Dr Benjamin Gronier

Job: Senior Lecturer

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: Leicester School of Pharmacy

Address: De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 207 8418

E: bgronier@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/hls

 

Personal profile

Ben's main interests lie in the following areas:

  • Psychopharmacology of dopamine and other central monoamines
  • Pharmacology of antipsychotic drugs and pathology of schizophrenia
  • Pharmacology and neuropathophysiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD)
  • Neurochemical and electrophysiological action of psychostimulants and cognition enhancers
  • Function of brain glutamate and dopamine receptors and role in cognition and in brain disorders
  • Brain mechanism involved in the pathophysiology of obesity.

Research group affiliations

Pharmacology

Research interests/expertise

  • Neuropsychopharmacology
  • Psychiatry
  • Neuro-electrophysiology
  • Cognition Neurodevelopment disorders
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders
  • Schizophrenia
  • Antipsychotics
  • Psychostimulants.

Areas of teaching

  • Pharmacology
  • Endocrinology
  • Central Nervous System
  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacokinetics.

Qualifications

PhD

Courses taught

  • Pharmacy (year 1-4)
  • Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Sciences (year 2)
  • Biomedical Sciences (year 2)
  • Speech and Language Therapy (year 1)
  • Psychiatry trainees.

Honours and awards

  • Ben was nominated for the Vice Chancellor Teaching of Excellence (2006)
  • Ben was part of the group that obtained the Curriculum development and Innovation award (2006).

Membership of professional associations and societies

  • European college of Neuropsychopharmacology
  • Society for Neuroscience.

Professional licences and certificates

  • Home office animal licence (modules 1-4)
  • Radioprotection supervisor.

Forthcoming events

European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, October 2012, Vienna, Austria

Conference attendance

European College on Neuropsychopharmacology meeting, Istanbul, September 2009. Ben was invited to present and organize a session entitled: 'Age dependent effects of methylphenidate in animal studies; does it matter?'

Key articles information

  • Electrophysiological and neurochemical studies ADHD drugs in the adult and developing brain
  • Modulation of glutamate NMDA receptor function by psychotropic drugs
  • Control of the neuronal activity in the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic systems by psychotropic drugs and environmental factors

Current research students

  • Ahmed Alsabi, PhD student, 2nd supervisor
  • Komal Siddiqi, PhD student, 2nd supervisor
  • Adele Bousquet, MSC Pharmacology (France), 1st supervisor
  • Razane El Bizre, MSC Pharmaceutical Technology, 1st supervisor
  • Maryam Meriki, MSC/Pharmacy Student (France), 1st supervisor

Externally funded research grants information

Successful applications:

  • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council co-application grant (Dr P Burnet, Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University) :
    The effect of D-alanine and a prebiotic on rat brain N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and executive function. £ 345,000.
  • Industrial collaboration with Neurosearch (H Ponteck, Sweden). £ 29,900

 Pending:

  • NARSAD (long term effect of methylpenidate on mesocortical dopamine neurones) $ 56,000.
  • Industrial collaboration with Eli Lilly (Indianapolis, US) Long term effect of atomoxetine on prefrontal cortex neurones and cognitive functions. £ 42,000.

Internally funded research project information

  • Higher Education Innovation Funding (£10000). A multidisciplinary investigation on the use of intranasal administration of dopamine as an alternative treatment for ADHD. (In collaboration with Prof J Taylor).
  • DMU PhD studentship to start in October 2012: Impact of psychostimulant administration during development on adult brain functions controlling motivation, impulsivity and cognition.