Office: 210-567-4205
Email: frazer@uthscsa.edu
My primary research interest is the mechanisms of action of antidepressants. Most often, an in vivo approach is taken whereby measurements are made of effects produced by various types of antidepressants on noradrenergic or serotonergic neurons, on neurochemical or behavioral responses elicited by these neurotransmitters, or on their receptors. Neuroanatomical localization of drug-induced effects is emphasized by employing techniques such as quantitative autoradiography, immunohistochemistry, and in vivo voltammetry. Most of our recent work has used the latter technique to measure the rate of clearance of serotonin from extracellular fluid (ECF) in discrete regions of rat brain. Our lab is one of the few in this country that uses this technique to do this.
We have begun recently collaborations with the laboratory of Dr. David Morilak to study cognitive and emotional behaviors in animal "models" of depression to begin to integrate psychological theories of depression with biological processes in brain affecting relevant behaviors and antidepressant effects. In addition, collaborations have begun with the laboratories of Drs. Tom Cunningham and Steve Mifflin to understand better the mechanism(s) by which Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) produces beneficial effects on treatment refractory depression.
Research Associates
The research in my laboratory is being carried out by Dr. Saloua Benmansour (Research Instructor) and Rami Weaver (Research Assistant).
Societal Affiliations
Dr. Frazer is a member of numerous societies including the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum, and the Society of Neuroscience. He has been awarded a Merit Award from NIH and has been a Career Scientist of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition to serving on the editorial boards of several journals, he is currently the field editor for preclinical neuropsychopharmacology of the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology.
Selected Publications
Bondi, C.O., Rodriguez, G., Gould, G.G., Frazer, A., Morilak, D.A.: Chronic unpredictable stress induces a cognitive deficit and anxiety-like behavior in rats that is prevented by chronic antidepressant drug treatment. Neuropsychopharmacol. (in press).
Price, D.A., Owens, W.A., Gould, G.G., Daws, L.C., Frazer, A., Roberts, J.L., Giuffrida, A.: CB1-independent inhibition of dopamine transporter activity by cannabinoids in mouse dorsal striatum. Journal of Neurochemistry. 101:389-396, 2007.
Ordway, G.A., Schwartz, M.A., and Frazer, A.: (editor): Brain Norepinephrine: Neurobiology and Therapeutics. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Gould, G.G., Javors, M.A., Frazer, A.: Effect of chronic administration of duloxetine on serotonin and norepinephrine transporter binding sites in rat brain. Biological Psychiatry, 61:210-215, 2007.
Nemeroff, C.B., Mayberg, H.S., Krahl, S.E., McNamara, J., Frazer, A., Henry, T.R., George, M.S., Charney, D.S., Brannan, S.K.: VNS therapy in treatment-resistant depression: Clinical evidence and putative neurobiological mechanisms. Neuropsychopharmacol. 31:1345-1355, 2006.
Lu, X-Y., Kim, C.S., Frazer, A., Zhang, W.: Leptin: A potential novel antidepressant. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA). 103:1593-1598, 2006.
Gould, G.G., Altamirano, A.V., Javors, M.A., Frazer, A.: A comparison of the chronic treatment effects of venlafaxine and other antidepressants on serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. Biological Psychiatry, 59:408-414, 2006.
Frazer, A., Morilak, D.A.: What should animal models of depression model? Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 29: 515-523, 2005.
