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Education

• Ph.D. Institution: Department of Anatomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
• Postdoctoral: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN (laboratory of Dr. Daniel Goldowitz)

Research Interests

There are 2 major foci of my research, both centered on the interaction between genetics and the nervous system. The first major focus is centered on examining the relationship between genetics and several ethanol-related phenotypes in both the developing embryo and the adult animal. This research uses both strategies that attempt to identify the critical genes in mediating a phenotype as well as the opposite strategy of determining the role of a specific gene in a phenotype using mutant mice. Both behavioral and anatomic phenotypes (e.g. cell death markers) are examined. The second major focus is examining how specific genes impact the development of various neuronal populations. In this approach the effect of a mutated gene, either in naturally-occurring or induced mutations, on the morphology of a specific structure or cell type is examined.

Representative Publications

• Du X, Elberger AJ, Matthews DB, Hamre KM. Heterozygous deletion of NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor alters ethanol-related behaviors and regional expression of NR2 subunits in the brain. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2012 Jan-Feb;34(1):177-86. Epub 2011 Sep 14. PubMed PMID: 21945132.
• Philip VM, Duvvuru S, Gomero B, Ansah TA, Blaha CD, Cook MN, Hamre KM, Lariviere WR, Matthews DB, Mittleman G, Goldowitz D, Chesler EJ. High-throughput behavioral phenotyping in the expanded panel of BXD recombinant inbred strains. Genes Brain Behav. 2010 Mar 1;9(2):129-59. Epub 2009 Sep 22. PubMed PMID: 19958391; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2855868.
• Mathews TA, Brookshire BR, Budygin EA, Hamre K, Goldowitz D, Jones SR. Ethanol-induced hyperactivity is associated with hypodopaminergia in the 22-TNJ ENU-mutated mouse. Alcohol. 2009 Sep;43(6):421-31. PubMed PMID: 19801272; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2782517.
• Hamre KM, Goldowitz D, Wilkinson S, Matthews DB. Screening for ENU-induced mutations in mice that result in aberrant ethanol-related phenotypes. Behav Neurosci. 2007 Aug;121(4):665-78. PubMed PMID: 17663592.
• Du X, Jensen P, Goldowitz D, Hamre KM. Wild-type cells rescue genotypically Math1-null hair cells in the inner ears of chimeric mice. Dev Biol. 2007 May 15;305(2):430-8. Epub 2007 Feb 28. PubMed PMID: 17397818.
• Mozhui K, Hamre KM, Holmes A, Lu L, Williams RW. Genetic and structural analysis of the basolateral amygdala complex in BXD recombinant inbred mice. Behav Genet. 2007 Jan;37(1):223-43. Epub 2006 Nov 28. PubMed PMID: 17131200.

View more references (pubmed link)