Contact
Triad Technology Center333 Cassell Drive
Room 4500
Baltimore, MD 21224
Education
Ph.D. – Cell Biology Department, University of Barcelona (Catalonia)
B.Sc.- Biology, University of Barcelona
Research Interests
Xavier Guitart received his B.Sc. from the University of Barcelona in Catalonia in 1977. As a Ph.D. student, he investigated the role of protein phosphorylation in neurotransmitter release. In 1983 he worked at the Institute of Psychiatry in London under the supervision of Professor Richard Rodnight. He received his Ph.D. in Neurosciences in 1987. He accepted a Post-doctoral fellow – Associate Researcher position in the laboratory of Eric J. Nestler at Yale University where he studied protein phosphorylation linked to drug addiction. In 1993 he worked in the private sector as the director of biological discovery at Esteve Inc. In 2008, he worked at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda (MD), and in 2011 accepted his current position as a Staff Scientist at the NIDA/IRP.
I am interested in understanding the brain circuits involved in substance use disorders (SUD). My research consists of studying GPCR heteromers as targets for the development of new molecules that can be used to treat psychiatric disorders. Specifically, I am focused on studying the dopamine-1(D1) and dopamine-3 (D3) receptors. It is well documented that these receptors form heteromers, and that the density of D3 receptors is altered after chronic psychostimulants administration, specifically cocaine. The study of this heteremer is important not only for the understanding of addiction, but for understanding other psychiatric disorders that share similar brain circuits, and that also show substantial changes in the density of D1 and D3 dopamine receptors over time.
Selected Publications
2016
Equilibrative nucleoside transporter ENT1 as a biomarker of Huntington disease. Journal Article
In: Neurobiol Dis, vol. 96, pp. 47–53, 2016, ISSN: 1095-953X (Electronic); 0969-9961 (Linking).
2014
G protein-coupled receptor oligomerization revisited: functional and pharmacological perspectives. Journal Article
In: Pharmacol Rev, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 413–434, 2014, ISSN: 1521-0081 (Electronic); 0031-6997 (Linking).
2004
Sigma receptors: biology and therapeutic potential. Journal Article
In: Psychopharmacology (Berl), vol. 174, no. 3, pp. 301–319, 2004, ISSN: 0033-3158 (Print); 0033-3158 (Linking).
1989
In: J Neurosci, vol. 9, no. 12, pp. 4371–4387, 1989, ISSN: 0270-6474 (Print); 0270-6474 (Linking).