Professor & Chair

Chair, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy
Director, Center for Respiratory Biology & Lung Disease
West Virginia University School of Medicine
One Medical Center Drive
P.O. Box 9128 Health Sciences Center
Morgantown, WV 26505-9128
t: 304-293-5979
f: 304-293-8159
e: rdey@hsc.wvu.edu

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Research Interests

The research in my lab focuses on neuroanatomical organization and embryological development of airway innervation, examining interconnections between airway neurons and airway structures (smooth muscle, blood vessels, glands, epithelium), and on determining neuronal responses to inhaled irritants. Different types of nerves including sensory, sympathetic, parasympathetic, and nonadrenergic/noncholinergic supply the trachea and bronchi. Released neurotransmitters mediate bronchial and vascular smooth muscle tone, mucous secretion, coughing, and breathing patterns in normal conditions and produce defensive responses after inhalation of irritant substances. Airway nerves may also contribute to lung diseases like asthma, chronic cough, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although there is considerable information regarding the actions of neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, norepinephrine, vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P and nitric oxide, the mechanisms through which airway nerves contribute to asthma and other airway diseases is not clear.  Regulatory molecules like neurotrophins may be critical in altering neurotransmitter expression and airway innervation leading to asthma and airway inflammation.  Combinations of immunocytochemical, molecular biological, neurophysiological and pharmacological approaches are used to investigate pulmonary neural responses to inhaled irritants such as ozone, a photochemical environmental pollutant, and toluene diisocyanate, a catalyst associated with occupational asthma used in manufacturing polymers. 

                    

 

The graph on the left shows changes in Glutamate and Substance P levels in sensory neurons of jugular ganglia after ozone exposure.  The fluorescence micrograph on the right shows the localization of Substance P (green) with rhodamine labeled latex microspheres (red).  The microspheres were injected into the airway and transported to the ganglia to provide specific identification of neurons projecting to the lung.