| Citation | D. A. Brown has made many important discoveries about the mechanism of action of neurotransmitters on peripheral neurons, and has more recently extended his elegant use of electrophysiological techniques to study neurotransmitter action in the brain. He discovered and analysed, mainly with Adams and Bowery the unexpected actions of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on peripheral sympathetic neurones, studies which laid the basis for the important discovery of two distinct types of GABA receptor. With Adams, he has discovered, and characterized in detail, a new type of neuronal potassium current, the M-current, which appears to be the target for a wide range of 'slow' excitatory transmitters, including several neuropeptides. With Higashida, he has also been able to link the receptor-mediated inhibition of this current with the biochemical activation of a protein phosphorylating enzyme, protein kinase C. He enjoys an international reputation as one of the most effective exponents of the use of electrophysiological techniques for the study of drug and transmitter action. |