- B.Sc. (Sheffield University, UK)
- Ph.D. (Sheffield University, UK)
Office: LHS D221
Phone: 705-748-1011 ext. 6347
Email: kirkhillsley@trentu.ca
Research interests
- Effects of stress and infection on the Microbiota - Gut - Brain axis
- Peripheral-CNS interactions
- Neurophysiology
My research focuses on how nerve cell function is modulated, be it by psychological stress, immunological stress, or by physiological and pharmacological manipulation. I am generally interested in the interplay between peripheral sensory nerves, the microbiome, the immune system, and the central nervous system, and how these different cell types communicate and modulate each other’s activity.
Teaching
BIOL 1030: Foundations in Cellular and Molecular Biology
BIOL 2050: Introduction to Genetics
BIOL 3250: Microbiology
BIOL 3640: Epidemiology
BIOL 4370: The Gut Microbiome
BIOL 4630: Epigenetics
Selected publications
Aerssens J, Hillsley K, Peeters PJ, de Hoogt R, Stanisz A, Lin J, Van den Wyngaert I, Gohlmann HW, Grundy D, Stead RH, Coulie, B. Alterations in the brain-gut axis underlying visceral chemosensitivity in Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infected mice. Gastroenterology 2007 Apr;132(4):1375-87.
Hillsley K, McCaul C, Aerssens J, Peeters PJ, Gijsen H, Moechars D, Coulie B, Grundy D, Stead RH. Activation of the cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptor inhibits murine mesenteric afferent nerve activity. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2007 Sep;19(9):769-77.
Hillsley K, Lin J, Stanisz A, Grundy D, Aerssens J, Peeters PJ, Moechars D, Coulie B, Stead RH. Dissecting the role of sodium currents in visceral sensory neurons in a model of chronic hyperexcitability using Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 knockout mice. J Physiol. 2006 Aug
Stead RH, Colley EC, Wang B, Partosoedarso E, Lin J, Stanisz A,
Hillsley K. Vagal influences over mast cells. Auton Neurosci. 2006 Apr 30; 125(1-2): 53-61
Peeters PJ, Aerssens J, de Hoogt R, Stanisz A, Göhlmann HW, Hillsley K, Meulemans A, Grundy D, Stead RH, Coulie B. Molecular profiling of murine sensory neurons in the nodose and dorsal root ganglia labeled from the peritoneal cavity. Physiol Genomics. 2006 Feb 14; 24(3): 252-63
