BOULDER CAFÉ SCIENTIFIQUE
Sponsored by the University of Colorado Chapter of Sigma Xi (http://www.sigmaxi.org/).

Visit the Boulder Cafe Sci web site

10 August 2010

GETTING DIRTY MAY LIFT YOUR MOOD

DR. CHRISTOPHER LOWRY

Assistant Professor
Department of Integrative Physiology
Member of the Center for Neuroscience
University of Colorado, Boulder

ABSTRACT

Humans co-evolved for millions of years with non-pathogenic microorganisms in the environment that, because they are innocuous, induce tolerance by the immune system.  The "Old Friends" hypothesis suggests that the recent dramatic rise in a number of inflammatory diseases in modern, developed countries is due to the loss of these microorganisms from the environment following sterilization of food and water sources and the focus on hygiene.

Dr. Lowry will discuss recent studies suggesting that treatment with Mycobacterium vaccae, a ubiquitous environmental bacterium found in dirt, may prove useful in the prevention and/or treatment of a number of diseases, including major depression.

BIOGRAPHY

Christopher Lowry received his Ph.D. in Zoology from Oregon State University in 1995 and subsequently trained at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. In 2002 he was awarded a prestigious Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship. He joined the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2007. He has received a 2007 Young Investigator award from NARSAD: The Mental Health Research Association. He has authored or co-authored approximately 50 book chapters, review articles and journal articles. Dr. Lowry's research focuses on 3 inter-related areas. His primary research interest is to understand the neural mechanisms, particularly the role of the neurotransmitter serotonin, underlying the control of anxiety states and stress-related physiology. The second research area of interest is in understanding the mechanisms through which peripheral immune activation alters serotonergic neurotransmission in the brain and the consequences for emotional behavior. The third research area focuses on the effects of stress on serotonergic neurotransmission in the brain, focusing on the role of the corticosterone-sensitive family of organic cation transporters.

Coach's Corner at the Millennium Hotel

Millennium Harvest House Boulder

1345 Twenty-Eighth Street

~5:30 food & drinks,

~6:15 talk begins (followed by Q&A)

Tammy Maldonado Ph.D.
Outreach Scientist
Biological Sciences Initiative
University of Colorado
UCB 347
Boulder, CO 80309-0347
303-735-1679

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