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Christopher Benson, MD

Professor of Internal Medicine-Cardiovascular Medicine

Current Positions

  • Professor of Internal Medicine-Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Professor of Neuroscience and Pharmacology
  • Clinical Director, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

Education

  • MD, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Resident, Internal Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Fellow, Cardiovascular Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon

Graduate Program Affiliations

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Research Interests

  • Dr. Benson's research interests include the study of ion channels involved in sensation. We have focused on a class of ion channels called Acid-sensing Ion Channels (ASICs), which play a role in responses to nociceptive, taste, and mechanical stimuli. We have discovered that ASICs are highly expressed in cardiac sensory neurons and we believe they are particularly important as pH sensors in the setting of myocardial ischemia. In addition, we are interested in how cardiac afferent activation might trigger deleterious neural reflexes in cardiac disease states. Our lab is also interested on the general physiology of ASIC channels, and has discovered several proteins and signaling pathways that modulate ASIC function. Our research methods utilize electrophysiology, whole animal recordings, molecular and cell biology, and protein biochemistry techniques.

Licenses & Certifications

  • Medical License, Iowa Board of Medicine
  • Certification, American Board of Internal Medicine
  • Certification, American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease

Selected Publications

  • Gebska, M. A. & Benson, C. J. (2018). Autonomic Dysfunction and the Cardiovascular System. In Chatterjee, K. (Eds.) Cardiology: An Illustrated Text (Second Edition). Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers.
  • Wang, R., Lu, Y., Gunasekar, S., Zhang, Y., Benson, C. J., Chapleau, M. W., Sah, R. & Abboud, F. M. (2017). The volume-regulated anion channel (LRRC8) in nodose neurons is sensitive to acidic pH. JCI Insight 2 (5) e90632. PMID: 28289711.
  • Zhang, C., Chen, B., Wang, Y., Guo, A., Tang, Y., Khataei, T., Shi, Y., Kutschke, W. J., Zimmerman, K., Weiss, R. M., Liu, J., Benson, C. J., Hong, J., Ma, J. & Song, L. MG53 is dispensable for T-tubule maturation but critical for maintaining T-tubule integrity following cardiac stress. J Mol Cell Cardiol 112 123-130. PMID: 28822805.
  • Gibbons, D. D., Kutschke, W. J., Weiss, R. M. & Benson, C. J. (2015). Heart failure induces changes in acid-sensing ion channels in sensory neurons innervating skeletal muscle. J Physiol 593 (20) 4575-87. PMID: 26314284.
  • Abboud, F. M. & Benson, C. J. (2015). ASICs and cardiovascular homeostasis. Neuropharmacology 94 87-98. PMID: 25592213.
  • Gibbons, D. D., Kutschke, W., Weiss, R. M. & Benson, C. J. (2015). Heart failure induces changes in Acid-Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) in sensory neurons innervating skeletal muscle. J Physiol 593 (20) 4575-87.
  • Abboud, F. M. & Benson, C. J. (2015). ASICs and cardiovascular hemostasis. Neuropharmacology 94 87-98. PMCID: 4472389.
  • Harding, A. M., Kusama, N., Hattori, T., Gautam, M. & Benson, C. J. (2014). ASIC2 subunits facilitate expression at the cell surface and confer regulation by PSD-95. PLoS One 9 (4) e93797. PMID: 3974781.
  • Collier, D. M., Tomkovicz, V. R., Peterson, Z. J., Benson, C. J. & Snyder, P. M. (2014). Intersubunit conformational changes mediate epithelial sodium channel gating. J Gen Physiol 144 (4) 337-48. PMID: 4178938.
  • Kusama, N., Gautam, M., Harding, A. M., Snyder, P. M. & Benson, C. J. (2013). Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are differentially modulated by anions dependent on their subunit composition. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 304 (1) C89-C101. PMCID: 3543573.

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