George J. Augustine

George James Augustine (born 1955) is an American neuroscientist known for his work on presynaptic mechanisms of neurotransmitter release and his contributions to the development of optogenetics, a tool to control neural activity using light.^[1][2] He is best known as the author of the popular neuroscience textbook published by Oxford University Press along with lead author Dale Purves.^[3]

George J. Augustine
Augustine in 2019
Born	George James Augustine 1955 (age 68–69)
Nationality	American
Academic background
Alma mater	University of Maryland, Baltimore
Academic advisors	Erwin Neher Roger Eckert
Academic work
Discipline	Biology
Sub-discipline	Neuroscience
Institutions	University of California, Los Angeles Max Planck Society Nanyang Technological University Duke University
Notable students	Sam Wang
Main interests	Calcium signaling optogenetics
Notable works	Neuroscience (2017)
Influenced	Karl Deisseroth

He was previously the G.B. Geller Professor of Neurobiology at Duke University, US. He is currently Irene Tan Liang Kheng Chair Professor in Neuroscience at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University.^[4]

Academic background

Augustine obtained his doctorate from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and trained under Roger Eckert at University of California, Los Angeles, and Erwin Neher at Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry. He was an early receipt of the Grass Fellowship from the Marine Biological Laboratory and has held faculty positions at the University of Southern California, Duke University, and the Duke–NUS Medical School in Singapore.^[5]

Research

Augustine has made seminal contributions to the understanding of neurotransmitter release, showing that it is triggered by a remarkably local calcium signal.^[6][7]  He has been influential in discovering the role of several proteins involved in the release of neurotransmitters from nerve terminals.^[8][9] Augustine has played a key role in the use and spread of optogenetics, a tool for interrogating neural circuits in the brain.^[1][10] He has used the tool to investigate neural circuits involved in Parkinson's disease, Rett syndrome, and impulsive behaviour.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Selected publications

Books

• Dale, Purves; Augustine, George J.; Fitzpatrick, David; Hall, William C.; LaMantia, Anthony-Samuel; Mooney, Richard D.; Platt, Michael L.; White, Leonard E., eds. (2017). Neuroscience (6th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-60535-380-7.

Articles

• Augustine, George J.; Charlton, Milton P.; Smith, Stephen J. (1987). "Calcium Action in Synaptic Transmitter Release". Annual Review of Neuroscience. 10: 633–693. doi:10.1146/annurev.ne.10.030187.003221. PMID 2436546.
• Smith, Stephen J.; Augustine, George J. (1988). "Calcium Ions, Active Zones and Synaptic Transmitter Release". Trends in Neurosciences. 11 (10): 458–464. doi:10.1016/0166-2236(88)90199-3. PMID 2469165.
• Augustine, George J.; Santamaria, Fidel; Tanaka, Keiko (2003). "Local Calcium Signaling in Neurons". Neuron. 40 (2): 311–346. doi:10.1016/S0896-6273(03)00639-1. PMID 14556712.
• Arenkiel, Benjamin R.; Peca, Joao; Davidson, Ian G.; Feliciano, Catia; Deisseroth, Karl; Augustine, George J.; Ehlers, Michael D.; Feng, Guopeng (2007). "In Vivo Light-Induced Activation of Neural Circuitry in Transgenic Mice Expressing Channelrhodopsin-2". Neuron. 54 (2): 205–218. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2007.03.005. PMC 3634585. PMID 17442243.

References

1. Chen, Ingfei (2007). "The Beam of Light That Flips a Switch That Turns on the Brain". The New York Times.
2. Augustine, George J. (2001). "How Does Calcium Trigger Neurotransmitter Release?". Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 11 (3): 320–326. doi:10.1016/S0959-4388(00)00214-2. PMID 11399430.
3. Dale, Purves; Augustine, George J.; Fitzpatrick, David; Hall, William C.; LaMantia, Anthony-Samuel; Mooney, Richard D.; Platt, Michael L.; White, Leonard E., eds. (2017). Neuroscience (6th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-60535-380-7.
4. Ang, Jolene (2018). "NTU Gets $11 Million Gift for Endowment Fund". Straits Times.
5. "Grass Fellows". Grass Foundation. 1979.
6. Finch, Elizabeth A.; Augustine, George J. (1998). "Local Calcium Signalling by Inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate in Purkinje Cell Dendrites". Nature. 396 (6713): 753–756. doi:10.1038/25541. PMID 9874372.
7. Augustine, George J.; Neher, Erwin (1992). "Neuronal Ca2+ Signalling Takes the Local Route". Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 2 (3): 302–307. doi:10.1016/0959-4388(92)90119-6. PMID 1643411.
8. Bommert, Kurt; Charlton, Milton P.; DeBello, William M.; Chin, Gilbert J.; Betz, Heinrich; Augustine, George J. (1993). "Inhibition of Neurotransmitter Release by C2-domain Peptides Implicates Synaptotagmin in Exocytosis". Nature. 363 (6425): 163–165. doi:10.1038/363163a0. PMID 8097867.
9. DeBello, William M.; Betz, Heinrich; Augustine, George J. (1993). "Synaptotagmin and Neurotransmitter Release". Cell. 74 (6): 947–950. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(93)90716-4. PMID 8104706.
10. Shuzhen, Sim (January 8, 2015). "The Optogenetics Revolution". Asian Scientist Magazine. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
11. "Theory of Parkinson's Disease Overturned". Science Daily. 2017.
12. Tan, Audrey (October 7, 2016). "Vitamin Choline Offers Hope in Search for Rett Syndrome Cure". The Straits Times. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
13. "Brain Pathway Linked to Impulsive Behaviors". ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
14. "The Unusual Path to Impulsive Behavior". Asian Scientist Magazine. February 4, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019.