Professor John Ashton

2025

Journal - Research Article

Berry, M. A., Bland, A. R., Major, G. S., & Ashton, J. C. (2025). Development of an ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer in vitro tumor 3D culture model for therapeutic screening. Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1369/00221554251318435

Fenton, E., & Ashton, J. (2025). Pharmacological and ethical comparisons of lung cancer medicine accessibility in Australia and New Zealand. Journal of Medical Ethics, 51, 441-445. doi: 10.1136/jme-2023-109758

Journal - Research Other

Ashton, J. C. (2025). ALK inhibitors against resistance in non-small cell lung cancer: An 18 year medical arms race. Biochemical Pharmacology, 242, 117214. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2025.117214

Other Research Output

Ashton, J. (2025, July). Pharmacology with skin in the game. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Inaugural Professorial Lecture].

2024

Journal - Research Other

Ashton, J. C. (2024). The case for publicly funding lorlatinib. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 137(1601), 77-79. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/

2023

Journal - Research Article

Berry, M. A., Bland, A. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2023). Mechanisms of synergistic suppression of ALK-positive lung cancer cell growth by the combination of ALK and SHP2 inhibitors. Scientific Reports, 13, 10041. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-37006-2

Journal - Research Other

Ashton, J. C., Bland, A. R., & Sammut, I. A. (2023). Treatment of lorlatinib induced hypercholesterolemia with PCSK9 inhibitors: A new solution to an emerging need in non-small cell lung cancer therapy. Open Journal of Clinical & Medical Case Reports, 9(11). [Case Study].

Bland, A. R., Ashton, J. C., Kamal, M. A., & Sahebkar, A. (2023). The current evidence for the therapeutic role of curcumin in Alzheimer's disease. CNS & Neurological Disorders: Drug Targets, 22(3), 318-320. doi: 10.2174/1871527321666220119105836

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Berry, M., Bland, A., & Ashton, J. (2023). Differing cell cycle responses for alectinib and SHP099 in variant 1 and variant 3 ALK⁺ non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 18(Suppl. 11), (pp. S424-S425). doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2023.09.766

Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Bland, A. R., Kleffmann, T., & Ashton, J. C. (2023, August). Using next generation mass spectrometry technologies to examine protein targets of the ALK+ lung cancer drug, Alectinib. Poster session presented at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.

2022

Journal - Research Article

Watts, B., Berry, M., Bland, A., Badart, M., Hawkins, B., & Ashton, J. (2022). Tumour cell suppression by spiroleucettadine through dual regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis. F1000Research, 11, 1328. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.126754.1

Godward, J., Riordan, B. C., Winter, T., Ashton, J. C., Hunter, J., & Scarf, D. (2022). Lung cancer attracts greater stigma than other cancer types in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of Oncology, 2022, 2183055. doi: 10.1155/2022/2183055

Bland, A. R., Shrestha, N., Berry, M., Wilson, C., & Ashton, J. C. (2022). Experimental determination of cancer drug targets with independent mechanisms of resistance. Current Cancer Drug Targets, 22(2), 97-107. doi: 10.2174/1568009622666220107152014

Bland, A. R., Payne, F. M., Ashton, J. C., Jamialahmadi, T., & Sahebkar, A. (2022). The cardioprotective actions of statins in targeting mitochondrial dysfunction associated with myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Pharmacological Research, 175, 105986. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105986

Journal - Research Other

Bland, A. R., Ashton, J. C., Kamal, M. A., & Sahebkar, A. (2022). The current state of evidence for the therapeutic role of curcumin in Alzheimer's disease. CNS & Neurological Disorders: Drug Targets, 21. doi: 10.2174/1871527321666220119105836

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Watts, B. A., Berry, M., Bland, A. R., Hawkins, B. C., & Ashton, J. C. (2022, August-September). Tumour cell suppression by Spiroleucettadine through dual regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) NZ Annual Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand.

Berry, M. A., Bland, A. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2022, August-September). Combination of ALK and SHP2 inhibitors produce synergistic suppression of ALK-positive lung cancer cell growth. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) NZ Annual Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand.

Bland, A. R., Sammut, I. A., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2022, August-September). An old drug with new tricks: Examining the action of metformin in ALK+ lung cancer. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) NZ Annual Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand.

