Tuning the activating stimulus of voltage-gated sodium channels

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This proposal aims to advance fundamental knowledge about how proteins (ion channels) found on the surface of neurons (brain cells and nerves) function as molecular conduits of cell-to-cell electrical communication. We aim to study how molecular probes and structural parts of these proteins affect the local chemical environment of ion channels, and how this leads to fine tuning of the ion channel's sensitivity to the stimulus that activates them (cell membrane voltage). The conceptual knowledge gained from this project would advance our understanding of a fundamental physiological process and facilitate the development of drugs that regulate ion channel function, such as anti-epileptics, analgesics and insecticides.