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Dr Mark Yeoman

Reader

contact:
Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences
Moulsecoomb
Brighton
BN2 4GJ

Telephone: +44 (0)1273 642078

Email: M.S.Yeoman@brighton.ac.uk

Research Interests

  • Basic Biology of Neuronal Ageing.

We are interested in understanding the mechanisms by which age affects the nervous system. The population in the U.K. is ageing and associated with this is an increase in the numbers of people suffering from motor and cognitive impairments.  Our work utilises a simple model system to examine the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes in a simple invertebrate preparation the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. Click here to find out more

  • Neuronal Plasticity.

Much of my previous work at the University of Sussex examined the ways in which the properties of small neural circuits in the central nervous system could be changed to enable the system to produce a variety of different outputs depending on the needs of the animal.  This work is being continued at the University of Brighton as part of my interest in ageing.

  • Neuropharmacology of ageing

Our ageing population is on the increase and improving the quality of life for the elderly is the aim of three major research projects. We are examining how age-related changes in serotonin – a signalling molecule for motor function and for helping us learn and remember – affect us. In an EPSRC–funded project, we have used the pond snail, Lymnaea, to show that serotonin signalling is altered with increasing age and this has consequences for the animals’ ability to remember and to carry out life-sustaining behaviours including feeding. We have received funding from the BBSRC to examine whether age-related changes in serotonin signalling contribute to faecal incontinence, a major problem in the elderly and which can lead to loss of independence.
Serotonin is also an important regulator of mood and medicines that target the serotonergic system are commonly used to treat depression. Age-related alterations in serotonin signalling could affect the efficacy of these medicines and may also increase the incidence of side effects in this patient group. Our group is currently involved in running a clinical trial at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton to conduct a risk-benefit analysis of the use of these medicines in the older patient.
This film explains more about this potentially life-enhancing work.

Grants and Funding

  • 2002 EPSRC project grant £279,000 examine how ageing affects transmitter release.
  • 2006 SPARC initiative grant £54,000, examine how ageing affects the proteome of the nervous system.
  • 2009 BBSRC initiative grant £356,000, Ageing Bladder and Bowel initiative.
  • 2009 NHS research £200,000, better targetting of antidepressants in older people.
  • BBSRC international Partnering Award £26,500

Scholarly Activity

Current PhD Students

  • Aiyaz Mohammed. A proteomics approach to understanding age-related changes in neuronal function. Jan 2006-2009
  • Greg Scutt (part-time). An electrophysiological analysis of ageing in a defined modulatory neurone. 2006-
  • Lindsay Evans. Role of 14-3-3 protein in neuronal ageing. 2007-

Society Memberships

  • Member of the Institute of Learning and Technology
  • Member of the British Society for Research into Ageing

Recent Invited Lectures

  • Ageing at a snails pace. SPARC international workshop on the Basic Biology of Ageing, London 2005.
  • Neuronal ageing. Department of Electrochemistry, Bochum University, Dusseldorf, Germany, August 2005.
  • Understanding the basic biology of ageing in the CNS. Research into Ageing Public Awareness Event, Eastbourne, 2006.
  • AAA meeting San Antonio, Texas June 2007.
  • Neurogastroenterology and Motility International Meeting, Boston 2010

Collaborations

Dr Lucas Bowler, Proteomics Facility, Department of Biochemistry, University of Sussex

Jim Galligan, Xiaochun Bian and Greg Swain from Michigan State University

Andrea Ducci (UCL), Gianluca Marcelli and Piere Ricco from KCL

Dr J. Saffrey, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Life Sciences Open University

Dr Richard Ranson, School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University

Teaching

Course Leader and Admissions Tutor for the intercalated BSc(Hons) Pharmacological Sciences.

Module Leader for PY335 PY338, PY425, PY344, PY252. (click for more information on the modules)

Recent Publications

Number of items: 17.

