UNC Pharmacology

08/04/2026

Late/persistent sodium current driven by dysfunctional sodium channels underlies various human diseases, notably epilepsy.

We are very fortunate to host Dr. Makinson today, whose lab studies the role of voltage gated sodium channels in early-life epilepsies!

08/03/2026

Research from the Song Lab, published in Neuron, showing that a short-term high-fat diet disrupts memory processing by inducing hyperactivity in hippocampal neurons was featured by the Miami Herald!

“You’ll be healthier if you’ve been doing the right thing for a long time.”

08/03/2026

Have you ever wondered how fat-rich diets may affect your brain?

The Song Lab found that glucose-inhibited interneurons in the dentate gyrus become hyperactive in response to a high-fat diet and disrupts memory processing!

Landry et al. show that short-term high-fat diet reduces hippocampal glucose availability, driving CCK-IN hyperactivity and memory deficits. Normalizing aberrant PKM2 or CCK-IN activity subsequently protects againstobesity-related cognitive impairments. This study reveals a metabolic-neuronal mechan...

08/03/2026

Extra, extra! Join us for a special PHCO summer seminar featuring Christopher Makinson, PhD!

The Makinson Lab investigates how ion channels and neurotransmitter receptor function in epilepsy. Join us to learn more about the mechanisms underlying epilepsy!

07/31/2026

🏆 Congratulations to Carolina Summer Fellow Rutendo Kahari, who received a Poster Presentation Award at the 2026 GENESIS Student Research Symposium! Her research in Dr. Ron Swanstrom’s lab explores HIV-1 genomic RNA splicing and how the virus regulates its genetic information!

07/31/2026

🏆 Congratulations to Carolina Summer Fellow Taniyah Alston, who received a Poster Presentation Award at the 2026 GENESIS Student Research Symposium! Her research in Dr. Scott Parnell’s lab explores how prenatal alcohol exposure affectsearly brain development!

07/31/2026

🏆 Big applause for Carolina Summer Fellow Sharif Nabulsi, recipient of an Oral Talk Award at the 2026 GENESIS Student Research Symposium! His research in the Herman lab explored the effect of ni****ne v***r exposure to brain activity and social behavior!

07/30/2026

🔬 Way to go, Carolina Summer Fellow Abriana Jennings, who investigated how microglial G9a knockout affects alcohol-associated neuroinflammation in Dr. Leon Coleman’s lab, helping uncover new insights into the brain’s immune response!

07/30/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Carolina Summer Fellow Sharif Nabulsi, who was selected to present at the 2026 GENESIS Student Research Symposium! His research in Dr. Melissa Herman’s lab explores acute ni****ne v***r exposure effect on social hierarchy and VTA activity!

07/30/2026

🧠 Spotlight on Carolina Summer Fellow Sharif Nabulsi, who examined how acuteni****ne v***r exposure affects social behavior and ventral tegmental area activity in mice in Dr. Melissa Herman’s lab!