Peter J. West

Peter J. West, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary -

Academic Office Information

peter.west@utah.edu

Dr. West is interested in the pathophysiology and treatment of diseases that affect cognition. His research is conducted both independently and in collaboration with the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP, Principal Investigator: Karen Wilcox, Ph.D.) where he is a co-investigator. In this capacity, he directs studies developing novel animal models of pharmacoresistant seizures and determining the efficacy and cognitive side-effect profiles of proprietary investigational compounds. Dr. West’s independently funded research is focused on understanding the pathophysiology of cognitive comorbidities associated with epilepsy. In order to identify novel molecular targets and test potential treatments, an understanding of the pathophysiological basis of cognitive deficit in epilepsy must first be obtained and preclinical model systems must be developed. Accordingly, studies intended to characterize synaptic plasticity deficits and cognitive dysfunction in animal models of Epilepsy are underway. Furthermore, his laboratory is developing the first rodent model of pediatric epilepsy due to abnormal hypothalamic development (hypothalamic hamartoma); one goal of this research is to better understand the developmental origin of gelastic (laughing) seizures in this patient population and their concurrent cognitive dysfunction. Dr. West’s laboratory employs genetic, electrophysiological, pharmacological, immunohistochemical, and behavioral techniques to achieve these goals. Of particular note, the lab uses specialized equipment which allows the experimenter to perform simultaneous recordings from multiple brain slices, thus allowing for the high-throughput evaluation of numerous electrophysiological phenomena associated with learning and memory (e.g. synaptic plasticity).

