Vanderbilt University · PharmacologyConn Lab
P Jeffrey Conn · Nashville, Tennessee
Research Focus
Dr. P Jeffrey Conn's lab at Vanderbilt University focuses on understanding how two specific proteins in the brain, mGlu3 and mGlu5, work together to improve learning and memory. By studying these interactions in rodent models, the lab aims to find new ways to enhance cognitive function and address cognitive deficits related to disorders like schizophrenia. Their research combines advanced techniques in genetics, pharmacology, and neurobiology to explore new treatments for these challenges.
mGluR5mGluR3synaptic plasticitycognitive functionschizophrenialong-term potentiationprefrontal cortexneuronal signalingpharmacologyneurotransmitter receptors
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the interaction between mGlu3 and mGlu5 receptors in the brain.
AIM 02Determine how mGlu3 activation enhances cognitive function in models of schizophrenia.
AIM 03Explore the role of specific neurotransmitter receptor signaling in learning and memory processes.
AIM 04Assess the effects of phencyclidine on mGlu receptor interactions and cognitive performance in rodents.
AIM 05Develop new pharmacological tools to target mGlu3 and mGlu5 for cognitive enhancement.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturegenetic mouse modelspharmacological assaysbehavioral testing in rodentsoptogeneticschemogeneticsimmunohistochemistryWestern blottingelectrophysiologyRNA sequencing
Output against the department
Publications694top 5% of dept.23rd of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations38ktop 6% of dept.30th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.