Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are pentameric ligand-gated cation channels that as so-called because they are activated by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and the tobacco alkaloid nicotine. A gene family generates 16 subunits in mammals that combine to form a diversity of subtypes of nAChR, finely tuned for different cellular and physiological functions. The distinct subtypes that are expressed in the brain have elicited interest in understanding their roles in normal brain function and their contributions to diseases, including addiction, Alzheimers’s and Parkinson’s diseases and schizophrenia, where they are potential therapeutic targets. Although much remains to be discovered nAChRs are important modulators of synaptic activity, through the presynaptic regulation of neurotransmitter release and postsynaptic modulation of local calcium concentrations, for example. Thus nAChRs, notably the alpha7 subtype, can impact on synaptic mechanisms of information processing and memory storage such as long term potentiation.
We study the molecular and cellular mechanisms governed by nAChRs in neuronal systems, often in the context of a behavioural paradigm (such as conditioned place preference as a model of drug-paired learning). This interdisciplinary research is highly collaborative, currently with Dr Chris Bailey (Dept of Pharmacy and Pharmacology) and Prof David Heal (RenaSci, Nottingham). We also have a long-standing interest in the discovery and characterisation of novel ligands for nAChRs, in collaboration with Prof Tim Gallagher (University of Bristol).
From 2010-2017 Prof Wonnacott was Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Science.
Education/Academic qualification
Biochemistry, Doctor of Philosophy, King's College London
1972 → 1975
Biochemistry, Bachelor of Science, University College London
1968 → 1971
Neurochemistry, Master of Science, King's College London
1971 → 1972
External positions
Parkinson's UK College of Experts, Parkinson's Disease Society
2019 → 2022Advanced Grant Panel, European Research Council
2016 → 2019Studentship Panel, NC3Rs
2016 → 2018Reader for L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science Fellowships.
2016 → 2019Senior Editor, British Journal of Pharmacology
2012 → 2018Keywords
- neuroscience
- nicotine
- addiction
- receptors
- brain
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Projects 2004 2022
NERC GW4+ Doctoral Training Partnership
1/09/14 → 31/08/22
Project: Research-related funding › PGR Training Grant
Motivational memory: role of nicotinic receptors in synaptic plasticity
Bailey, C., Palandri, J., Wonnacott, S. & Heal, D. J.
1/10/14 → 30/09/18
Project: Research council
α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: regulation of plasticity and network activity in the prelimbic cortex
Bailey, C., Udakis, M. & Wonnacott, S.
1/10/12 → 30/09/16
Project: Research council
APPLICATION OF MESOSCALE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF M ULTIPLE BIOMARKERS TO EXPLORE MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR PROCESS
Ward, S., Mackenzie, A., Tosh, D., Watts, A., Welham, M. J. & Wonnacott, S.
17/04/08 → 16/04/09
Project: Research council
TRANSGENIC C. ELEGANS AS A METHOD FOR STUDYING DRUG RESISTAN CE GENES OF PARASITIC NEMATODES
Wonnacott, S. & Wolstenholme, A. J.
18/02/08 → 17/02/12
Project: UK charity
Research Output 1994 2018
Effects of kappa opioid receptor agonists and acute stress on brain regions implicated in the response to stress and drugs of abuse
Ma, Q., Wonnacott, S., Bailey, S. & Bailey, C., 1 Aug 2018, In : Journal of Psychopharmacology . 32, 8 (Supplement), p. A124Research output: Contribution to journal › Meeting abstract
Experimental design and analysis and their reporting II: updated and simplified guidance for authors and peer reviewers
Curtis, M. J., Alexander, S., Cirino, G., Docherty, J. R., George, C. H., Giembycz, M. A., Hoyer, D., Insel, P. A., Izzo, A. A., Ji, Y., MacEwan, D. J., Sobey, C. G., Stanford, S. C., Teixeira, M. M., Wonnacott, S. & Ahluwalia, A., 1 Apr 2018, In : British Journal of Pharmacology. 175, 7, p. 987-993 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
Goals and practicalities of immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry: Editorial: A guide for submission to the British Journal of Pharmacology
Alexander, S. P. H., Roberts, R. E., Broughton, B. R. S., Sobey, C. G., George, C. H., Stanford, S. C., Cirino, G., Docherty, J. R., Giembycz, M. A., Hoyer, D., Insel, P. A., Izzo, A. A., Ji, Y., MacEwan, D. J., Mangum, J., Wonnacott, S. & Ahluwalia, A., 1 Feb 2018, In : British Journal of Pharmacology. 175, 3, p. 407-411 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
Inhibition of alpha7 nicotinic receptors in the ventral hippocampus selectively attenuates reinstatement of morphine-conditioned place preference and associated changes in AMPA receptor binding
Wright, V. L., Georgiou, P., Bailey, A., Heal, D. J., Bailey, C. P. & Wonnacott, S., 17 Apr 2018, In : Addiction Biology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Wonnacott, S., Bermudez, I. & Millar, N., 2018, In : British Journal of Pharmacology. 175, 11, p. 1785 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
Thesis
Effects of nicotinic ligands on the acute and chronic actions of Amyloid-β in vitro
Author: Innocent, N., 1 Sep 2009Supervisor: Wonnacott, S. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › PhD
Flavonoids as regulators of amyloid precursor protein processing
Author: Cox, C., 14 May 2014Supervisor: Williams, R. (Supervisor) & Wonnacott, S. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › PhD
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulation of noradrenaline release in the rodent brain
Author: Kennett, A., 30 Sep 2011Supervisor: Wonnacott, S. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › PhD
The role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in motivated behaviour
Author: Wright, V., 11 Dec 2015Supervisor: Wonnacott, S. (Supervisor), Bailey, C. (Supervisor) & Heal, D. (External person) (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › PhD
α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor-Mediated Calcium Signalling in Neuronal Cells
Author: Brown, J., 1 Apr 2014Supervisor: Wonnacott, S. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › PhD