2021

Journal - Research Article

Bland, A. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2021). Considerations for whole-slide analysis of murine xenografts experiments. Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry, 69(10), 627-631. doi: 10.1369/00221554211046994

Badart, M. P., Barnes, E. M., Cording, A. P., Gilmer, S. C. L., Billinghurst, I. D., Edupuganti, V. V. S. R., … Bland, A. R., Bower, R. L., Rana, Z., Ferguson, S. A., Opel Reading, H. K., Cook, G. M., Rosengren, R. J., Krause, K. L., Gamble, A. B., Ashton, J. C., & Hawkins, B. C. (2021). Synthesis and biological evaluation of (-) and (+)-spiroleucettadine and analogues. ChemMedChem, 16, 1308-1315. doi: 10.1002/cmdc.202000954

Nensi, S., & Ashton, J. (2021). ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer; potential combination drug treatments. Current Cancer Drug Targets, 21(9), 737-748. doi: 10.2174/1568009621666210729100647

Bland, A. R., Shrestha, N., Bower, R. L., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2021). The effect of metformin in EML₄-ALK+ lung cancer alone and in combination with crizotinib in cell and rodent models. Biochemical Pharmacology, 183, 114345. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114345

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Bland, A. R., Shrestha, N., Bower, R. L., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2021). Repurposing the hypoglycemic agent, metformin, for targeted lung cancer. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1537), (pp. 110). Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

2020

Journal - Research Article

Shrestha, N., Bland, A. R., Bower, R. L., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2020). Inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase alone and in combination with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibition suppresses tumor growth in a mouse model of ALK-positive lung cancer. Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, 374, 134-140. doi: 10.1124/jpet.120.266049

Journal - Research Other

Bland, A. R., Shrestha, N., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2020). Does crizotinib auto-inhibit CYP3A in vivo? [Brief report]. Pharmacology, 105, 715-718. doi: 10.1159/000506996

Ashton, J. C. (2020). A radical hypothesis on the nature of sleep. Medical Hypotheses, 134, 109434. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109434

2019

Journal - Research Article

Shrestha, N., Nimick, M., Dass, P., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2019). Mechanisms of suppression of cell growth by dual inhibition of ALK and MEK in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer. Scientific Reports, 9, 18842. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-55376-4

Bland, A. R., Bower, R. L., Nimick, M., Hawkins, B. C., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2019). Cytotoxicity of curcumin derivatives in ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer. European Journal of Pharmacology, 865, 172749. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.172749

Shrestha, N., Lateef, Z., Martey, O., Bland, A. R., Nimick, M., Rosengren, R., & Ashton, J. C. (2019). Does the mouse tail vein injection method provide a good model of lung cancer? F1000Research, 8, 190. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.17964.1

Journal - Research Other

Glass, M., & Ashton, J. C. (2019). What is medicinal cannabis? New Zealand Medical Journal, 132(1494), 49-56. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Ashton, J. C. (2019). Is cannabis harmless? Focus on brain function. Current Drug Research Reviews, 11(1), 33-39. doi: 10.2174/2589977511666180809165622

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Ashton, J., Shrestha, N., & Bland, A. (2019). Combination ALK and MEK inhibition in ALK-positive lung cancer. Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 14(10, Suppl.), (pp. S857). doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2019.08.1851

Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Shrestha, N., Bland, A. R., Bower, R. L., Nimick, M., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2019, September). Toxicity and efficacy of crizotinib and selumetinib combination therapy in in vivo xenograft model of ALK-positive lung cancer. Poster session presented at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.

2018

Journal - Research Article

Maggo, S., & Ashton, J. C. (2018). Effect of cannabinoid receptor agonists on isolated rat atria. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, 72(4), 191-194. doi: 10.1097/fjc.0000000000000613

Ashton, J. C. (2018). It has not been proven why or that most research findings are false. Medical Hypotheses, 113, 27-29. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2018.02.004

Journal - Research Other

Curtis, M. J., Ashton, J. C., Moon, L. D. F., & Ahluwalia, A. (2018). Clarification of the basis for the selection of requirements for publication in the British Journal of Pharmacology. British Journal of Pharmacology, 175(18), 3633-3635. doi: 10.1111/bph.14443

Keats, T., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2018). The rationale for repurposing sildenafil for lung cancer treatment. Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 18(3), 367-374. doi: 10.2174/1871520617666171103100959

Ashton, J. C., & Hancox, R. J. (2018). The case for cannabinoid CB1 receptors as a target for bronchodilator therapy for β-agonist resistant asthma. Current Drug Targets, 19(11), 1344-1349. doi: 10.2174/1389450118666170615101220

