Research Areas of Interest:

• Role of Septo-hippocampal Region in Pain
• Hypothalamic regulation of hippocampal function
• Circuit mechanism of dementia

Selected Publications

• Ng, S.Y., Ariffin, M.Z. and Khanna, S. Neurokinin receptor mechanisms in forebrain medial septum modulate nociception in the formalin model of inflammatory pain. Scientific Reports 11: 24358, 2021.
• Ibrahim, KM., Ariffin, MZ. and Khanna, S. Modulation of septo-hippocampal neural responses in anesthetized and behaving rats by septal AMPA receptor mechanisms. Frontiers in Neural Circuits 15: 663633, 2021.
• Ariffin, MZ., Ibrahim, KM., Lee, AT., Lee, RZ., Poon, SY., Thong, HK., Liu. EHC., Low, CM., Khanna, S. Forebrain medial septum sustains experimental neuropathic pain. Scientific Reports 8:11892, 2018.
• Liu, C., Zhang, CW., Lo, SQ., Ang, ST., Chew, KCM., Yu, D., Chai, BH., Tan, B., Tsang, F., Tai, YK., Tan, BWQ., Liang, MC., Tan, HT., Tang, JY., Lai, MKP., Chua, JJE., Chung, MCM5., Khanna, S., Lim, KL. and Soong TW. S-Nitrosylation of Divalent Metal Transporter 1 Enhances Iron Uptake to Mediate Loss of Dopaminergic Neurons and Motoric Deficit. Journal of Neuroscience 38: 8364-8377, 2018.
• Ariffin, MZ., Low, CM. and Khanna, S. Medial septum modulates cellular response induced in hippocampus on microinjection of cholinergic agonists into hypothalamic lateral supramammillary nucleus. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 11: 79, 2017.
• Ang, ST., Ariffin, MZ and Khanna, S. The forebrain medial septal region and nociception. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 138:238-251, 2017.
• Teh, DBL., Prasad, A., Jiang, W., Ariffin, MZ., Khanna, S., Belorkar, A., Wong, L., Liu, X. and All, AH. Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Neuroprotective aspects of Human Reactive Astrocytes induced by Interleukin 1β. Scientific Reports 7:13988, 2017.
• Ang, ST., Lee, ATH., Foo, FC., Ng, L., Low, C-M. and Khanna, S. GABAergic neurons of the medial septum play a nodal role in facilitation of nociception-induced affect. Scientific Reports 3:15419, 2015.
• Lee, ATH., Ariffin, MZ., Zhou, M., Ye, JZ., Moochhala, SM. and Khanna, S. Forebrain medial septum region facilitates nociception in a rat formalin model of inflammatory pain. Pain 152: 2528-2542, 2011.
• Ariffin, MZ., Jiang, F., Low, C.-M. and Khanna, S. Nicotinic receptor mechanism in supramammillary nucleus mediates physiological regulation of neural activity in dorsal hippocampal field CA1 of anaesthetized rat. Hippocampus 20: 852-865, 2010.
• Tai, S.K., Huang, F.-D., Moochhala, S. and Khanna, S. Hippocampal theta state in relation to formalin nociception. Pain 121: 29-42, 2006.