Torsten Falk, PhD

Associate Professor, Neurology
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Associate Professor, Physiological Sciences
Associate Professor, Pharmacology
 
Additional Contact Info: 
 Fax: (520) 626-2111
 
Education: 
  •  Study of Biology and Chemistry at the University of Kaiserlautern, Kaiserlautern, Germany, 1984-1985
  • Study of Biology at the University of Kaiserlautern, Kaiserlautern, Germany, 1985-1993
  • Study of Neurobiology at the Institute for Cellular Biochemistry and Clinical Neurobiology, UKE, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany1992-1995, 
Honors and Awards: 
  • Chair of the Ion Channel Session at the 1998 Meeting of the Arizona Chapter-Society for Neuroscience in Phoenix, AZ, 01/09/98
  • Chair of the Receptor and Ion Channel Session at the 1999 Meeting of the Arizona Chapter-Society for Neuroscience in Flagstaff, AZ, 11/06/99 
  • Chair of the 'Parkinson's disease: theraputics' Session at the Societ for Neuroscience Meeting 2007 in San Diego, CA, 11/06/07
  • Grant Review Committee for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF), 2015 
Selected Publications: 
Falk T, Meyerhof W, Corrette BJ, Schaefer J, Bauer CK, Schwarz JR, Richter D; Cloning, functional expression and mRNA distribution of an inwardly rectifying potassium channel protein. FEBS Letters 1995; 367, 127-131.
 
Bauer CK, Falk T, Schwarz JR; An endogenous inactivating inwardly rectifying potassium current in oocytes of Xenopus laevis. Pfluegers Archive, European Journal of Physiology 1996; 432, 812-820.
 
Falk T, Garver WS, Erickson RP, Wilson JM, Yool AJ; Expression of Niemann-Pick type C transcript in rodent cerebellum in vivo and in vitro. Brain Research 1999; 839/1, 49-57. (Communicating Author)
 
Falk T, Kilani RK, Yool AJ, Sherman SJ; Viral-vector mediated expression of K+ channels regulates excitability in skeletal muscle. Gene Therapy 2001; 8(18):1372-1379. (Communicating Author)
 
Falk T, Kilani RK, Borders RS, Strazdas LA, Steidl JV, Yool AJ, Sherman SJ; Developmental regulation of the A-current in hippocampal neurons: Role of the Kvbeta1.1 potassium channel subunit. Neuroscience 2003; 120(2), 387-404.
 
Falk T, Zhang SL, Erbe EL, Sherman SJ; Neurochemical and electrophysiological characteristics of rat striatal neurons in primary culture. Journal of Comparative Neurology 2006; 494: 275-289.
 
McKay BS, Goodman B, Falk T, Sherman SJ; Retinal pigment epithelial cell transplantation could provide trophic support in Parkinson's disease: results from an in vitro model system. Experimental Neurology 2006; 201, 234-243.
 
Falk T, Xie JY, Zhang SL, Kennedy J, Bennett J, Sherman SJ; Over-expression of the potassium channel Kir2.3 using the dopamine-1 receptor promoter selectively inhibits striatal neurons. Neuroscience 2008; 155:114-127. (Communicating Author)
 
Falk T, Zhang SL, Sherman SJ; PEDF is neurotrophic and neuroprotective in two in vitro models of Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience Letters 2009; 458:49-52. (Communicating Author)
 
Falk T, Zhang SL, Sherman SJ; Vascular endothelial growth factor B is up-regulated and exogenous VEGF-B is neuroprotective in a culture model of Parkinson’s disease. Molecular Neurodegeneration 2009; 4:49. (Communicating Author).
 
Falk T, Gonzalez RT, Sherman SJ; The Yin and Yang of VEGF and PEDF: Multifaceted Neurotrophic Factors and their Potential in the Treatment of Parkinson’s disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2010; 11:2857-2900. (Communicating Author).
 
Falk T, Yue X, Zhang SL, McCourt AD, Yee BJ, Gonzalez RT, Sherman SJ; Vascular endothelial growth factor B is neuroprotective in an in vivo model of Parkinson’s disease. Neuroscience Letters 2011; 496:43-47. (Communicating Author).
 
