Physiology
The Department of Physiology at the University of Otago is the largest Department of Physiology in New Zealand. Established in 1905, the Otago Department of Physiology celebrated its 100th anniversary mid-2005. Over the years we have made major contributions to undergraduate science, physical education, medical, dental, pharmacy and physiotherapy education and we are one of the larger departments in the University. We have contributed markedly to biomedical research both nationally and internationally and have trained many postgraduates, a number of whom have attained high international reputation for their research.
Recent Deposits
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U-RHYTHM microdialysis: Towards ambulatory metabolodynamics
Rhythms characterise the physiology of all living things, and rhythmic patterns can be observed in almost all aspects of daily human life. Disruption of rhythms is linked to poor health and may be caused by disease, or ... -
Calcium calmodulin dependent protein kinase II in the development of atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in the developed world. The accumulation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the arterial wall leads to the formation of foam cell lesions. The growth of lesions ... -
Role of CaMKII and Alpha Stimulation in Heart Function
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in New Zealand. Elucidating its pathogenesis will help us better treat those who are affected by it. One protein that has been implicated in cardiovascular ... -
Leptin and glucose homeostasis in the Zebrafish
Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are among the most common and costly health-related issues worldwide, and both have been declared a global epidemic by the World Health Organization. A key characteristic of these ... -
Exploring the role of the circadian timing system in the control of metabolism and the consequence of lighting disruptions
Throughout history, humans have been constantly driven by the rising and setting of the sun. Being able to anticipate this consistently changing environment is encompassed in our endogenous circadian clock. This system ... -
Central Regulation of the Diabetic Heart
Cardiovascular diseases account for 80% of the premature mortality amongst individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Diabetes is associated with detrimentally higher sympathetic drive to the heart and with disrupted ... -
An In Vitro Comparison Study of Two Cell Therapies for Cardiac Repair
Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death in New Zealand and throughout the world. Apart from orthotopic heart transplantation, no current treatment can prevent the progression of disease. Due to ... -
Grafting purified cortical pericytes into mouse motor cortex
Brain regeneration through stem cell transplantation studies holds the potential to enhance functional recovery of the damaged brain. Most of the positive effects fostered by transplanted stem cells are believed to be ... -
The Ratio of RyR2 and CSQ2 in Calcium Handling
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia of the heart, affecting 2-3% of the population. AF decreases the quality of life and increases the risk of mortality in patients. Although many patients see improvement ... -
Investigating the activation of nucleus accumbens projective paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus during cue-food reward conditioning
When a previously neutral cue is learnt to predict a food reward, the presence of the cue itself can elicit the motivation to obtain the food. The nucleus accumbens shell (nAccSh) in the mesolimbic system is involved in ... -
Hyperuricemia impairs PAX4 protein expression and plasticity in pancreatic β-cells
Uric Acid (UA) is a product produced from the metabolic breakdown of purines that is highly associated with several signaling pathways in pancreatic β-cells. High plasma uric acid (hyperuricemia) is associated with gout, ... -
Assessing the translational potential of oxytocin receptor blockade as a novel therapy for cardiac sympathetic activation following acute myocardial infarction
Abnormal elevation of cardiac sympathetic nerve activity (cSNA) is a major contributor to the high mortality rate associated with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Increase in cSNA results in the propagation of ventricular ... -
Epicardial adipose tissue morphology diversity in Māori, Pacific and New Zealand/European post mortem cases
Obesity is a global epidemic, and is the leading risk factor for heart disease and associated morbidities in New Zealand. Furthermore, Māori and Pacific New Zealand populations are up to 8 times more likely to develop ... -
Myofilament Mechanisms Underlie Changes of Diabetic Cardiac Impairment
The myofilament protein, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), is a critical regulatory protein in the contraction and relaxation of cardiac muscle, linking calcium to bind to the thin filament. It has become apparent that myofilament ... -
Characterising the role of alpha-Epithelial Sodium Channel as a novel regulator of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity in Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is currently the leading cancer and cause of cancer mortality amongst women across the world, including New Zealand. Despite advancement in therapeutic treatments, breast cancer burden remains high, with the ... -
The role of SCN AVP neurons in modulating RP3V kisspeptin neuron activity in physiological and pathological reproductive states
Mammalian fertility is governed by a neural circuit that ultimately controls the activity of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. Activation of GnRH neurons results in the pituitary release of luteinising hormone ... -
Activation of the cardiac non-neuronal cholinergic system prevents type-1 diabetes-induced cardiovascular dysfunction
The cardiac non-neuronal cholinergic system (cNNCS) is a newly described system where the cardiomyocytes possess the ability to synthesise and release acetylcholine (ACh) that acts in an auto-/paracrine manner to induce ... -
Kisspeptin regulation of the oxytocin neuronal system in late pregnancy
Preterm birth, a consequence of early activation of the uterus, has a negative impact on the health of the offspring and the mother. The stimulus for uterine contractions is through the action of the posterior pituitary ... -
Revealing in vivo ultradian and diurnal hypothalamic CRH neuron population activity patterns across the 24-h day
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons located within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus control the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis controls the neuroendocrine stress ... -
Elucidating the effects of shear stress on endothelial cell morphology and the expression of ENaC.
The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is important for blood pressure regulation through its function within the kidney and arteries, as it is a channel which facilitates the transportation of sodium into the intracellular ...