Dr. Meriney is Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his Ph.D. in Physiology / Neuroscience with Dr. Guillermo Pilar at the University of Connecticut studying the development of parasympathetic synapses that innervate the intrinsic eye muscles. He then moved on to postdoctoral training in synaptic physiology at UCLA under the direction of Dr. Alan Grinnell where he used the neuromuscular junction as a model system to study presynaptic mechanisms of transmitter release. At the University of Pittsburgh, he has developed a research program focused on neurotransmitter release, plasticity, and diseases of the synapse, including the development of a new class of calcium channel gating modifiers with therapeutic potential to treat various neuromuscular disorders that result in weakness. Dr. Meriney has received grant support for this research from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Heart Association, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Dr. Meriney has developed and taught several undergraduate courses at the University of Pittsburgh including Developmental Neuroscience and Synaptic Transmission, that both serve a relatively large class of undergraduates majoring in Neuroscience. He is also currently the co-director for the graduate program within the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, a multi-departmental cross campus PhD training program.

1. Introduction

Part 1: Synaptic Biophysics and Nerve Terminal Structure2. The formation and Structure of Synapses3. Basics of Cellular Neurophysiology4. Ion Channels and Their Role in Generating Action Potentials5. Electrical Synapses

Part 2: Regulation of Chemical Transmitter Release6. Function of Chemical Synapses and the Quantal Theory of Transmitter Release7. Calcium Homeostasis, Calcium Channels, and Transmitter Release8. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Exocytosis9. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Endocytosis and Synaptic Vesicle Trafficking

Part 3: Receptors and Signaling10. Introduction to Receptors11. Ionotropic Receptors12. Metabotropic G-protein-coupled Receptors and Their Cytoplasmic Signaling Pathways13. Synaptic Integration Within Postsynaptic Neurons14. Synaptic Plasticity

Part 4: Chemical Transmitters15. Introduction to Chemical Transmitter Systems16. Acetylcholine17. Monoamine Transmitters18. Amino Acid Neurotransmitters19. Neuropeptide Transmitters20. Gaseous Neurotransmitters21. The Use of Multiple Neurotransmitters at Synapses22. Complex Signaling Within Tripartite Synapses