Vaghinak Sarkisian

Head of Laboratory, Professor, DSc, PhD

E-mail: vsargsyan@physiol.sci.am, tel.: +374 10 273861, +374 91 420857

Armenian Physiological Society(member), Armenian IBRO Association (president), Armenian Neuroscience Society (president), Society for Neuroscience (SFN-regular member)
Scientific collaboration - Hungary, Budapest, 1982-1983, 1985, 1987, 1991,1994, 2007 (Semmelweis University Medical School, Profs J.Szentagothai & L.Simon) Italy, Pisa, 1989-1990 (Dpt of Physiology & Biochemistry, Univ of Pisa, Prof. O.Pompeiano), France, Paris, 1995-1996 ( College de France-CNRS, lab of Physiology of Perception & Movement,Prof. A.Berthoz).

Understanding the neurophysiological basis of CNS plasticity is one of the greatest challenges faced by neuroscientists. In the last decades we have made considerable progress searching for neural correlates of CNS plasticity in the mammal’s brain; however what we currently know is just the tip of the iceberg.

Professor Vaghinak Sarkisian directs a multi-disciplinary research group aimed at understanding the synaptic mechanisms and neuromorphological patterns of pathologies of experimentally induced extensive and local deafferentation in various CNS structures with subsequent detection of resources the plastic reorganization of the pathways in motor and sensory links and on the level of the neuroplasticity variability of single neurons and neuronal populations. On the experimental models are studied neurodegenerative processes lying in the basis of vestibular compensation and hemorrhagic and / or ischemic stroke. In realization of the task are used intra - and extracellular recording technique and adequate neuromorphological methods such as the method of HRP retrograde axonal transport. Besides classical (Nissl method) and path - labeling methods are designed experiments using histochemical methods, in particular identification of GABAergic inhibitory neurons due to their important role in the processes of recovery and plasticity.Ultimately, the results of our research will be applied to the study of diseases that affect human health.

1. Problems of CNS plasticity: Electrophysiological, biochemical, neurohistochemical and molecular mechanisms of different nonspecific (vestibular injury) and specific (Alzhemer’s and Parkinson’s diseases) neurodegenerative disorders. Study of synaptic mechanisms of neuroprotective effects of different exo- and endogen biomodulators upon vestibular compensation, stroke and recovery of lost functions.
2. Sport Physiology: investigations directed to development of methods of exercise physiology and problems of physical education, as well as systematic approach and integrated training programs.