurochem Res 42, 1904–1918 (2017). 

    21.Walls, A. B. et al. The anticonvulsant action of the galanin receptor agonist NAX-5055 involves modulation of both excitatory- and inhibitory neurotransmission. Epilepsy Res 121, 55–63 (2016). 

    22.West, P. J., Saunders, G. W., Remigio, G. J., Wilcox, K. S. & White, H. S. Antiseizure drugs differentially modulate theta‐burst induced long‐term potentiation in C57BL/6 mice. Epilepsia 55, 214–223 (2014). 

    23.Gee, J. M. et al. Imaging Activity in Neurons and Glia with a Polr2a-Based and Cre-Dependent GCaMP5G-IRES-tdTomato Reporter Mouse. Neuron 83, 1058–1072 (2014). 

    24.Umpierre, A. D. et al. Impaired cognitive ability and anxiety-like behavior following acute seizures in the Theiler’s virus model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurobiol Dis 64, 98–106 (2014). 

    25.West, P. J., Marcy, V. R., Marino, M. J. & Schaffhauser, H. Activation of the 5-HT6 receptor attenuates long-term potentiation and facilitates GABAergic neurotransmission in rat hippocampus. Neuroscience 164, 692–701 (2009). 

    26.West, P. J., Dalpé-Charron, A. & Wilcox, K. S. Differential contribution of kainate receptors to excitatory postsynaptic currents in superficial layer neurons of the rat medial entorhinal cortex. Neuroscience 146, 1000–1012 (2007). 

    27.Wilcox, K., West, P. & Dichter, M. Excitatory synaptic transmission. Epilepsy: A Comprehensive … (2007). 

    28.West, P. J., Bulaj, G. & Yoshikami, D. Effects of δ-Conotoxins PVIA and SVIE on Sodium Channels in the Amphibian Sympathetic Nervous System. J Neurophysiol 94, 3916–3924 (2005). 

    29.Bulaj, G. et al. Novel Conotoxins from Conus striatus and Conus kinoshitai Selectively Block TTX-Resistant Sodium Channels †. Biochemistry-us 44, 7259–7265 (2005). 

    30.Keizer, D. W. et al. Structural Basis for Tetrodotoxin-resistant Sodium Channel Binding by μ-Conotoxin SmIIIA*. J Biol Chem 278, 46805–46813 (2003). 

    31.West, P. J., Bulaj, G., Garrett, J. E., Olivera, B. M. & Yoshikami, D. μ-Conotoxin SmIIIA, a Potent Inhibitor of Tetrodotoxin-Resistant Sodium Channels in Amphibian Sympathetic and Sensory Neurons †. Biochemistry-us 41, 15388–15393 (2002). 

    32.Bulaj, G. et al. δ-Conotoxin Structure/Function through a Cladistic Analysis †. Biochemistry-us 40, 13201–13208 (2001). 

    33.Craig, A. G. et al. An O-glycosylated neuroexcitatory conus peptide. Biochemistry 37, 16019–16025 (1998).