Mark P. Beenhakker

Associate Professor, Pharmacology

Primary Location

PO Box 800735
1340 Jefferson Park Ave., Pinn Hall, Room 5017A
Charlottesville, VA 22908

Primary Phone Number

434.243.8497

Fax Number

434.982.3878

[email protected]

Website

http://beenhakkerlab.org

Bio & Overview

Our lab aims to understand how the brain generates complex electrical signals, and how these signals are used to process information. A major extension of this aim is to understand why electrical activity in the brain becomes uncontrollable during certain diseases such as epilepsy. We use electrophysiological, anatomical and computational approaches to resolve these questions. We primarily focus on cellular- and circuit-level questions in the thalamus, a structure that is generally believed to function as a relay station between the outside world and the cortex. However, the thalamus also plays a critical role in generating rhythmic network activity that is thought to facilitate the consolidation of memories during sleep. Furthermore, seizures associated with some forms of childhood/juvenile epilepsy are thought to be driven by thalamic circuits. Thus, the thalamus is engaged in several different processes, both normal and pathological. Designing experiments to resolve the mechanisms that underlie these processes forms the core of our research. Current projects in the lab focus on the:

excessive excitability of thalamic neurons associated with chloride channel dysfunction.
network-level activity patterns observed in the thalamus during sleep and epilepsy.
regulation of metabotropic signaling carried out by thalamic neurons.

Academic Information

Department: Pharmacology

Academic Title: Associate Professor

Primary Education

Ph.D, Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvanianull
B.S., Neuroscience, Washington and Lee Universitynull

Other Appointments

Associate Professor, Neuroscience

Other Affiliations

MSTP
Associate Professor, BIMS

Research Interests

Circuit mechanisms of sleep and epilepsy

Research Disciplines

Computational Biology
Molecular Biology
Molecular Pharmacology
Neuroscience
Physiology

Research Opportunities

Molecular and Systems Neuroscience
Neuroscience

PhD Programs

Neuroscience
Pharmacology

Selected Publications

2023

Kilianski, S., & Beenhakker, M. (2023). Suppress Globally or Seize Locally: Cortical Network Activity Explains Seizure Diversity Among Kcnt1 Mutants. EPILEPSY CURRENTS, 23(6), 389-391. doi:10.1177/15357597231202671

Dulko, E., & Beenhakker, M. (2023). The Beginning of Everything: Finding the Seizure Onset. EPILEPSY CURRENTS, 23(2), 113-114. doi:10.1177/15357597221147360

2022

Kilianski, S., & Beenhakker, M. P. P. (2023). Patterns of Pathology. EPILEPSY CURRENTS, 23(1), 56-57. doi:10.1177/15357597221137212

Salvati, K. A., Ritger, M. L., Davoudian, P. A., O'Dell, F., Wyskiel, D. R., Souza, G. M. P. R., . . . Beenhakker, M. P. (2022). AMPK-mediated potentiation of GABAergic signalling drives hypoglycaemia-provoked spike-wave seizures. BRAIN, 145(7), 2332-2346. doi:10.1093/brain/awac037

Salvati, K. A., Souza, G. M. P. R., Lu, A. C., Ritger, M. L., Guyenet, P., Abbott, S. B., & Beenhakker, M. P. (2022). Respiratory alkalosis provokes spike-wave discharges in seizure-prone rats. ELIFE, 11. doi:10.7554/eLife.72898

Beenhakker, M. P. (2022). ThalaMS: New Evidence Linking Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, and the Thalamus. EPILEPSY CURRENTS, 22(4), 246-248. doi:10.1177/15357597221097592

2021

Salvati, K. A., Mason, A. J., Gailey, C. D., Wang, E. J., Fu, Z., & Beenhakker, M. P. (2021). Mice Harboring a Non-Functional CILK1/ICK Allele Fail to Model the Epileptic Phenotype in Patients Carrying Variant CILK1/ICK. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, 22(16). doi:10.3390/ijms22168875

2020

Goerl, B., Watkins, S., Metcalf, C., Smith, M., & Beenhakker, M. (2021). Cannabidiolic acid exhibits entourage-like improvements of anticonvulsant activity in an acute rat model of seizures. EPILEPSY RESEARCH, 169. doi:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2020.106525

Lu, A. C., Lee, C. K., Kleiman-Weiner, M., Truong, B., Wang, M., Huguenard, J. R., & Beenhakker, M. P. (2020). Nonlinearities between inhibition and T-type calcium channel activity bidirectionally regulate thalamic oscillations. ELIFE, 9. doi:10.7554/eLife.59548

Joshi, S., & Beenhakker, M. (2020). The Frail Male: Early Life Inflammation Promotes Chloride Loading in Adult Male Mice. EPILEPSY CURRENTS, 20(3), 168-170. doi:10.1177/1535759720917964

Guagliardo, N. A., Klein, P. M., Gancayco, C. A., Lu, A., Leng, S., Makarem, R. R., . . . Beenhakker, M. P. (2020). Angiotensin II induces coordinated calcium bursts in aldosterone-producing adrenal rosettes. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 11(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-020-15408-4

