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Dr. Ralph Davis’ research
A leading expert on nematode neurobiology, Dr. Davis made the first intracellular electrical recordings from the neurons of nematodes, a phylum of simple worms that may include as many as one million species. Nematodes (also known as roundworms) are one of the leading causes of disease and death in plants, animals and humans throughout the world, especially in poor and developing countries. In 2001, Davis was awarded a multi-year, $570,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue his research at Northwestern. In 2006 the NIH continued funding his research with another three-year grant worth nearly $200,000.
Davis uses the nematode nervous system as a model to better understand how all nervous systems work. Nematodes have simple nervous systems (about 300 large, relatively accessible nerve cells) compared to other animals and human beings (which have many millions or billions of very tiny, often hard-to-access nerve cells). Davis uses electrophysiological equipment and a variety of neurophysiological techniques in his studies of the nematode nervous system. One of his research goals is to better understand how nerve cells work both individually and in circuits to generate and modify behaviors. Davis’s research in the area of neuropharmacology helps lead to new or better drugs that combat parasites in developing countries.
Contact
Dr. Ralph Davis
712-707-7006
redavis@nwciowa.edu
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