|
Dr. Jose Amat graduated from Medical School in Venezuela
from the Universidad de Oriente, followed by an Internship
at the University Hospital. Upon completion of his Internship,
Dr. Amat pursued teaching and research in the Physiology Department
of the Universidad de Oriente Medical School. A few years
later, he went to the University of Iowa where he obtained
his PhD in Neurophysiology, under the mentorship of Dr. Rodolfo
Llinas. His dissertation research focused on cerebellar control
of vestibulospinal reflexes of the frog. Dr. Amat then returned
to Venezuela and engaged in research and teaching, first at
the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas and
later on at the Medical School of the Universidad Central
de Venzuela. For the last 15 years Dr. Amat has focused his
research mostly on the effects of stress on the release of
monoamines in the CNS. He has experience in neurophysiological
techniques (extracellular and intracellular recording from
the CNS and from peripheral nerves), various techniques for
neural tracing, basic in vivo immunological testing, enzyme
linked immunosorbant assays, radioimmunoassays, in vivo microdialysis
and high pressure liquid chromatography. Currently he is pursuing
the effects of stressor controllability on the activity of
serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus cells, and on the neurocircuitry
which mediates these effects.
Selected Publications:
Amat, J., Sparks, P. D., Matus-Amat, P., Griggs J., Watkins,
L. R., & Maier, S. F., The role of the habenular complex in
the elevation of dorsal raphe nucleus serotonin and interference
with escape behavior produced by uncontrollable stress. Brain
Research, 917 (2001) 188-126.
Amat, J., Matus-Amat, P., Watkins, L.R., & Maier, S.F.,
Escapable and inescapable stress differentially alter extracellular
levels of 5-HT in the basolateral amygdala of the rat, Brain
Res. 812 (1998) 113-120.
Amat, J., Matus-Amat, P., Watkins, L.R. & Maier, S.F., Escapable
and inescapable stress differentially and selectively alter
extracellular levels of 5-HT in the ventral hippocampus and
dorsal periaqueductal gray of the rat, Brain Research, 84
(1998) 306-310.
|
