Patsy S. Dickinson
Professor of Biology, Director of Neuroscience Program
| Phone | (207) 725-3581 |
| Title | Josiah Little Professor of Natural Sciences |
| Department | Biology |
| 2nd Title | Professor |
| 2nd Department | NEUROSCIENCE |
| 3rd Title | Program Director |
| 3rd Department | NEUROSCIENCE |
| Work Location | 132 Druckenmiller Hall |
| pdickins@bowdoin.edu |
Spring 2010
- Introductory Biology (BIO 109)
- Comparative Physiology (BIO 214)
- Advanced Independent Study in Biology (BIO 402)
- Advanced Independent Study in Biology (BIO 403)
- Advanced Independent Study and Honors in Biochemistry (BIO C 402)
- Advanced Independent Study and Honors in Neuroscience (NEURO 402)
Education
BA Pomona College
MS University of Washington
PhD University of Washington
Teaching Area
Physiology and Neuroscience
Research Statement
My research is on the ways in which the nervous system controls behavior. In particular, I have been studying the control of relatively simple, rhythmic behaviors, and the modulation or alteration of these behaviors. The goal of these studies is to understand how flexibility in behavior is controlled at the level of the nervous system. Students in my lab and I have been examining the ways in which several small peptides alter the activity of the nerve cells that control the rhythmic movements of the lobster stomach. Because the lobster nervous system is relatively simple, it can be studied in much more detail than is presently possible with vertebrates; we can thus elucidate general principles which can later be applied to more complex species. In studying these problems, we record the electrical activity of individual neurons with microelectrodes and the activity of whole nerves with extracellular electrodes. These techniques are taught and used in the labs in Biology 213 (Introduction to Neuroscience), Biology 214 (Comparative Physiology), and Biology 253 (Comparative Neurobiology).
Recent Publications
Stemmler EA, *Bruns, EA, *Cashman CR, Dickinson PS, Christie AE. (2009) Molecular and mass spectral identification of the broadly conserved decapod crustacean neuropeptide pQIRYHQCYFNPISCF: The first PISCF-allatostatin (Manduca sexta- or C-type allatostatin) from a non-insect. Gen Comp Endocrinol. May 23. [Epub ahead of print]
Dickinson, P.S., *T. Wiwatpanit, *E.R. Gabranski, *R.J. Ackerman, *J.S. Stevens, *C.R. Cashman, E.A. Stemmler, and A.E. Christie. (2009) Identification of SYWKQCAFNAVSCFamide: a broadly conserved crustacean C-type allatostatin-like peptide with both neuromodulatory and cardioactive properties. Journal of Experimental Biology. 212:1140-52.
Dickinson, P.S. *E.E. Barton, E.A. Stemmler, *C.R. Cashman, *N.P. Gardner, *S. Rus, *H.R. Brennan, T.S. McClintock and A.E. Christie. (2009) Molecular, mass spectral, and physiological analyses of orcokinins and orcokinin precursor-related peptides in the lobster Homarus americanus and the crayfish Procambarus clarkii. Peptides: In press.
Christie, A.E., *C.R. Cashman, *J.S. Stevens, C.M. Smith, K.M. Beale, E.A. Stemmler, S.J. Greenwood, D.W. Towle, P.S. Dickinson. (2008) Identification and cardiotropic actions of brain/gut-derived tachykinin-related peptides (TRPs) from the American lobster Homarus americanus. Peptides, 29: 1909-18.
Dickinson, P.S., E.A. Stemmler, *C.R. Cashman, *H.R. Brennan, *R.J. Dennison, *K.E. Huber, *B. Peguero, *W. Rabacal, C.C. Goiney, C.M. Smith, D.W. Towle and A.E. Christie. (2008) SIFamide peptides in clawed lobsters and freshwater crayfish (Crustacea, Decapoda, Astacidea): a combined molecular, mass spectrometric and electrophysiological investigation. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 156:347-360.
*Stevens, J.S., A.E. Christie, P.S. Dickinson. (2008) Complex modulation of Homarus americanus cardiac activity by the peptide hormone TNRNFLRFamide. MDIBL Bulletin 47: 82-85.
Dickinson, P.S., Stemmler, E.A., Christie, A.E. (2008) The pyloric neural circuit of the herbivorous crab Pugettia producta shows limited sensitivity to a number of neuromodulators that elicit robust effects in more opportunistically feeding decapods. J. Exp. Biol. 211:1434-47.
Thompson, R.R., Dickinson, P.S., Rose, J.D.1, *Dakin, K.A., *Civiello, G.M., *Segerdahl, A., and *Bartlett, R. (2008) Pheromones enhance somatosensory processing in newt brains through a vasotocin-dependent mechanism. Proc Roy Soc B, 275(1643):1685-93.
Christie, A.E., *Cashman, C.R., *Brennan, H.R., Ma, M., Sousa, G.L., Li, L., Stemmler, E.A., Dickinson, P.S. (2008) Identification of putative crustacean neuropeptides using in silico analyses of publicly accessible expressed sequence tags. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 156:246-264. PMID: 18321503
Hsu, Y.W., Stemmler, E.A., Messinger, D.I., Dickinson, P.S., Christie, A.E., de la Iglesia, H.O. (2008) Cloning and differential expression of two beta-pigment-dispersing hormone (beta-PDH) isoforms in the crab Cancer productus: Evidence for authentic beta-PDH as a local neurotransmitter and beta-PDH II as a humoral factor. J. Comp Neurol. 508(2):197-211.