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Shrestha, N., Nimick, M., Rosengren, R., & Ashton, J. (2018). Synergistic cytotoxicity through MAPK/ERK pathway and ALK inhibition in crizotinib resistant EML4-ALK-positive lung cancer. Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 13(10, Suppl.), (pp. S699). doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2018.08.1143

Bland, A., Nimick, M., & Ashton, J. (2018). Metformin in combination with crizotinib for the treatment of EML4-ALK+ lung cancer. Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 13(Suppl. 10), (pp. S460-S461). doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2018.08.561

Bland, A. R., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2018). Curcumin derivatives as a novel strategy for overcoming crizotinib resistance in EML4-ALK+ lung cancer cell lines. New Zealand Medical Journal, 131(1470), (pp. 113). Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Bower, R. L., Nimick, M., Shrestha, N., Bland, A., Rosengren, R., & Ashton, J. C. (2018, August). Toward a cell-based model of metastatic prostate cancer: Isolation and characterisation of metastatic prostate cancer cells derived from an orthotopically implanted SCID mouse model. Poster session presented at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Bland, A. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2018, August). Metformin in combination with crizotinib as an anti-cancer treatment for EML4-ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Section (ASCEPT-NZ) Annual Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand.

Bland, A. R., Bower, R. L., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2018, August). Cytotoxicity of curcumin derivatives in ALK⁺ non-small cell lung cancer cells. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Section (ASCEPT-NZ) Annual Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand.

Shrestha, N., Nimick, M., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2018, August). MAPK/ERK pathway and ALK inhibition has synergistic cytotoxicity in crizotinib resistant EML4-ALK-positive lung cancer. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Section (ASCEPT-NZ) Annual Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand.

Other Research Output

Ashton, J. (2018, June). Medicinal cannabis: The disconnect between evidence and anecdote. Hot Health: Focus on Marijuana, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

2017

Chapter in Book - Research

Ashton, J. C., Dowie, M. J., & Glass, M. (2017). The endocannabinoid system and human brain functions: Insight from memory, motor, and mood pathologies. In E. Murillo-Rodríguez (Ed.), The endocannabinoid system. (pp. 115-186). London, UK: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-809666-6.00005-8

Journal - Research Article

Wilson, C., Nimick, M., Nehoff, H., & Ashton, J. C. (2017). ALK and IGF-1R as independent targets in crizotinib resistant lung cancer. Scientific Reports, 7, 13955. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-14289-w

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Bland, A. R., Rosengren, R. J., & Ashton, J. C. (2017). Cytotoxicity of second-generation curcumin analogues in human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. New Zealand Medical Journal, 130(1461), (pp. 89). Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Wilson, C., Nehoff, H., & Ashton, J. (2017). IGF-R1 pathway in crizotinib-resistance in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer. New Zealand Medical Journal, 130(1452), (pp. 79). Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Wilson, C., Shrestha, N., Nimick, M., Nehoff, H., & Ashton, J. C. (2017, September). Drug combinations for ALK+ lung cancer. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Section (ASCEPT-NZ) Annual Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand.

2016

Journal - Research Article

Milne, M., & Ashton, J. C. (2016). Effect of cannabinoids on CGRP release in the isolated rat lumbar spinal cord. Neuroscience Letters, 614, 39-42. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.12.060

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Ashton, J., Ali, S., & Kerr, S. (2016). An in vitro study to determine reliable methods for examining the effect of cannabidiol in epilepsy. Proceedings of the Australasian Neuroscience Society Annual Scientific Meeting. Retrieved from https://www.ans.org.au

2015

Chapter in Book - Research

Maggo, S. D. S., & Ashton, J. C. (2015). Statins and the brain: Good, bad or both? In E. R. Travers (Ed.), Statins: Medical uses, mechanisms of action and clinical outcomes. (pp. 81-104). Nova Science.