Yue X, Falk T, Zuniga LA, Szabo L, Porreca F, Polt R, Sherman SJ; Effects of the opioid agonist MMP-2200 in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease. Brain Research 2011; 1413: 72-83. (Communicating Author)
 
Mabrouk OS, Falk T, Sherman SJ, Kennedy RT, Polt R; Brain uptake of the opioid glycopeptide MMP-2200 – a microdialysis study.  Neuroscience Letters 2012; 531(2):99-103. (Communicating Author)
 
Yue X, Hariri DJ, Caballero B, Zhang S, Bartlett MJ, Kaut O, Mount DW, Wüllner U, Sherman SJ, Falk T; Comparative study of neurotrophic effects by VEGF-B and GDNF in preclinical in vivo models of Parkinson’s disease. Neuroscience 2014; 258:385-400. (Communicating Author)
 
Flores AJ, Bartlett MJ, So LY, Laude ND, Parent KL, Heien ML, Sherman SJ, Falk T; Differential effects of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 on dopamine 1 and 2 receptor-induced abnormal involuntary movements in a preclinical model. Neuroscience Letters 2014; 564:48-52. (Communicating Author)
 
Bartlett MJ, Joseph RM, LePoidevin LM, Parent KL, Laude ND, Lazarus LB, Heien ML, Estevez M, Sherman SJ, Falk T; Long-term effect of sub-anesthetic ketamine-infusion in reducing L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Neuroscience Letters 2016; 612:121-125. (Communicating Author) 
 
Flores AJ, MJ Bartlett, BK Root, KL Parent, ML Heien, F Porreca, R Polt, SJ Sherman, T Falk; The Combination of the Opioid Glycopeptide Mmp-2200 and a NMDA Receptor Antagonist Reduced L-dopa-induced Dyskinesia and MMP-2200 by Itself Reduced Dopamine Receptor 2-like Agonist-induced Dyskinesia. Neuropharmacology 141 (2018) 260–271.
 
Ye T, MJ Bartlett, MB Schmit, SJ Sherman, T Falk and SL Cowen; Ten-Hour Exposure to Low-Dose Ketamine Enhances Corticostriatal Cross-Frequency Coupling and Hippocampal Broad-Band Gamma Oscillations. Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 13 Aug 2018, doi: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00061.
 
Sponsored Research Through MSRP: 
Miriam I. Harris, (MSRP 2009): "Behavioral Assessment of the Current 6-OHDA Model of Parkinson's and Modulation of Basal Ganglia Excitability by Knockdown of the Kir2.3 Potassium Channel in the Direct Pathway" 
 
Brandon Root, MSRP 2009) Development of a Mild Hemi-Parkinson's Rodent Model with the Ability to Assess the Neuroprotective Efficacy of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Transplantation"
 
Mitchell J. Bartlett, (MSRP 2012): "Mechanisms of VEGF-B Action in Dopaminergic Cells"; (MSRP 2016): ""Evaluation of Low-Dose Ketamine Treatment in a Model of Development of Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia"

Christopher Chen Wu, (MSRP 2013): "Opioid Glycopeptides: A Novel Approach to Treating Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia"
 
Advanced Research Distinction Track (RDT): 
Brandon K. Root, (RDT Class of 2011): "A Mild Hemi-Parkinson's Rat Model For the Assessment of Novel Therapies for Parkinson's Disease"
 
NIH Undergraduate Diversity Program: 
Dianna Padilla, 2014, "An Extension of the Therapeutic Effects of L-DOPA by Decreasing Dyskinesia in an In Vivo Model"
 
Alexander Esqueda, 2019, "An Introduction to Parkinson’s Disease and the 6-OHDA Rat Model"; 2020, "Abnormal Involuntary Movements"
 
Juben Saez, 2021, "Ignorance of Parkinson’s Disease"
 
Lilian German-Noriega, 2022, "Parkinson's Disease"
 
NIH High School Student Research Program: 
Dianna Padilla, Nogales High School, 2011
Mary Nga Nguyen, Chandler High School, 2012
Thomas White, Perry High School; 2013
Nicole Robles, Desert View High School; 2013
Genesis Zazueta, Tucson Magnet High School; 2014
Neira L.R. Nez, Monument Valley High School; 2015
Alex Esqueda, University High School, 2016
Catherine Fuentes, Trevor G. Browne High School (Phoenix, AZ), 2017
Jimena Lamadrid, Douglas High School (Douglas, AZ), 2018
Jaqueline Yepiz, Desert View High School, 2018
Isabella Fox, Basis Tucson North, 2019, 2020
Fernanda Montes, Douglas High School (Douglas, AZ), 2019
Lilian German, Willcox High School (Willcox, AZ), 2021
Isaac Rojas, Pueblo High School, 2021
Sophia Buchanan, BASIS Tucson North, 2022
Ana Garcia, Nogales High School, 2023
 
Monday, July 30, 2018