Salvati, K. A., & Beenhakker, M. P. (2020). Lost in Space: How a Single, Directionless Protein Can Cause So Much Mayhem. EPILEPSY CURRENTS, 20(6), 381-383. doi:10.1177/1535759720955169

2019

Beenhakker, M. (2019). A Brief Boost of Positive Energy When Young Makes for a Healthy Adult Interneuron. EPILEPSY CURRENTS, 19(5), 321-324. doi:10.1177/1535759719871315

Lunardi, N., Sica, R., Atluri, N., Salvati, K. A., Keller, C., Beenhakker, M. P., . . . Zuo, Z. (2019). Disruption of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Homeostasis in Adolescent Rats after Neonatal Anesthesia. ANESTHESIOLOGY, 130(6), 981-994. doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000002660

Newmyer, B. A., Whindleton, C. M., Klein, P. M., Beenhakker, M. P., Jones, M. K., & Scott, M. M. (2019). VIPergic neurons of the infralimbic and prelimbic cortices control palatable food intake through separate cognitive pathways. JCI INSIGHT, 4(9). doi:10.1172/jci.insight.126283

Beenhakker, M., & Ritger, M. (2019). One Seizure Please, Hold the Sprouts: The Role of Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Sprouting in Epilepsy. EPILEPSY CURRENTS, 19(6), 414-416. doi:10.1177/1535759719876556

2018

Harbom, L. J., Rudisill, T. L., Michel, N., Litwa, K. A., Beenhakker, M. P., & McConnell, M. J. (2019). The effect of rho kinase inhibition on morphological and electrophysiological maturity in iPSC-derived neurons. CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH, 375(3), 641-654. doi:10.1007/s00441-018-2942-7

2017

Salvati, K. A., & Beenhakker, M. P. (2019). Out of thin air: Hyperventilation-triggered seizures. BRAIN RESEARCH, 1703, 41-52. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2017.12.037

Klein, P. M., Lu, A. C., Harper, M. E., McKown, H. M., Morgan, J. D., & Beenhakker, M. P. (2018). Tenuous Inhibitory GABAergic Signaling in the Reticular Thalamus. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 38(5), 1232-1248. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1345-17.2017

Joksimovic, S. M., Osuru, H. P., Oklopcic, A., Beenhakker, M. P., Jevtovic-Todorovic, V., & Todorovic, S. M. (2018). Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Entinostat (MS-275) Restores Anesthesia-induced Alteration of Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission in the Developing Rat Hippocampus. MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY, 55(1), 222-228. doi:10.1007/s12035-017-0735-8

2016

Filiano, A. J., Xu, Y., Tustison, N. J., Marsh, R. L., Baker, W., Smirnov, I., . . . Kipnis, J. (2016). Unexpected role of interferon-γ in regulating neuronal connectivity and social behaviour. NATURE, 535(7612), 425-+. doi:10.1038/nature18626

Wheeler, M. A., Smith, C. J., Ottolini, M., Barker, B. S., Purohit, A. M., Grippo, R. M., . . . Guler, A. D. (2016). Genetically targeted magnetic control of the nervous system. NATURE NEUROSCIENCE, 19(5), 756-+. doi:10.1038/nn.4265

Barrett, P. Q., Guagliardo, N. A., Klein, P. M., Hu, C., Breault, D. T., & Beenhakker, M. P. (2016). Role of voltage-gated calcium channels in the regulation of aldosterone production from zona glomerulosa cells of the adrenal cortex. JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON, 594(20), 5851-5860. doi:10.1113/JP271896

2015

Wang, G., Bochorishvili, G., Chen, Y., Salvati, K. A., Zhang, P., Dubel, S. J., . . . Zhu, J. J. (2015). Ca_V3.2 calcium channels control NMDA receptor-mediated transmission: a new mechanism for absence epilepsy. GENES & DEVELOPMENT, 29(14), 1535-1551. doi:10.1101/gad.260869.115

DiGruccio, M. R., Joksimovic, S., Joksovic, P. M., Lunardi, N., Salajegheh, R., Jevtovic-Todorovic, V., . . . Todorovic, S. M. (2015). Hyperexcitability of Rat Thalamocortical Networks after Exposure to General Anesthesia during Brain Development. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 35(4), 1481-1492. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4883-13.2015

2014

Lee, A. J., Wang, G., Jiang, X., Johnson, S. M., Hoang, E. T., Lante, F., . . . Zhu, J. J. (2015). Canonical Organization of Layer 1 Neuron-Led Cortical Inhibitory and Disinhibitory Interneuronal Circuits. CEREBRAL CORTEX, 25(8), 2114-2126. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhu020

2010

Beenhakker, M. P., & Huguenard, J. R. (2010). Astrocytes as gatekeepers of GABAB receptor function.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 30(45), 15262-15276. doi:10.1523/jneurosci.3243-10.2010