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Li X, Himes RA, Prosser LC, Christie CF, Watt E, Edwards SF, Metcalf CS, West PJ, Wilcox KS, Chan SSL, Chou CJ (2020). Discovery of the First Vitamin K Analogue as a Potential Treatment of Pharmacoresistant Seizures. J Med Chem, 63(11), 5865-5878.
  2. Thomson KE, Metcalf CS, Newell TG, Huff J, Edwards SF, West PJ, Wilcox KS (2020). Evaluation of subchronic administration of antiseizure drugs in spontaneously seizing rats. Epilepsia, 61(6), 1301-1311.
  3. Wilcox KS, West PJ, Metcalf CS (2019). The current approach of the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program contract site for identifying improved therapies for the treatment of pharmacoresistant seizures in epilepsy. Neuropharmacology, 166, 107811.
  4. Umpierre AD, West PJ, White JA, Wilcox KS (2018). Conditional Knock-out of mGluR5 from Astrocytes during Epilepsy Development Impairs High-Frequency Glutamate Uptake. J Neurosci, 39(4), 727-742.
  5. West PJ, Saunders GW, Billingsley P, Smith MD, White HS, Metcalf CS, Wilcox KS (2018). Recurrent epileptiform discharges in the medial entorhinal cortex of kainate-treated rats are differentially sensitive to antiseizure drugs. Epilepsia, 59(11), 2035-2048.
  6. Nagarajan N, Jones BW, West PJ, Marc RE, Capecchi MR (2017). Corticostriatal circuit defects in Hoxb8 mutant mice. Mol Psychiatry, 23(9), 1868-1877.
  7. Basu R, Duan X, Taylor MR, Martin EA, Muralidhar S, Wang Y, Gangi-Wellman L, Das SC, Yamagata M, West PJ, Sanes JR, Williams ME (2016). Heterophilic Type II Cadherins Are Required for High-Magnitude Synaptic Potentiation in the Hippocampus. Neuron, 96(1), 160-176.e8.
  8. Remigio GJ, Loewen JL, Heuston S, Helgeson C, White HS, Wilcox KS, West PJ (2017). Corneal kindled C57BL/6 mice exhibit saturated dentate gyrus long-term potentiation and associated memory deficits in the absence of overt neuron loss. Neurobiol Dis, 105, 221-234.
  9. Barker-Haliski ML, Johnson K, Billingsley P, Huff J, Handy LJ, Khaleel R, Lu Z, Mau MJ, Pruess TH, Rueda C, Saunders G, Underwood TK, Vanegas F, Smith MD, West PJ, Wilcox KS (2017). Validation of a Preclinical Drug Screening Platform for Pharmacoresistant Epilepsy. Neurochem Res, 42(7), 1904-1918.
  10. Metcalf CS, West PJ, Thomson KE, Edwards SF, Smith MD, White HS, Wilcox KS (2017). Development and pharmacologic characterization of the rat 6 Hz model of partial seizures. Epilepsia, 58(6), 1073-1084.
  11. Patel DC, Wallis G, Dahle EJ, McElroy PB, Thomson KE, Tesi RJ, Szymkowski DE, West PJ, Smeal RM, Patel M, Fujinami RS, White HS, Wilcox KS (2017). Hippocampal TNFα Signaling Contributes to Seizure Generation in an Infection-Induced Mouse Model of Limbic Epilepsy. eNeuro, 4(2).
  12. Kaufmann D, West PJ, Smith MD, Yagen B, Bialer M, Devor M, White HS, Brennan KC (2016). sec-Butylpropylacetamide (SPD), a new amide derivative of valproic acid for the treatment of neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Pharmacol Res, 117, 129-139.
  13. Walls AB, Flynn SP, West PJ, Mller MS, Bak LK, Bulaj G, Schousboe A, White HS (2016). The anticonvulsant action of the galanin receptor agonist NAX-5055 involves modulation of both excitatory- and inhibitory neurotransmission. Epilepsy Res, 121, 55-63.
  14. Gee JM, Smith NA, Fernandez FR, Economo MN, Brunert D, Rothermel M, Morris SC, Talbot A, Palumbos S, Ichida JM, Shepherd JD, West PJ, Wachowiak M, Capecchi MR, Wilcox KS, White JA, Tvrdik P (2014). Imaging activity in neurons and glia with a Polr2a-based and cre-dependent GCaMP5G-IRES-tdTomato reporter mouse. Neuron, 83(5), 1058-72.
  15. Umpierre AD, Remigio GJ, Dahle EJ, Bradford K, Alex AB, Smith MD, West PJ, White HS, Wilcox KS (2014). Impaired cognitive ability and anxiety-like behavior following acute seizures in the Theiler's virus model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurobiol Dis, 64, 98-106.
  16. West PJ, Saunders GW, Remigio GJ, Wilcox KS, White HS (2014). Antiseizure drugs differentially modulate θ-burst induced long-term potentiation in C57BL/6 mice. Epilepsia, 55(2), 214-23.
  17. West PJ, Marcy VR, Marino MJ, Schaffhauser H (2009). Activation of the 5-HT(6) receptor attenuates long-term potentiation and facilitates GABAergic neurotransmission in rat hippocampus. Neuroscience, 164(2), 692-701.
  18. West PJ, Dalp-Charron A, Wilcox KS (2007). Differential contribution of kainate receptors to excitatory postsynaptic currents in superficial layer neurons of the rat medial entorhinal cortex. Neuroscience, 146(3), 1000-12.
  19. West PJ, Bulaj G, Yoshikami D (2005). Effects of delta-conotoxins PVIA and SVIE on sodium channels in the amphibian sympathetic nervous system. J Neurophysiol, 94(6), 3916-24.
  20. Bulaj G, West PJ, Garrett JE, Watkins M, Zhang MM, Norton RS, Smith BJ, Yoshikami D, Olivera BM (2005). Novel conotoxins from Conus striatus and Conus kinoshitai selectively block TTX-resistant sodium channels. Biochemistry, 44(19), 7259-65.
  21. Keizer DW, West PJ, Lee EF, Yoshikami D, Olivera BM, Bulaj G, Norton RS (2003). Structural basis for tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channel binding by mu-conotoxin SmIIIA. J Biol Chem, 278(47), 46805-13.
  22. West PJ, Bulaj G, Garrett JE, Olivera BM, Yoshikami D (2002). Mu-conotoxin SmIIIA, a potent inhibitor of tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channels in amphibian sympathetic and sensory neurons. Biochemistry, 41(51), 15388-93.
  23. Bulaj G, DeLaCruz R, Azimi-Zonooz A, West P, Watkins M, Yoshikami D, Olivera BM (2001). Delta-conotoxin structure/function through a cladistic analysis. Biochemistry, 40(44), 13201-8.
  24. Craig AG, Zafaralla G, Cruz LJ, Santos AD, Hillyard DR, Dykert J, Rivier JE, Gray WR, Imperial J, DelaCruz RG, Sporning A, Terlau H, West PJ, Yoshikami D, Olivera BM (1998). An O-glycosylated neuroexcitatory conus peptide. Biochemistry, 37(46), 16019-25.