Mahesh Thakkar, PhD

Thakkar

Neurology

Professor
Director of Research

573-814-6000

Profile

University of Missouri researcher Dr. Mahesh Thakkar is working
for a good night’s sleep.

By investigating the neurobiological and behavioral factors
controlling the sleep-wake cycle, Thakkar is helping lay
groundwork to develop treatments for sleep disorders
such as sleep apnea and insomnia. Thakkar uses molecular/
biochemical, electrophysiological and behavioral approaches
to study the circadian system, responsible for regulating
numerous rhythms in the body including sleep.

Working with fellow neurologist Dr. Pradeep Sahota, Thakkar
spent more than five years examining the role of sleep in
addiction including alcohol addiction. One in five adult
Americans uses alcohol as a sleep aid, but the pair’s research
suggests that such use can cause long-term sleep problems.
They discovered that alcohol interferes with the sleep
regulatory homeostatic system, causing insomnia and sleep
disruptions.

Additionally, Thakkar has investigated histamine, the cause of
inflammation in people with allergies, which also plays a role in
sleep and wakefulness. After examining rodents with varying
levels of the compound, he demonstrated that histamine
promotes wakefulness via the basal forebrain regions.

At present, Thakkar is investigation the underlying mechanisms
responsible for causing sleep disturbances in patients with
post-traumatic stress disorders.

Dr. Mahesh Thakkar is a professor and director of research
in the School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology with
an appointment at the Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans’
Hospital.

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Academic Information

Professor
Director of Research
P. 573-814-6000

Research Interests

  • Etilogy and pathophysiology of sleep disorders in humans and animal models

Areas of Expertise

  • Monitoring sleep-wakefulenss in animal models
  • In vivo electrophysiology
  • Molecular biology
  • Histology
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • In vivo optogenetics and pharmocogenetics
  • In vivo calcium imaging

Education & Training

Medical School

M.S. Univ, Baroda, India; Jawaharlal Nehru Univ., New Delhi, India.

Awards & Honors

  • 2004: National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression Award
  • 2000: Sleep Medicine Education and Research Foundation Award
  • 1999: Young Investigator Award, Sleep Research Society
  • 1997: Young Investigator Award, American Sleep Disorder Association.
  • 1993: B. K. Anand Award, Association of Physiologist & Pharmacologists of India.
  • 1989: Graduate Aptitude test in Engineering (GATE) Award of Senior Research Fellowship.
  • 1988: National Eligibility test (NET) Award Senior Research Fellowship
  • 1987: NET Award of Junior Research Fellowship
  • 1986: GATE Award of Junior Research Fellowship.

