Wade G. Regehr is a Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical
School
's Department of Neurobiology.
Early biography
Born in
Shaunavon
, SK
, CA
Regehr attended college in Canada, then received
his Ph.D. at Caltech
in applied physics with David Rutledge. His
doctorate was at the interface between neuroscience and electrical
engingeering. He subsequently did two postdoctors. Regehr sites his
younger brother, Chris Regehr, as a guiding influence and sourse of
inspiration.
Research
Regehr's laboratory studies the implication of
calcium Ca
2+ as it affects synaptic
strength.
Neurons communicate with one
another via
synapses. Regehr was one of the
first to use fluorescent imaging to see the synaptic activity
occurring in the brain. A dye alters the fluorenscence properties
when attached to calcium, and changes in intracellular calcium are
associated with neuronal activity (firing of action potentials).
Using
fluorescence-microscopy techniques,
calcium levels are detected, and therefore the influx of calcium in
the
presynaptic neuron.
Calcium processes affect the release of neurotransmitter from the
axon terminal. (Occasionally this
happens in reverse).
Chemical synapses are characterized by the presynaptic release of
neurotransmitters that diffuse across a synaptic cleft to bind with
postsynaptic receptors. A
neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger
that is synthesized within neurons themselves and released by these
same neurons to
communicate with their
postsynaptic target cells. By studying the physiological process
and mechanisms, a further understanding is made of synaptic
depression and delayed release of the neurotransmitter, synaptic
potentiation, facilitation and other calcium dependent chemical
processes.
Awards
Regehr received the Governor General's Award after receiving his
undergraduate degree from the University of Regina. Regehr has been
awarded the Senator Jacob Javits Award in the Neurosciences. This
award provides funding for a possible seven years to research
neurological disorders. The funding is provided by the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Regehr's
study of short term synaptic plasticity (synapse strength during
behavioral tasks) is relevant to
neurological disorders such
as
epilepsy,
schizophrenia and
depression.
Regehr also was granted a scholar award from The McKnight Endowment
Fund for Neuroscience for
The Role of Presynaptic Calcium in
Plasticity at Central Synapses in 1993. The McKnight Scholar
Awards are given to PhD candidates who have an interest in the
study of disorders affecting
learning and
memory. The funding establishes laboratories
for emerging neuroscientists who can develop clinical neuroscience
research.
Selected articles
- Xu-Friedman Matthew A, Regehr Wade G (2008) Retrograde tuning
of tuning. Neuron 2008;59(1):3-5.
- Best Aaron R; Regehr Wade G (2008) Serotonin evokes
endocannabinoid release and retrogradely suppresses excitatory
synapses. The Journal of Neuroscience 2008;28(25):6508-15.
- Acuna-Goycolea Claudio; Brenowitz Stephan D; Regehr Wade G
(2008) Active dendritic conductances dynamically regulate GABA
release from thalamic interneurons. Neuron 2008;57(3):420-31.
- Safo Patrick; Regehr Wade G (2008) Timing dependence of the
induction of cerebellar LTD. Neuropharmacology
2008;54(1):213-8.
- Brenowitz Stephan D; Regehr Wade G (2007) Reliability and
heterogeneity of calcium signaling at single presynaptic boutons of
cerebellar granule cells. Journal of Neuroscience
2007;27(30):7888-98.
- Beierlein Michael; Fioravante Diasynou; Regehr Wade G (2007)
Differential expression of posttetanic potentiation and retrograde
signaling mediate target-dependent short-term synaptic plasticity.
Neuron 2007;54(6):949-59.
- Crowley John J; Carter Adam G; Regehr Wade G (2007) Fast
vesicle replenishment and rapid recovery from desensitization at a
single synaptic release site. Journal of Neuroscience
2007;27(20):5448-60.
- Beierlein Michael; Regehr Wade G (2006) Local interneurons
regulate synaptic strength by retrograde release of
endocannabinoids. Journal of Neuroscience 2006;26(39):9935-43.
- Beierlein Michael; Regehr Wade G (2006) Brief bursts of
parallel fiber activity trigger calcium signals in bergmann glia.
The Journal of Neuroscience 2006;26(26):6958-67.
- Brenowitz Stephan D; Best Aaron R; Regehr Wade G (2006)
Sustained elevation of dendritic calcium evokes widespread
endocannabinoid release and suppression of synapses onto cerebellar
Purkinje cells. Journal of Neuroscience 2006;26(25):6841-50.
