Magnusson Lab:
Dr. Kathy R. Magnusson

I’ve been characterizing changes in the expression of a receptor that is very important for the formation of memories, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. This receptor uses glutamate as a transmitter. The NMDA receptor shows greater declines in binding of glutamate with increased age than any of the other glutamate receptors. We’ve found relationships between NMDA receptor binding and expressions of two NMDA receptor subunits, epsilon2 and epsilon1, during aging. We’ve also shown associations between age-related changes in NMDA binding densities and subunit expressions and declines in both working and reference memory ability.

We are continuing to characterize the changes that occur in the NMDA receptor with increasing age. We are planning to look at the functional consequences of decreased expression of the epsilon2 subunit, specific changes in the splice variants of the zeta1 subunit, and the different effects of exercise, learning and caloric restriction on NMDA receptor expression. We are also trying to determine exactly what role NMDA receptors in the prefrontal cortex play in different forms of memory. Ultimately we want to discover the mechanisms underlying the age-related changes in the NMDA receptor.

My main goal is trying to find interventions into aging that will help to maintain the quality of life into old age. I’m also interested in helping to better understand the function of the NMDA receptor in different brain regions.

My background: I grew up in a small town in southern Minnesota called Blooming Prairie. The sports teams were called the Blossoms and the school colors were black and white. It was a great place to grow up. I did my undergraduate work at Utah State University, University of Montana and University of Minnesota. I earned my B.S. and D.V.M. from the University of Minnesota in 1980 and 1982, respectively. I practiced veterinary medicine for two years in north central Minnesota, somewhere west of Lake Wobegon. I primarily took care of dairy cows. I spent most days with my arm where the sun never shines while determining the reproductive status of the cows. I returned to the University of Minnesota to indulge my curiosity about the brain and pursue a Ph.D. in Veterinary Anatomy and Neuroscience in the laboratories of Dr. Alvin Beitz and James Koerner. This was completed in 1989. I was hired as an Assistant Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO in 1989. I taught in the Veterinary Neuroanatomy, Anatomy, and Pharmacology courses there and built up my research program. I moved to the University of Idaho as an Associate Professor in 2002 in order to enhance and expand my aging research by being in closer proximity to other researchers interested in aging (Drs. Austad and Holmes at U of Idaho and Dr. Carter at WSU). I’ve had the good fortune to be able to spend two sabbatical periods in the laboratories of Dr. Anne Young at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA and Dr. Carl Cotman at the University of California-Irvine. These labs are on the cutting edge of research into the neurobiology of aging. I gained a lot from these experiences. Not the least of which was being introduced to Japanese cuisine in one and enjoying the combination of sushi and karaoke in the other.

Publications

Ph.D. Thesis Title
Immunohistochemical Localization of Taurine in the Rat Cerebellum and Localization and Release of Taurine in the Rat Hippocampus

Professional Positions

Honors

Funding Sources

National Institute on Aging / National Institutes of Health
          Physician Scientist Award
          FIRST Award
          Research Career Development Award
          RO1 grant – recently renewed for years 5 through 8
CSU Graduate School
CSU Equal Opportunity Office – 2 Diversity Career Enhancement Awards
College of Veterinary Medicine, CSU - Basic Science Research Grant
American Federation for Aging Research
College of Veterinary Medicine, CSU - 2 Miki Society Fund grants
National Institutes of Health / Idaho Biomedical Research Infrastructure (BRIN) Seed Grant

Research Interests

Role of excitatory amino acid receptors in the aging brain
Species-specific differences in opiate and adrenergic receptor expression
Interactions of metal mixture effects on learning and NMDA receptors
Role of taurine in the mammalian CNS
Neurotransmitters in the sensory trigeminal complex

Professional Society Memberships

American Association of Veterinary Anatomists
World Association of Veterinary Anatomists
Society for Neuroscience
American Federation for Aging Research
The Gerontological Society

Major Collaborators – Past and Present

University of Minnesota
          Dr. Alvin Beitz’s laboratory
          Dr. James Koerner’s laboratory
          Dr. Jane Clements
          Dr. Alice Larson’s laboratory

University of California-Irvine
          Dr. Carl Cotman’s laboratory
          Dr. Ann Clark – currently at Dartmouth University

Colorado State University
          Dr. Scott Nelson – currently at Washington State University
          Dr. Cathy Kuehl-Kovarik
          Dr. Kathy Partin
          Dr. Peter Hellyer
          Dr. Khursheed Mama
          Dr. Colin Dunlop – currently at Anesthesia Specialists in Austrailia
          Dr. Ann Wagner
          Dr. Raymond Yang
          Dr. John Reif
          Dr. Ed Dudek
          Dr. David Avery

Massachusetts General Hospital
          Dr. Anne Young’s laboratory
          Dr. David Standaert’s laboratory
          Dr. Jang-Ho Cha’s laboratory

Mount Sinai School of Medicine
          Dr. Patrick Hof

Tufts University
          Dr. Barbara Shukitt-Hale
          Dr. James Joseph

University of Idaho
          Dr. Nick Natale

Former Lab Members
          Graduate students
                    Dr. Jefferson Kinney, Ph.D.
                    Dr. Brandi Scruggs, Ph.D.
                    Dr. Curtis Noonan, Ph.D.
                    Heike Newman, M.S.
                    Mindy Wakeman, M.S.

          Research Associates
                    Ginger Sammonds
                    Dr. Yiding Xing
                    Dr. Ling Bai
                    Todd Ontl

          Veterinary students
                    Dr. Nancy Poy
                    Dr. John Flinchum
                    Dr. Cynthia Toering
                    Dr. Heather Bulitta
                    Dr. Diedre Stoffregren
                    Dr. Paula Tyler
                    Dr. Sarah Zimmerman
                    Dr. Coralee Sendgraff
                    Dr. Tara Hogan
                    Dr. Jennifer Sheehy
                    Dr. Heidi Wampler
                    Dr. Jennifer Aniya
                    Dr. Darra Kresge
                    Erin Kennedy
                    Julie Supon

          Undergraduates
                    Chauna Rinehart