Journal - Research Article

Linsell, O., Brownjohn, P. W., Nehoff, H., Greish, K., & Ashton, J. C. (2015). Effect of styrene maleic acid WIN55,212-2 micelles on neuropathic pain in a rat model. Journal of Drug Targeting, 23(4), 353-359. doi: 10.3109/1061186x.2014.997737

Journal - Research Other

Ashton, J. C. (2015). ANOVA and the analysis of drug combination experiments. Nature Methods, 12(12), 1108. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.3663

Ashton, J. C. (2015). Drug combination studies and their synergy quantification using the Chou-Talalay method. Cancer Research, 75, 2400. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-14-3763

2014

Journal - Research Article

Marchalant, Y., Brownjohn, P. W., Bonnet, A., Kleffmann, T., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Validating antibodies to the cannabinoid CB2 receptor: Antibody sensitivity is not evidence of antibody specificity. Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry, 62(6), 395-404. doi: 10.1369/0022155414530995

Linsell, O., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Cerebral hypoxia-ischemia causes cardiac damage in a rat model. NeuroReport, 25(10), 796-800. doi: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000190

Rivers-Auty, J. R., Smith, P. F., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). The cannabinoid CB₂ receptor agonist GW405833 does not ameliorate brain damage induced by hypoxia-ischemia in rats. Neuroscience Letters, 569, 104-109. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.03.077

Maggo, S., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on learning and memory in the guinea pig. European Journal of Pharmacology, 723, 294-304. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.11.018

Journal - Research Other

Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). What can be concluded from blocking peptide controls? Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology, 22(8), 634. doi: 10.1097/PAI.0b013e3182a77fe5

Rivers-Auty, J., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Neuroinflammation in ischemic brain injury as an adaptive process. Medical Hypotheses, 82(2), 151-158. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.11.024

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Ashton, J. C., Zheng, Y., Darlington, C., Baek, J.-H., & Smith, P. F. (2014). Cannabinoid CB2 receptor immunolabelling in the healthy brain—still a live possibility. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 387(3), 301. doi: 10.1007/s00210-013-0948-y

2013

Chapter in Book - Research

Rivers, J. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2013). Neonatal asphyxia and stroke: Morbidity, models, consequences, and treatments. In D. Vordermark (Ed.), Hypoxia: Causes, types and management. (pp. 89-110). New York: Nova.

Journal - Research Article

Ashton, J. C. (2013). Phylogenetic methods in drug discovery. Current Drug Discovery Technologies, 10(4), 255-262. doi: 10.2174/15701638113109990033

Baek, J.-H., Darlington, C. L., Smith, P. F., & Ashton, J. C. (2013). Antibody testing for brain immunohistochemistry: Brain immunolabeling for the cannabinoid CB₂ receptor. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 216(2), 87-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2013.03.021

Rivers, J. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2013). Age matching animal models to humans: Theoretical considerations. Current Drug Discovery Technologies, 10(3), 177-181.

Journal - Research Other

Rivers-Auty, J., & Ashton, J. C. (2013). Vehicles for lipophilic drugs: Implications for experimental design, neuroprotection, and drug discovery. Current Neurovascular Research, 10(4), 356-360. doi: 10.2174/15672026113109990021

Ashton, J. C. (2013). Experimental power comes from powerful theories: The real problem in null hypothesis testing. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14, 585. doi: 10.1038/nrn3475-c2

2012

Journal - Research Article

Mandhane, S., Nayak, P., Soni, D., Jain, S., Ashton, J. C., & Rajamannar, T. (2012). Induction of glucose intolerance by acute administration of rimonabant. Pharmacology, 89(5-6), 339-347. doi: 10.1159/000337731

Ashton, J. C. (2012). The atypical cannabinoid O-1602: Targets, actions, and the central nervous system. Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 12(3), 233-239.

Ashton, J. C. (2012). Neuropathic pain: An evolutionary hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 78(5), 641-643. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.01.044

Ashton, J. C. (2012). Synthetic cannabinoids as drugs of abuse. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 5(2), 158-168. doi: 10.2174/1874473711205020158

Breen, C., Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). The atypical cannabinoid O-1602 increases hind paw sensitisation in the chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain. Neuroscience Letters, 508(2), 119-122. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2011.12.039

Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). Spinal cannabinoid CB2 receptors as a target for neuropathic pain: An investigation using chronic constriction injury. Neuroscience, 203, 180-193. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.12.028

Rivers, J. R., Maggo, S. D. S., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). Neuroprotective effect of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin in hypoxia-ischemia. NeuroReport, 23(3), 134-138. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32834ee47c

Maggo, S., Clark, D., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). The effect of statins on performance in the Morris water maze in guinea pig. European Journal of Pharmacology, 674(2-3), 287-293. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2011.11.006