- Safo Patrick K; Cravatt Benjamin F; Regehr Wade G (2006)
Retrograde endocannabinoid signaling in the cerebellar cortex.
Cerebellum 2006;5(2):134-45.
- Foster Kelly A; Crowley John J; Regehr Wade G (2005) The
influence of multivesicular release and postsynaptic receptor
saturation on transmission at granule cell to Purkinje cell
synapses. Journal of Neuroscience 2005;25(50):11655-65.
- Safo Patrick K; Regehr Wade G (2005) Endocannabinoids control
the induction of cerebellar LTD. Neuron 2005;48(4):647-59.
- Xu-Friedman Matthew A; Regehr Wade G (2005) Dynamic-clamp
analysis of the effects of convergence on spike timing. II. Few
synaptic inputs. Journal of Neurophysiology
2005;94(4):2526-34.
- Xu-Friedman Matthew A; Regehr Wade G (2005) Dynamic-clamp
analysis of the effects of convergence on spike timing. I. Many
synaptic inputs. Journal of Neurophysiology
2005;94(4):2512-25.
- Beierlein Michael; Regehr Wade G (2005) Conventional synapses
for unconventional cells. Neuron 2005;46(5):694-6.
- Blitz Dawn M; Regehr Wade G (2005) Timing and specificity of
feed-forward inhibition within the LGN. Neuron
2005;45(6):917-28.
- Brenowitz Stephan D; Regehr Wade G (2005) Associative
short-term synaptic plasticity mediated by endocannabinoids. Neuron
2005;45(3):419-31.
- Abbott L F; Regehr Wade G (2004) Synaptic computation. Nature
2004;431(7010):796-803.
- Blitz Dawn M; Foster Kelly A; Regehr Wade G (2004) Short-term
synaptic plasticity: a comparison of two synapses. Nature Reviews
Neuroscience 2004;5(8):630-40.
- Foster Kelly A; Regehr Wade G (2004) Variance-mean analysis in
the presence of a rapid antagonist indicates vesicle depletion
underlies depression at the climbing fiber synapse. Neuron
2004;43(1):119-31.
- Beierlein Michael; Gee Kyle R; Martin Vladimir V; Regehr Wade G
(2004) Presynaptic calcium measurements at physiological
temperatures using a new class of dextran-conjugated indicators.
Journal of Neurophysiology 2004;92(1):591-9.
- Brown Solange P; Safo Patrick K; Regehr Wade G (2004)
Endocannabinoids inhibit transmission at granule cell to Purkinje
cell synapses by modulating three types of presynaptic calcium
channels. Journal of Neuroscience 2004;24(24):5623-31.
- Xu-Friedman Matthew A; Regehr Wade G (2004) Structural
contributions to short-term synaptic plasticity. Physiological
Reviews 2004;84(1):69-85.
- Blitz Dawn M; Regehr Wade G (2003) Retinogeniculate synaptic
properties controlling spike number and timing in relay neurons.
Journal of Neurophysiology 2003;90(4):2438-50.
- Brown Solange P; Brenowitz Stephan D; Regehr Wade G (2003)
Brief presynaptic bursts evoke synapse-specific retrograde
inhibition mediated by endogenous cannabinoids. Nature Neuroscience
2003;6(10):1048-57.
- Brenowitz Stephan D; Regehr Wade G (2003) "Resistant" channels
reluctantly reveal their roles. Neuron 2003;39(3):391-4.
- Brenowitz Stephan D; Regehr Wade G (2003) Calcium dependence of
retrograde inhibition by endocannabinoids at synapses onto Purkinje
cells. Journal of Neuroscience 2003;23(15):6373-84.
- Chen Chinfei; Regehr Wade G (2003) Presynaptic modulation of
the retinogeniculate synapse. Journal of Neuroscience
2003;23(8):3130-5.
- Xu-Friedman Matthew A; Regehr Wade G (2003) Ultrastructural
contributions to desensitization at cerebellar mossy fiber to
granule cell synapses. Journal of Neuroscience
2003;23(6):2182-92.
- Kreitzer AC, Carter AG, Regehr WG (2002) Inhibition of
interneuron firing extends the spread of endocannabinoid signaling
in the cerebellum. Neuron 34:787-796.
- Foster Kelly A; Kreitzer Anatol C; Regehr Wade G (2002)
Interaction of postsynaptic receptor saturation with presynaptic
mechanisms produces a reliable synapse. Neuron
2002;36(6):1115-26.
