Specializes

Autism, Epilepsy, Genetics, Neuropharmacology

Education

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, (Magna Cum Laude) B.S., Molecular Biology, 1981-1985
Univ. of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, M.D., 1985-1992
University of Kentucky Graduate School , Lexington, KY, Ph.D., Biochemistry, 1987-1990
Epilepsy Research Fellow, Duke Center for the Advanced Fellowship Study of Epilepsy, Duke University Medical School, Durham, N.C., 1997-2000

Training

9/90-5/92 Postdoctoral Research Scholar
Department of Biochemistry
Univ. of Kentucky College of Medicine
Lexington, K.Y.

7/92-6/94 Resident in Pediatrics
St. Louis Children's Hospital
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO.

7/94-6/97 Clinical Fellow in Pediatrics, Neurology, and Epilepsy
Children's Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

7/97-12/00 Epilepsy Research Scholar (K08 Award)
Duke Center for Advanced Study of Epilepsy
Duke University School of Medicine
Durham, NC

Board Certifications

National Board certified
North Carolina License
Kentucky License
Tennessee License
DEA License
ABPN Certification - Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology
Pediatrics Board Certification
ABPN Epilepsy Board Certification

Clinical Interests

Epilepsy, Autism, Pediatrics

Research Interests

Autism and epilepsy are common childhood neurological disorders with a great heterogeneity of clinical phenotypes as well as risk factors. There is a high co-morbidity of autism and epilepsy but the molecular underpinnings of this overlap are unclear. The neuropathology of autism and epilepsy has distinctly similar histology implicating the processes of neurogenesis, neural migration, programmed cell death, and neurite outgrowth. Genetic advances have identified multiple molecules that participate in neural development, brain network connectivity, and synaptic function which could be involved in the pathogenesis of autism including the guidance system Semaphorin 3F-Neuropilin 2 signaling. Dr Barnes’ clinical and basic science research program investigates the genomic determinants of behavior and cognition in human and animal models of autism and epilepsy. The long term goals of this research is to conduct studies in models of autism and epilepsy to aid in the identification of therapeutic drug targets to ameliorate the burden of neurologic disease in these children. Special emphasis is placed on the understanding of the contribution of GABAergic signaling, epileptiform discharges and sleep to epileptogenesis and behavior in the broad ASD populations.

Selected Publications

Perdigoto, A.L., Chaudry, N., Filbin, M.T., Barnes, G.N., and Carter, B.D.
(2011) A Novel Role for PTEN in the Inhibition of Neurite Outgrowth by Myelinassociated
Glycoprotein in Cortical Neurons, Mol. Cell. Neurosci., 46(1):235-44.

Vendrame, M, Loddenkemper, T, Zarowski, M, Gregas, M, Shuhaiber, H,
Sarco, D.P., Morales, A., Nespeca, M., Sharpe, C., Haas, K, Barnes, G.N., Glaze,
D., Kothare, S. (2012) Analysis of EEG patterns and genotype in patients with
Angelman Syndrome. Epilepsy and Behavior, 23(3):261-5.

Kang, Q. and Barnes, G.N. (2013) A common susceptibility factor for autism
and epilepsy: functional deficiency of GABAA receptors, J. Autism Develop.
Disorders, 43(1):68-79.

Sidhu, R., Velaydum, K., and Barnes, G.N. (2013) Pediatric Seizures,
Pediatrics in Review, 34(8):333-42.