In the News

Mahesh, Thakkar, PhD.
Mahesh Thakkar, PhD

Publications

  • Nair, A, Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM* (2016) Adenosine: the link between sleep and memory (in preparation).
  • Nair, A, Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM* (2016) Sleep Inertia Review: Observing it Through a Two-Process Model of Sleep – Sleep Homeostasis (Process S) and Circadian Rhythm (Process C) (in preparation).
  • Davis, M, Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM (2016) Effect of resveratrol on murine models of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Under Review
  • Sharma, R, Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM* (2016) Ethanol withdrawal is associated with the downregulation of orexin gene expression but not with the activation of orexin neurons. Under revision.
  • Hinkel, CJ, Sharma, R, Thakkar, MM, Takahashi, K, Hopewell, BL, and Lever, TE (2016) Neural mechanisms contributing to dysphagia in mouse models Otolaryngology Head Neck Surg. pii: 0194599816640261. [Epub ahead of print].
  • Parker, KE, McCabe, MP, Johns, HW, Lund, DK, Odu, F, Sharma, R, Thakkar, MM, Cornelison, DD, Will, MJ (2015) Neural activation patterns underlying basolateral amygdala influence on intra-accumbens opioid-driven consummatory vs. appetitive high-fat feeding behaviors in the rat. Behavioral Neurosci. 129(6):812-21.
    Contribution: 5%
  • Sharma, R, Lodhi, S. Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM* (2015) Nicotine administration in the wake-promoting basal forebrain attenuates sleep promoting effects of alcohol. Journal of Neurochemistry (In press).
    Contribution: 70% Students: Lodhi, S was an undergraduate student (Discovery Fellow). Two Indicators of Quality: Acceptance Rate: 33% Impact Factor: 4.244; Q1 (74 of 291 journals in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
    Q1 (63 of 252 journals in Neurosciences)
  • Cui, C, Noronha, A, Warren, K, Koob, G, Sinha, R, Thakkar, MM, Matochik, J Crews, FT, Chandler, JL, Pfefferbaum, A, Becker, HC, Lovinger, D, Everitt, B, Egli, M., Mandyam, C, Fein, G, Potenza, MN, Harris, RA, Grant, KA, Roberto, M, Meyerhoff, DJ, Sullivan, EV (2015). Brain Pathway to recovery from alcohol dependence. Alcohol 49(5):435-52. PMID: 26074423.
    Contribution: This is a Proceeding of a Conference organized by National institution of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; I was invited to present my work.
    Two Indicators of Quality: Acceptance Rate: 43%
    Impact Factor: 2.038; Q3 (10 of 18 journals in Substance Abuse)
  • Thakkar MM*, Sharma, R, Sahota, P (2015) Alcohol disrupts sleep homeostasis. Alcohol 49(4):299-310. PMID:25499829
    Contribution: This was an invited review.
    Two Indicators of Quality: Acceptance Rate: 43%
    Impact Factor: 2.038; Q3 (10 of 18 journals in Substance Abuse)
    Page 14 of 27
  • Sharma, R, Dumontier, S, DeRoode, D, Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM* (2014) Nicotine infusion in the wake-promoting basal forebrain enhances alcohol-induced activation of nucleus accumbens. Alcoholism- Clinical and Experimental Research 38(10):2590-6. PMID: 25336083. Contribution: 70% Students: DeRoode, D and Dumontier, S are undergraduate students. Two Indicators of Quality: Impact Factor: 1.403; Q3 20 of 35 journals in Substance Abuse) Indexed in: MEDLINE, Embase
  • Sharma, R, Bradshaw, K. Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM* (2014) Acute binge alcohol administration reverses sleep-wake cycle. Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research 38 (7):1941-46. PMID: 24930893. Contribution: 70% Students: Bradshaw, K was an undergraduate student. Two Indicators of Quality: Impact Factor: 1.403; Q3 (20 of 35 journals in Substance Abuse) Indexed in: MEDLINE, Embase
  • Sharma, R, Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM*, (2014) Nicotine administration in the cholinergic basal forebrain increases alcohol consumption in C57BL/6J mice. Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research 38(5):1315-20. PMID: 24512005 Contribution: 70% Two Indicators of Quality: Impact Factor: 1.403; Q3 (20 of 35 journals in Substance Abuse) Indexed in: MEDLINE, Embase
  • Sharma, R, Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM*, (2014) Rapid tolerance development to the NREM sleep promoting effect of alcohol. Sleep 37 (4):821:824
    Contribution: 70%
    Two Indicators of Quality: Acceptance Rate: 20%
    Impact Factor: 5.062; Q1 (20 of 194 journals in Clinical Neurology); Q1 (45 of 252 journals in Neurosciences)
  • Sharma, R, Sahota, P, Thakkar, MM*, (2014) Role of adenosine and the orexinergic perifornical hypothalamus in sleep promoting effects of ethanol. Sleep 37(3):525-33
    Contribution: 70%
    Two Indicators of Quality: Acceptance Rate: 20%
    Impact Factor: 5.062; Q1 (20 of 194 journals in Clinical Neurology); Q1 (45 of 252 journals in Neurosciences)
    15. Nam HW, McIver, SR, Hinton, DJ, Thakkar, MM Sari, Y, Parkinson, FE, Haydon, PG and Choi, DS (2012) Adenosine and Glutamate Signaling in Neuron-Glial interaction: Implication in Alcoholism and Sleep Disorders Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research 2012 Jul;36(7):1117-25
    Contribution: This was a proceeding from a Conference. I was invited to present my work. Two Indicators of Quality: Impact Factor: 1.403; Q3 (20 of 35 journals in Substance Abuse) Indexed in: MEDLINE, Embase