- Carter Adam G; Regehr Wade G (2003) Quantal events shape
cerebellar interneuron firing. Nature Neuroscience
2002;5(12):1309-18.
- Kreitzer Anatol C; Regehr Wade G (2002) Retrograde signaling by
endocannabinoids. Current Opinion in Neurobiology
2002;12(3):324-30.
- Kreitzer Anatol C; Carter Adam G; Regehr Wade G (2002)
Inhibition of interneuron firing extends the spread of
endocannabinoid signaling in the cerebellum. Neuron
2002;34(5):787-96.
- Chen Chinfei; Blitz Dawn M; Regehr Wade G (2002) Contributions
of receptor desensitization and saturation to plasticity at the
retinogeniculate synapse. Neuron 2002;33(5):779-88.
- Carter Adam G; Vogt Kaspar E; Foster Kelly A; Regehr Wade G
(2002) Assessing the role of calcium-induced calcium release in
short-term presynaptic plasticity at excitatory central synapses.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society
for Neuroscience 2002;22(1):21-8.
- Zucker Robert S; Regehr Wade G (2002) Short-term synaptic
plasticity. Annual Review of Physiology 2002;64():355-405.
- Kreitzer A C; Regehr W G (2001) Cerebellar
depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition is mediated by
endogenous cannabinoids. Journal of Neuroscience
2001;21(20):RC174.
- Xu-Friedman M A; Harris K M; Regehr W G (2001)
Three-dimensional comparison of ultrastructural characteristics at
depressing and facilitating synapses onto cerebellar Purkinje
cells. Journal of Neuroscience 2001;21(17):6666-72.
- Kreitzer A C; Regehr W G (2001) Retrograde inhibition of
presynaptic calcium influx by endogenous cannabinoids at excitatory
synapses onto Purkinje cells. Neuron 2001;29(3):717-27.
- Vogt K E; Regehr W G (2001) Cholinergic modulation of
excitatory synaptic transmission in the CA3 area of the
hippocampus. Journal of Neuroscience 2001;21(1):75-83.
- Chen C; Regehr W G (2000) Developmental remodeling of the
retinogeniculate synapse. Neuron 2000;28(3):955-66.
- Xu-Friedman M A; Regehr W G (2000) Maximinis. Nature
Neuroscience 2000;3(12):1229-30.
- Kreitzer A C; Gee K R; Archer E A; Regehr W G (2000) Monitoring
presynaptic calcium dynamics in projection fibers by in vivo
loading of a novel calcium indicator. Neuron 2000;27(1):25-32.
- Carter A G; Regehr W G (2000) Prolonged synaptic currents and
glutamate spillover at the parallel fiber to stellate cell synapse.
Journal of Neuroscience 2000;20(12):4423-34.
- Xu-Friedman M A; Regehr W G (2000) Probing fundamental aspects
of synaptic transmission with strontium. Journal of Neuroscience
2000;20(12):4414-22.
- Dittman J S; Kreitzer A C; Regehr W G (2000) Interplay between
facilitation, depression, and residual calcium at three presynaptic
terminals. Journal of Neuroscience 2000;20(4):1374-85.
- Kreitzer A C; Regehr W G (2000)Modulation of transmission
during trains at a cerebellar synapse. Journal of Neuroscience
2000;20(4):1348-57.
- Chen C; Regehr W G (1999) Contributions of residual calcium to
fast synaptic transmission. Journal of Neuroscience
1999;19(15):6257-66.
- Xu-Friedman M A; Regehr W G (1999)Presynaptic strontium
dynamics and synaptic transmission. Biophysical Journal
1999;76(4):2029-42.
- Sabatini B L; Regehr W G (1999) Timing of synaptic
transmission. Annual Review of Physiology 1999;61():521-42.
- Atluri P P; Regehr W G (1998)Delayed release of
neurotransmitter from cerebellar granule cells. Journal of
Neuroscience 1998;18(20):8214-27.
- Dittman J S; Regehr W G (1998) Calcium dependence and recovery
kinetics of presynaptic depression at the climbing fiber to
Purkinje cell synapse. Journal of Neuroscience
1998;18(16):6147-62.
- Sabatini B L; Regehr W G (1998)Optical measurement of
presynaptic calcium currents. Biophysical Journal
1998;74(3):1549-63.
- Dittman J S; Regehr W G (1997 Mechanism and kinetics of
heterosynaptic depression at a cerebellar synapse. Journal of
Neuroscience 1997;17(23):9048-59.
