Education

B.S./B.A., Neuroscience and History, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 2004
Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of California-San Diego, San Diego, CA, 2009
1st year FIRST Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009 - present

Research Statement

I am interested in the neural control of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and autonomic systems.  Currently I am studying spinal mechanisms important during Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), including potential links between the spinal sympathetic neurons and the motor system.  RLS is a central nervous system disorder characterized by periodic leg movements and swings in blood pressure that are most prevelant at night.  Our lab hypothesizes that increased sympathetic output sensed by muscle afferents could be the cause of the unusual sensation preceeding periodic leg movements as well as the blood pressure swings.  To investigate these questions I use both an in vivo anesthetized rat model and an isolated spinal cord in vitro preparation.

Publications

Nichols, N.L., Wilkinson, K.A., Powell, F.L., Dean, J.B., Putnam, R.W. (2009) Chronic hypoxia suppresses the CO2 response of solitary complex (SC) neurons from rats. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 168(3):272-80. PMCID: PMC2750817 [Available on 2010/09/30]

Nichols, N.L., Mulkey, D.K., Wilkinson, K.A., Powell, F.L., Dean, J.B., Putnam, R.W. (2009) Characterization of the chemosensitive response of individual solitary complex neurons from adult rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 296(3):R763-73. PMCID: PMC2666395 [Available on 2010/03/01]

Mauban, J.R., Wilkinson, K., Schach, C., Yuan, J.X. (2006) Histamine-mediated increases in cytosolic [Ca2+] involve different mechanisms in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle and endothelial cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 290(2):C325-36.

Emory University School of Medicine
Department of Physiology
631 Whitehead Biomedical Research Building
Atlanta, GA  30322
Tel: 404.727.3418
Fax: 404.727.2648
Email: kawilki@emory.edu