Christie, A.E., G. Sousa, *S. Rus, C. Smith, D. Towle, D. Hartline, P.S. Dickinson. (2008) Identification of A-type allatostatin isoforms possessing -YXFGI/Vamide carboxy-termini from the nervous system of the copepod crustacean Calanus finmarchicus, General and Comparative Endocrinology 155(3):526-533
Stemmler, E.A., *C.R. Cashman, D.I. Messinger, P.S. Dickinson and A.E. Christie. (2007) High mass resolution direct-tissue MALDI-FTMS reveals broad conservation of three neuropeptides (APSGFLGMRamide, GYRKPPFNGSIFamide and pQDLDHFLRFamide) across members of seven decapod crustacean infraorders. Peptides 28: 2104-2115 (Nove 2007)
Stemmler, E.A., Y.A. Hsu, *C.R. Cashman, D.I. Messigner, H.O. de la Iglesia, P.S. Dickinson and A.E. Christie. (2007) Direct tissue MALDI-FTMS profiling of individual Cancer productus sinus glands reveals that one of three distinct combinations of crustacean hyperglycemic hormone precursor-related peptide (CPRP) isoforms are present in individual crabs. General and Comparative Endocrinology 154: 187-192.
Patsy S. Dickinson, *Jake S. Stevens, *Szymon Rus, *Henry R. Brennan, Christopher C. Goiney, Christine M. Smith, Lingjun Li, David W. Towle and Andrew E. Christie (2007). Identification and cardiotropic actions of sulfakinin peptides in the American lobster Homarus americanus. Journal of Experimental Biology 210: 2278-89. doi: 12.1242/jeb.004770
Stemmler, Elizabeth A., *Emily A. Bruns, *Noah P. Gardner, Patsy S. Dickinson and Andrew E. Christie, (2007). Mass spectrometric identification of pEGFYSQRYamide: a crustacean peptide hormone possessing a vertebrate neuropeptide Y (NPY)-like carboxy-terminus. General and Comparative Endocrinology 152:1-7.
Christie, Andrew E., *Szymon Rus, Christopher C. Goiney, Christine M. Smith, David W. Towle and Patsy S. Dickinson (2007). Identification and characterization of a cDNA encoding a crustin-like, putative antibacterial protein from the American lobster Homarus americanus. Molecular Immunology 44:3333-3337.
Christie, Andrew E., Kimberly K. Kutz-Naber, Elizabeth A. Stemmler, Alexandra Klein, Daniel I. Messinger, Christopher C. Goiney, *Anna J. Conterato, *Emily A. Bruns, Yun-Wei A. Hsu, Lingjun Li and Patsy S. Dickinson (2007). Midgut epithelial endocrine cells are a rich source of the neuropeptides APSGFLGMRamide (Cancer borealis tachykinin-related peptide Ia) and FYRKPPFNGSIFamide (Gly1 - SiIFamide) in the crabs Cancer borealis, Cancer magister and Cancer productus. Journal of Exp Biol. 210:699-714.
Elizabeth A. Stemmler, *Braulio Peguero, *Emily A. Bruns, Patsy S. Dickinson and Andrew E. Christie (2007). Identification, physiological actions, and distribution of TPSGFLGMRamide: a novel tachykinin-related peptide from the midgut and stomatogastric nervous system of Cancer crabs. Journal of Neurochemistry, 101:1351-1366.
Dickinson, P.S. (2006) Neuromodulation of central pattern generators in invertebrates and vertebrates. Current Opinion in Neurobiol. 16:604-614.
Stemmler, E.A. *Gardner, N.P. *Guiney, M.E., *Bruns, E.A., Dickinson, P.S. (2006) The detection of red pigment concentrating hormone (RPCH) in crustacean eyestalk tissues using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorrption/Ionization-Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry: [M+Na] ion formation in dried droplet tissue preparations. J. Mass Spectrometry, 41:295-311.
Christie, A.E., Stemmler, E.A., *Peguero, B., Messinger, D.I., *Provencher, H.L., *Scheerlinck, P., Hsu, Y.-W.A., *Guiney, M., de la Iglesia, H., and Dickinson, P.S. (2006). Identification, Physiological Actions and Distribution of VYRKPPFNGSIFamide (Val1-SIFamide in the Stomatogastric Nervous System of the American Lobster Homarus americanus. J. Comp. Neurol. 49:406-21.
Zamer, William E. and Patsy S. Dickinson (2005) Skill Building: Peer Review, in Integrate: Laboratory Manual for Physiology: A Benjamin Cummings Custom Edition, edited by Dee U. Silverthorn, Bruce R. Johnson, Alice C. Mills.
Stemmler, E.A., *Provencher, H.L., *Guiney, M.E., *Gardner, N.P., and Dickinson, P.S. (2005) Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry for the identification of orcokinin neuropeptides in crustaceans using metastable decay and Sustained Off-Resonance Irradiation. Analytical Chemistry. 77 (11):3594-606.
* denotes Bowdoin College student author
Research Funding sources since 1990
NSF Research Grant, BNS 9008816, 1990-1994
NSF Research Grant, BNS 9310003, 1993-1996
Human Frontier Science Project Grant (with others), 1991-1994
Human Frontier Science Project Grant (with others), 1994-1996
Whitehall Foundation Grant (with Amy Johnson), 1996-1999
NSF Research Grant, IBN 9723885, 1997-2000
NIH Fogarty Senior Fellowship, 1999-2000
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, 1999-2000
NSF Research Grant, IBN 0111040, 2001-2004
Student Honors Theses
Aaron D. Bornstein (1995) The effects of red pigment concentrating hormone (RPCH) on the pyloric dialtor (PD) neuron of the stomatogastric ganglion of Panulirus interruptus.
Karen A. Terio (1992) The pattern and modulation of the oesophageal network in the stomatogastric system of Panulirus interruptus.
Wesley P. Fairfield (1990) Analysis of a contingent interaction between proctolin and red-pigment concentrating hormone in the lobster stomatogastric nervous system.
Other interests
Music (cello), raising three children