PATEL, BHAVIK, YEOMAN, MARK, Morgan, L.D. and Baker, H. (2012) Chromatographic assay to study the activity of multiple enzymes involved in the synthesis and metabolism of dopamine and serotonin Analyst, 137 (6). ISSN 0003-2654

YEOMAN, MARK, Scutt, G. and FARAGHER, RICHARD (2012) Insights into CNS ageing from animal models of senescence Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13 (6). ISSN 1471-003X

Patel, B.A., Arundell, M., Parker, K.H., Yeoman, M.S. and O'Hare, D. (2010) Microelectrode investigation of neuroneal ageing from a single identified neurone Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 12 (34). pp. 10065-10072. ISSN 1463-9076

Feng, Z.P., Zhang, Z., Van Kesteren, R.E., Straub, V.A., Jin, K., Nejatbakhsh, N., Goldberg, J.I., Spencer, G.E., Yeoman, M.S., Wildering, W., Coorssen, J.R., Croll, R.P., Buck, L.T., Syed, N.I. and Smit, A.B. (2009) Transcriptome analysis of the central nervous system of the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis BMC Genomics, 10 (451). ISSN 1471-2164

Yeoman, M.S, Patel, B.A, Arundell, M, Parker, K and O'Hare, D (2008) Synapse-specific changes in serotonin signalling contribute to age-related changes in the feeding behaviour of the pond snail, Lymnaea Journal of Neurochemistry, 106 (4). pp. 1699-1709. ISSN 0022-3042

Saab, Y, Gard, P.R, Yeoman, M.S, El-Moalem, H, Mfarrej, B and Ingram, M.J (2007) Renin- angiotensin- system gene polymorphisms and depression Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 31 (5). pp. 1113-1118. ISSN 0278-5846

Patel, B.A., Arundell, M., ALLEN, MARCUS, GARD, PAUL, O'Hare, D., Parker, K. and YEOMAN, MARK (2006) Changes in the properties of the modulatory cerebral giant cells contribute to aging in the feeding system of Lymnaea Neurobiology of Aging, 27 (12). pp. 1892-1901. ISSN 0197-4580

Arundell, M, Patel, B.A, Straub, V, Allen, M.C., Janse, C, O'Hare, D, Parker, K, Gard, P.R and Yeoman, M.S (2006) Effects of age on feeding behavior and chemosensory processing in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis Neurbiology og Aging, 27 (12). pp. 1880-1891. ISSN 0197-4580

Patel, B.A, Arundell, M, Parker, K.H, Yeoman, M.S and O'Hare, D (2006) Detection of nitric oxide release from single neurons in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis Analytical Chemistry, 78 (22). pp. 7643-7648. ISSN 0003-2700

Anastassiou, CA, Patel, BA, Arundell, M, Yeoman, MS, Parker, KH and O'Hare, D (2006) Novel subsecond voltametric separation betwen dopamine and serotonin in the presence of ascorbate Analtical Chemistry, 78 (19). pp. 6990-6998.

Anastassiou, C.A, Patel, B.A, Arundell, M, Yeoman, M.S, Parker, K.H and O'Hare, D (2006) Subsecond voltametric separation between dopamine and serotonin in the presence of ascorbate Analytical Chemistry, 78 (19). pp. 6990-6998. ISSN 0032-2700

Patel, B.A., Arundell, M., Allen, M.C., Gard, P.R, Parker, K. and Yeoman, M.S. (2006) Changes in the properties of the modulatory cerebral giant cells contribute to aging in the feeding system of Lymnaea Neurobiology of Aging, 27 (12). pp. 1892-1901.

Patel, B.A., Arundell, M., Parker, K.H., Yeoman, M.S. and O'Hare, D. (2005) Simple and rapid determination of serotonin and catecholamines in biological tissue using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection Journal of chromatography B, 818 (2). pp. 269-276. ISSN 1570-0232

Patel, B.A., Arundell, M., Parker, K., Yeoman, M.S and O'Hare, D. (2005) Decreases in the serotonin content of a pair of identified neurones can explain the effect of p-chlorophenylanaline on the feeding behaviour of the pond snail, lymnaea stagnalis Current Separations, 21 (2). pp. 53-58.

Arundell, M., Patel, B.A., Yeoman, M.S., Parker, K.H. and O'Hare, D. (2004) Hilbert transform of voltammetric data Electrochemistry communications, 6 (4). pp. 366-372. ISSN 1388-2481

Clancy, S.M., Yeadon, M., Parry, J., Yeoman, M.S., Adam, E.C., Schumacher, U. and Lethem, M.I. (2004) Endothelin-1 inhibits mucin secretion from ovine airway epithelial goblet cells American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 31 . pp. 663-671. ISSN 1044-1549

Yeoman, M.S. and Faragher, R.G.A. (2001) Ageing and the nervous system: insights from studies on invertebrates Biogerontology, 2 (2). pp. 85-97. ISSN 1573-6768

This list was generated on Tue Jun 11 18:16:46 2013 BST.