- Regehr W G (1997)Interplay between sodium and calcium dynamics
in granule cell presynaptic terminals. Biophysical Journal
1997;73(5):2476-88.
- Chen C; Regehr W G (1997)The mechanism of cAMP-mediated
enhancement at a cerebellar synapse. Journal of Neuroscience
1997;17(22):8687-94.
- Sabatini B L; Regehr W G (1997) Control of neurotransmitter
release by presynaptic waveform at the granule cell to Purkinje
cell synapse. Journal of Neuroscience 1997;17(10):3425-35.
- Sabatini B L; Regehr W G (1996) Timing of neurotransmission at
fast synapses in the mammalian brain. Nature
1996;384(6605):170-2.
- Atluri P P; Regehr W G (1996) Determinants of the time course
of facilitation at the granule cell to Purkinje cell synapse.
Journal of Neuroscience 1996;16(18):5661-71.
- Dittman J S; Regehr W G (1996) Contributions of
calcium-dependent and calcium-independent mechanisms to presynaptic
inhibition at a cerebellar synapse. Journal of Neuroscience
1996;16(5):1623-33.
- Tank D W; Regehr W G; Delaney K R (1995) A quantitative
analysis of presynaptic calcium dynamics that contribute to
short-term enhancement. Journal of Neuroscience
1995;15(12):7940-52.
- Sabatini B L; Regehr W G (1995) Detecting changes in calcium
influx which contribute to synaptic modulation in mammalian brain
slice. Neuropharmacology 1995;34(11):1453-67.
- Mintz I M; Sabatini B L; Regehr W G (1995) Calcium control of
transmitter release at a cerebellar synapse. Neuron
1995;15(3):675-88.
- Regehr W G; Atluri P P (1995) Calcium transients in cerebellar
granule cell presynaptic terminals. Biophysical Journal
1995;68(5):2156-70.
- Regehr W G; Tank D W (1994) Dendritic calcium dynamics. Current
Opinion in Neurobiology 1994;4(3):373-82.
- Regehr W G; Armstrong C M (1994) Dendritic function. Where does
it all begin? Current Biology 1994;4(5):436-9.
- Regehr W G; Mintz I M (1994) Participation of multiple calcium
channel types in transmission at single climbing fiber to Purkinje
cell synapses. Neuron 1994;12(3):605-13.
- Regehr W G; Delaney K R; Tank D W (1994) The role of
presynaptic calcium in short-term enhancement at the hippocampal
mossy fiber synapse. Journal of Neuroscience
1994;14(2):523-37.
- Regehr W; Kehoe J S; Ascher P; Armstrong C (1993) Synaptically
triggered action potentials in dendrites. Neuron
1993;11(1):145-51.
- Regehr W G; Tank D W (1992) Calcium concentration dynamics
produced by synaptic activation of CA1 hippocampal pyramidal cells.
Journal of Neuroscience 1992;12(11):4202-23.
- Regehr W G; Konnerth A; Armstrong C M (1992) Sodium action
potentials in the dendrites of cerebellar Purkinje cells.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United
States of America 1992;89(12):5492-6.
- Regehr W G; Tank D W (1991) The maintenance of LTP at
hippocampal mossy fiber synapses is independent of sustained
presynaptic calcium. Neuron 1991;7(3):451-9.
- Regehr W G; Tank D W (1991) Selective fura-2 loading of
presynaptic terminals and nerve cell processes by local perfusion
in mammalian brain slice. Journal of Neuroscience Methods
1991;37(2):111-9.
- Regehr W G; Tank D W (1990) Postsynaptic NMDA receptor-mediated
calcium accumulation in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell dendrites.
Nature 1990;345(6278):807-10.
- Regehr W G; Pine J; Cohan C S; Mischke M D; Tank D W (1989)
Sealing cultured invertebrate neurons to embedded dish electrodes
facilitates long-term stimulation and recording. Journal of
Neuroscience Methods 1989;30(2):91-106.
- Regehr W G; Connor J A; Tank D W (1989) Optical imaging of
calcium accumulation in hippocampal pyramidal cells during synaptic
activation. Nature 1989;341(6242):533-6.
- Regehr W G; Pine J; Rutledge D B (1988) A long-term in vitro
silicon-based microelectrode-neuron connection. IEEE Transactions
on Bio-Medical Engineering 1988;35(12):1023-32.
See also
References