Alan R. Light, PhD

Academic Information

• Departments: Anesthesiology - Research Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy - Adjunct Professor

Academic Office Information

• 801-581-6393
• School of Medicine
  Department of Anesthesiology
  30 N 1900 E, Room: 3C 444
  Salt Lake City, UT 84132

Email: alan.light@hsc.utah.edu

Academic Bio

Dr. Light’s lab focuses on the neurobiology of pain pathways. Most recently research projects include: 1) the role of the recently cloned Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) in muscle fatigue and pain. Research in Dr. Light’s lab has shown that ASIC-3 expression is increased following exhausting exercise, and that C-fibers innervating muscle are responsive to the mixture of metabolites that are produced by exercise. These metabolites activate a combination of purinergic (P2X), TRPV, and ASIC receptors to produce their actions. 2) experiments in patients with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue syndromes indicate that the receptors described above are dysregulated, and may provide the basis for the symptoms in these syndromes. 3) quantitative mRNA experiments suggest that the above receptors can be used as an objective marker for these and other fatigue related syndromes. 4) exercise experiments in humans indicate that the receptors described above also play a role in detecting fatigue and muscle pain both acutely, and in inflammatory and exercise induced fatigue and muscle pain.