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Assistant Professor Department of Physiology

Link to website: www.clemenslab.org

Email: ClemensS@ecu.edu

Mailing Address:
Department of Physiology
600 Moye Blvd., 6N-98
Greenville, NC 27834

Our lab is interested in understanding the organization and the functioning of the spinal cord, and the neural networks that drive and modulate this integral part of the nervous system. The spinal cord not only gates sensory input and controls motor output, it also governs a wide range of involuntary functions in the body, such as blood pressure control, heart rate, and it is involved in a number of neurological disorders, such as Restless Legs Syndrome, or RLS.

Using electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches as well as gene expression analyses, research in the lab is focused on the deciphering the dynamic actions of the neurotansmitter Dopamine in the spinal cord, to better understand how the actions of the this neuromodulator can dynamically adapt the performances of an organism.

Society for Neuroscience (www.sfn.org)
Société des neuroscienes françaises (www.neurosciences.asso.fr)
Marie Curie Fellows Association (www.mcfa.eu)

Thorpe A., Clair A., Hochman S., Clemens S. (2011) "Possible Sites of Therapeutic Action in Restless Legs Syndrome: Focus on Dopamine and α2δ Ligands", European Neurology, accepted for publication

Manconi M., Ferri R., Zucconi M., Clemens S., Giarolli L., Bottasini V., Ferini-Strambi L. (2011) "Dopamine agonists in Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Leg Movements: D3 beats D2 receptor subtypes", Neurology, accepted for publication

Manconi M., Ferri R., Zucconi M., Clemens S., Rundo F., Oldani A., Ferini-Strambi L. (2011) "Effects of acute dopamine-agonist treatment in Restless Legs Syndrome on heart rate variability during sleep", Sleep Medicine, 12:47-55

Zhu H., Clemens S., Sawchuk M., and Hochman S. (2008)
Stability of D1, D2, D4, and D5 Dopamine receptor subtype distributions in the spinal cord of a Dopamine D3-deficient mouse, Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 194:957-962

Clemens S., Calin-Jageman, R., Sakurai, A., and Katz, P.S. (2007) "Altering cAMP levels within a central pattern generator modifies or disrupts rhythmic motor output", Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 193:1265-1271

Clemens S., (2010) "Aging modifies the balance of Dopamine D1 and D2 receptor expression in the spinal cord." Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 36

Clemens S., Zhu H., Harrell C., Agrawal S., Shreckengost J., Sawchuk M., and Hochman S. (2008) Spinal Dopamine dysfunction in Restless Lesgs Syndrome, Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, Baltimore Meeting, Octobre 26-28

Clemens S., Le Ray D. Simmers J., Combes D. (2007) Dopamine modulation during spinal locomotory network reconfiguration in the developing amphibian spinal cord Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 33, 187.4
 
Clemens S., Zhu, H., Sawchuk M., and Hochman S. (2006) D3 receptor knock-out mice have altered circadian gene expression patterns in spinal sympathetic preganglionic neurons Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 32, 555.11

Todd J., Clemens S., and DeWeerth S.P. (2006) Intracellular recording reveals that extracellular electrical stimulation can cause enduring dynamic changes of cellular properties Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 32, 200.2

Clemens S., Zhu H. Sawchuk M., and Hochman S. (2005) Expression profiling reveals circadian patterns of gene expression in spinal sympathetic systems: Focus on mono-aminergic mechanisms Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 31, 175.10

Clemens S. and Hochman S. (2004) Monosynaptic and longer-latency reflexes in the mouse spinal cord differ in their responses to dopamine and D2-like agonists and antagonists Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 30, 311.10

Sawchuk M., Clemens S., Hochman S. (2004) Tyrosine-hydroxylase levels in spinal sympathetic regions: Circadian variation and greatly reduced staining in D3 knockout mice Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 30, 546.15

Clemens S., Hue G., Sawchuk M., Zhu H., Hochman, S. (2003) "Expression of Dopamine D2 and D3 receptors and actions of Dopaminergics on spinal circuits in wild type and D3 knockout mice " Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 29, 186.3