Perry Duncan has spent the past 30 years instructing students on psychopharmacology and brain function, and conducting research on behavioral pharmacology.

He serves as president of the psychology division of the Virginia Academy of Sciences and at the start of the fall semester becomes director of the master's program in psychology, overseeing about 40 graduate students.

Duncan, associate professor of psychology, currently divides his time between two projects, one testing the effects of hypoglycemia on animals and the other studying the effects of the pfiesteria toxin on the memory functions of the brain.

In humans, hypoglycemia occurs most often when an insulin-dependent diabetic self-administers insulin without consuming enough carbohydrates and blood sugar falls to an abnormally low level, Duncan explained. The effects include dizziness, anxiety, confusion, headache and irritability. In severe cases, one can lose consciousness or even lapse into a coma.

In his research, performed with the assistance of master's student Glen Grasso, Duncan uses laboratory rats as test subjects. First, he injects the animals with insulin and observes how it affects their behavior. The researchers use what is called an elevated plus maze, a device designed to test anxiety. "The rats injected are noticeably more nervous and tense," Duncan said.

They then inject the rats with small amounts of ethyl alcohol, the same substance found in alcoholic beverages, and test to see how it reduces the effects of hypoglycemia. They have discovered so far that the alcohol decreases the animals' hypoglycemia-related anxiety.

Barbara Winstead, chair of the psychology department, speaks with admiration of Duncan's professional achievements. His recent research, she said, "is relevant to the lack of awareness most diabetics have of their hypoglycemic states and their inability to monitor their condition."

Duncan's other research endeavor, studying the fish-killing microorganism pfiesteria, stemmed from a project funded by the State Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The principal investigator is Harold Marshall, professor emeritus of biological sciences. Other partners are William Dunstan, eminent scholar of ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences, Andrew Gordon, chair of biological sciences, and Brian Dyer, a biology research associate.

The toxin, responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of fish in recent years, is primarily concentrated in the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters of North Carolina. Scientists believe that pfiesteria has been present in the mud sediments along the bottom of the bay floor, possibly for thousands of years, existing as a nontoxic predator on other organisms such as bacteria, algae and small animals. Human pollution, resulting in excessive nutrient enrichment, has slowly shifted the environment to encourage the toxin's fish-killing activity.

Duncan's inclusion on the project followed the discovery of pfiesteria's effects on brain function in humans. The toxin has been linked to health problems suffered by some environmentalists, water experts and fishermen who work regularly with the water from infested areas.

The effects on humans can include lethargy, reddening of the eyes/blurred vision, nausea/vomiting, breathing difficulty, kidney and liver dysfunction, acute short-term memory loss, and severe cognitive impairment. Most of the acute symptoms have proved reversible over time, provided those affected were not re-exposed to the toxin.

In his research, Duncan tests rats' short-term memory by having them run to eight different locations for food in a radial-arm maze. Those in the test group are injected with the pfiesteria toxin before being placed in the maze. "Although the research is in the beginning stages, it appears that the rats' times are slower and that they make more errors after they have received the pfiesteria injection," Duncan said.

Duncan, who has used laboratory rats in his research for more than 30 years, emphasizes, "Like all universities, Old Dominion operates under strict ethical guidelines in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act."

He adds that the university's program of animal care and use has been approved by the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, and that Old Dominion's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee ensures that all animal handling procedures are in accordance with federal regulations.

Duncan is especially interested in the human applications of his research. He hopes to understand how hypoglycemia affects behavior and cognition, and how the disorder might be influenced by alcohol. Through his pfiesteria research, his goal is to expand the body of knowledge about the effects of the toxin on humans.

Duncan said he enjoys working with students in the labs and instructing them on the biological bases of behavior. Several of his students have gone on to medical school, he notes with a touch of pride. "That's what I like best, working with my students and showing them how to do research," he said.

During the past six years, College of Sciences honor graduates have twice named Duncan "Most Inspiring Professor."