Question: have you discovered anything no one had ever knew before

Keith Brain answered on 24 Jun 2010:

Yes, we do this all the time – most research work is done to discover new things. We publish the results of these experiments to other scientist, to doctors treating patients, and to drug companies making new drugs, so that they can freely use the results of our research. Other scientists will work within a company and do research specifically aimed at benefiting the company, and indirectly society too.

Here are some of our (i.e. done by my, or by a research student working with me) firsts:
– we developed a new way of testing for some drug side effects using a form of cocaine that is modified so that it glows under a microscope – that way, we can see how it affects nerves by looking at them under a microscope, to see how drugs affect nerves.
– we showed that an important female hormone (oestrogen) protects the bladder when it doesn’t get enough oxygen – this lack of oxygen in the bladder wall can a problem for many older men and women (the bladder doesn’t work so well when people get old!).
– we developed a series of new techniques for measuring how nerves release important chemical signals called neurotransmitters – these techniques are now being used by other scientists around the world
– we found that drugs that act like nicotine release calcium from stores inside the cell – the first time this was shown inside nerves. This is useful, because drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s disease act a bit like nicotine and act on nerves; we hope that by using this information we, or other scientists using this knowledge, will be able to develop better and safer drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
– we were the first people to be able to measure calcium inside sympathetic nerves. Calcium is very important for nerve function, and is affected by lots of drugs, and the sympathetic nerves are important for subconsciously regulating all our internal organs.