Sergey A. KASPAROV

M.D., Ph.D., Dr. Sci. (Pharmacology), Professor in Molecular Physiology

Professor of the School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, UK

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Sergey-Kasparov-7260c7e5-50c1-4958-8412-5b42d2ac6651/

Research interests

The group is focused on the interplay between the neurones and the most abundant glial population of the central nervous system - the astrocytes. Specifically the work was focused on functional contribution of astrocytes to various functions within mammalian brainstem including regulation of the autonomic functions and respiration. His group also investigated the interplay between astrocytes and central noradrenergic neurones, which constitute one of the most powerful modulatory mechanisms of the brain and are involved in regulation of vigilance, cognition, sleep, appetite, pain and a variety of other essential functions. The main hypothesis is that central noradrenergic neurones intimately communicate with astrocytes and via this link affect brain function. Scientific team led by Prof. Sergey A. Kasparov has also demonstrated that astrocytes located in the ventral medulla play an important role in the chemo-sensitivity of the brain, one of the most important central homeostatic mechanisms. It was shown that astrocytes in the respiratory and pre-sympathetic areas of the medulla critically influence the aerobic exercise capacity in rodents, further implicating astrocytes in control of cardio-respiratory circuits of the brain. The team also has a strong interest to new drug targets found on astrocytes and have identified some receptors which mediate potent neuroprotection. His group has recently contributed to the discovery of an essential signaling pathway between neurons and astrocytes and identified adenosine A2b receptor as a key modulator of astrocytic cAMP pathway, this work was published in Nature.

Publication activity

More than 225 research publications.

Hirsch index: 49 (Scopus).