Monica Ferrini, Ph.D.

Monica Ferrini, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
Charles Drew University
Hawkins Building room 3033
1731 E. 120th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90059

Phone: (323) 563-9332
Fax: (323) 563-9352
monicaferrini@cdrewu.edu

Research Interests

Neural control of penile erection requires the coordination of the brain and the spinal cord as well as the activation of an enzyme named neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). nNosproduces nitric oxide (NO), which is the mediator of penile erection. The penile variant of nNOS (PnNOS), and its inhibitor protein called PIN, have been identified in our laboratory and localized in the brain and spinal cord. Despite the fact that NO is the neurotransmitter responsible for penile erection via its release by PnNOS in the penile (cavernosal) nerves, there is no direct evidence for PnNOS involvement in the central control of penile erection at either the level of the brain and/or spinal cord. In fact, it is not known which, if any, of the identified regions in the brain producing NO communicate through the innervations to the penis.

The goal of my research is to localize in the brain and spinal cord of the rat, the neurons containing PnNOS and PIN that project to the penis and to identify whether those neurons that contain PnNOS are activated during penile erection. These observations should shed light on the role of NO in the central control of penile erection, the damage occurring in erectile dysfunction associated with diabetes, prostate surgery, spinal cord injury, aging, and other conditions, and the mechanism by which centrally acting drugs regulate this control.

My research interest is to study the neurobiology of the lower urological tract, and thus expand our understanding of how the peripheral and central nervous systems work together to mediate erectile function. In particular, I am interested in clarifying the anatomical distribution and physiological roles of these erectogenic nerves and how they are affected by two main factors of erectile dysfunction, aging and diabetes mellitus, conditions sharing a high level of oxidative stress and neurotoxicity . In diabetes, damage to both the sensory and autonomic nerves co-exists with a vasculopathy affecting the cavernosal smooth muscle. The elucidation of this central/neural integration would allow us to develop 1) new approaches to investigate the impact of diabetes and aging on the PnNOS/PIN-containing neurons in the CNS, the axons in the neural circuit, the nerve terminals in the penis that control erection and ejaculation, and the target smooth muscle, and 2) similar studies on nitrergic circuits involved in the male in prostate function, in the female in vaginal sexual responses, and in both genders in bladder function.

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