Susan R. Barry

Professor of Biological Sciences

Specialization
Nerve cells; synaptic transmission; ion channels in protists

Susan Barry studies ion channels in protists (large, one-celled microorganisms such as paramecia and amoebas). Ion channels permit the passage of electrical currents through cell membranes. The carriers of these currents are not electrons, as in a copper wire, but ions such as sodium and potassium. Currents through ion channels in the membrane of nerve cells are responsible for the nervous impulse. In protists, currents through ion channels regulate how the microorganisms move and feed. Says Barry, "It's very gratifying to manipulate these ionic currents and see immediate effects on the behavior of the protists."

Barry's work in ion channels relates directly to the control of diseases, such as malaria, that are caused by protists. Antimalarial drugs, such as chloroquine, quinacrine, and mefloquine, are generally toxic to protists and can be effective in treating diseases caused by these microorganisms. Barry has studied the effects of these drugs on protists and has shown that the antimalarials alter ion currents through their cell membranes.

On a very different topic, during a sabbatical at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Barry studied eye-head-hand coordination in people.

Recently, Barry has authored articles that have appeared in the Journal of Vestibular Research and the Journal of Comparative Physiology.