Faculty

Assistant Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology

email: ikhan@ucsd.edu

Key Words: Nicotinic receptors, Spinal Cord, Analgesia, Genetic Hypertension, Pharmacogenomics.

My primary research interest is in understanding the role of neuronal nicotinic receptors in mediating autonomic responses as well as processing sensory stimuli. Accordingly, my research focuses on determining the significance of nicotinic cholinergic system in the pathogenesis of genetic hypertension and in modulating nociceptive responses. My research includes determining the location and subunit composition of spinal nicotinic receptors and correlating them with physiological function of these receptors.

Selected Publications:

Khan, I.M., Osaka H., Stanislaus, S., Calvo, R., DeernickT., Yaksh, T.L., Taylor, P. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor distribution in relation to spinal neurotransmission pathways. J. Comp. Neurolog. 467:44-59, 2003.

Khan, I.M., Singletary E., Alemmyu A., Stanislaus S., Printz M.P., Yaksh T.L., Taylor, P., Cluster of nicotinic receptor genes appears responsible for enhanced sensitivity to Spinal nicotinic agonists in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Physiol Genomics 11: 65-72, 2002.

Khan, I.M., Stanislaus S, Zhang L, Printz M.P., Yaksh T.L., Taylor P, Spinal nicotinic receptor activity in a genetic model of hypertension. Clin. Exp. Hypertension 23:555-568, 2001.

Khan, I.M., Stanislaus S, Zhang L, Taylor P, Yaksh T.L., A85380 and epibatidine each interact with disparate spinal nicotinic receptor subtypes to achieve analgesia and nociception. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 297:230-239, 2001.

Khan, I.M., Buerkle, H., Taylor, P. and Yaksh, T.L. (1998) Nociceptive and antinociceptive responses to intrathecally administered epibatidine. Neuropharmacology, 37:1515-1525.