Every day, we take part in diverse activities ranging from cognition, movement to emotion. These activities are controlled by the brain. Nerve cells of the brain learn and form memories of our experiences with the physical and social environments through the process of synaptic plasticity. This mechanism takes place at synapses between neurons of the brain. These synapses serve the purpose of transmission of information as well as regulation of the flow of information between neurons. Neurodegenerative diseases affect synaptic transmission. Therefore, our ability to engage in seemingly simple as well as complex activities become challenging.
Daniel’s research interest is in synaptic plasticity with a focus on gaining an in-depth understanding of the structural and functional changes synapses undergo in pathophysiological states. Various cytoplasmic and membrane proteins play very crucial roles in both the induction and spread of neurological diseases. Ongoing projects include the regulatory role of synaptic proteins in chronic medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE), cognition among drug naïve TLE patients as well as cognitive deficit in cerebrospinal meningitis. Also, he is currently working on HIV/AIDS-associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND) in Cape Coast (Cape Coast HAND Study). He has published in peer-reviewed journals in his field and has presented his work at both local and international conferences. He is the Head of the Department of Physiology and previously served as the Registration and Examinations Officer (Cycle I) of the School of Medical Sciences, UCC. He is also serving on a number of Committees within the Department, School, College and the University. These include being a member of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, UCC (UTAG-UCC) Experts' Forum and Research Committee as well as being a UTAG Representative for Board of Convocation Committee (Scrutineers Committee).
Additionally, Daniel is a member of many prestigious professional bodies such as the Norwegian Neuroscience Society, Canadian Association for Neuroscience, Federation of European Neuroscience Society and Ghana Neuroscience Society. He was a Norwegian Quota Scholar and a product of the University of Ghana (BSc.), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (MSc.), University of Education, Winneba (PGDip) and University of Oslo, Norway (PhD).
He is a youth advocate and earnestly believes in the immense potential of the youth and shares in the belief that one's thoughts today, can make the world better tomorrow.
