Alexander Rouch

Biography

Alexander Rouch joined the university in June 1992 as an Assistant Professor in Physiology. As a faculty member I am responsible for teaching, research, and service. Teaching physiology to medical students requires not only presenting the fundamentals of the physiological systems (neural, cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and endocrine) but also enabling the students to integrate the systems in such a way that develops a full understanding of how the human body functions. Research requires an active participation in the discovery of new knowledge and sharing that knowledge with colleagues, students, and the community. Service requires participating on university committees and taking an active role in developing appropriate policies for the college.

Research Interest

Sex differences in the renal regulation of sodium handling and blood pressure My primary interest is in how the female and male kidneys differ in structure and function. Premenopausal women are protected from numerous kidney diseases compared to age-matched males and this protection is lost after menopause. The sex hormones estrogen and testosterone have important roles in the sex differences related to the kidney. My studies focus on the renal regulation of sodium transport and blood pressure. I measure these parameters in female and male mice upon consuming normal and high-salt diets. Studies are conducted in normal mice and gonadectomized mice supplemented with either estrogen or testosterone. The objectives are to determine the physiological and molecular mechanisms of estrogen and testosterone on renal sodium handling and correlate these effects with changes in blood pressure. I am also interested in analyzing the transcriptomes of female and male kidneys under these various conditions using the technique of serial analysis of gene expression.