Journal - Research Other

Ashton, J. C. (2012). Reply to Paul Smith: Breakthroughs do not arise from statistical perfectionism . Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 33(11), 566-567. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2012.08.007

Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). A technical note for improving animal welfare and model validity in the chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain. European Journal of Pain, 16(10), 1477. doi: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00199.x

Ashton, J. C. (2012). The BO test 25 years on. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 33(10), 511-512. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2012.06.008

Brownjohn, P. W., Ashton, J. C., & Chase, J. G. (2012). Microglial encapsulation of motor neurons in models of neuropathic pain: A confound in pain assessment? European Journal of Pain, 16(3), 459-460. doi: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2011.00101.x

Ashton, J. C. (2012). When biostatisticis is a neo-inductionist barrier to science. British Journal of Pharmacology, 167(6), 1389-1390. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.02035.x

Ashton, J. C. (2012). The use of knockout mice to test the specificity of antibodies for cannabinoid receptors. Hippocampus, 22(3), 643-644. doi: 10.1002/hipo.20946

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Ashton, J. C. (2012). Reply to Drummond & Vowler: Statistics or the philosophy of statistics? British Journal of Pharmacology, 167(6), 1392. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.02135.x

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Ashton, J. C., Mockett, B., & Maggo, S. D. S. (2012). Cholesterol lowering through HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) impairs long term potentiation and induces anxiety in guinea pigs. Proceedings of the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS) Annual Scientific Meeting. (pp. 78). Retrieved from http://www.ans.org.au/ans-annual-conference/

Maggo, S. D. S., Mockett, B. G., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). The effects of chronic statin administration: Assessment of hippocampal spatial memory and long term potentiation in area CA1. In B. Leitch & J. Shemmell (Eds.), Proceedings of the 30th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 30, (pp. 75). AWCBR. Retrieved from http://psy.otago.ac.nz/awcbr/Abstracts/Abstracts2012.html

Linsell, O., Greish, K., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). Nanomiceller delivery of cannabinoids for neuropathic pain. In B. Leitch & J. Shemmell (Eds.), Proceedings of the 30th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 30, (pp. 47). AWCBR. Retrieved from http://psy.otago.ac.nz/awcbr/Abstracts/Abstracts2012.html

Maggo, S. D. S., Mockett, B. G., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). The effects of chronic statin administration: Assessment of hippocampal spatial memory and long term potentiation in area CA1. Proceedings of the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci). (pp. 24-25). Retrieved from http://www.medscinz.co.nz/QRW2012%20MedSci%20Abstracts.pdf

Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Linsell, O., Greish, K., & Ashton, J. C. (2012, September). Nanomicellar delivery of cannabinoids for neuropathic pain. Poster session presented at the Division of Health Sciences Research Forum: Health Matters: Research Excellence at Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

2011

Journal - Research Article

Rivers, J. R., Sutherland, B. A., & Ashton, J. C. (2011). Characterization of a rat hypoxia-ischemia model where duration of hypoxia is determined by seizure activity. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 197(1), 92-96. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2011.02.002

Journal - Research Other

Ashton, J. C. (2011). Knockout controls and the specificity of cannabinoid CB₂ receptor antibodies [Letter to the editor]. British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(6), 1113. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.01139.x

Ashton, J. C. (2011). Reliability of immunolabelling in the determination of Huntington's disease neuropathy [Letter to the editor]. Brain, 134(11), e191. doi: 10.1093/brain/awr091

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Maggo, S. D., Mockett, B. G., & Ashton, J. C. (2011). Cholesterol lowering through HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) impairs long term potentiation and induces anxiety in guinea pigs. Proceedings of the Society for Neuroscience 41st Annual Meeting. SfN. Retrieved from http://www.sfn.org/am2011/index.aspx?pagename=abstracts_main

Ashton, J. C., Brownjohn, P. W., Rivers, J. R., Mackie, K., Dowie, M., & Glass, M. (2011). The cannabinoid CB2 receptor controversy: A receptor with an identity crisis. In B. Leitch (Ed.), Proceedings of the 29th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 29, 8.4. AWCBR. Retrieved from http://psy.otago.ac.nz/awcbr/abstracts/abstracts2011.html

Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2011). CB2 selective agonists have limited efficacy when delivered intrathecally in a rodent model of neuropathic pain. In B. Leitch (Ed.), Proceedings of the 29th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 29, 5.39. AWCBR. Retrieved from http://psy.otago.ac.nz/awcbr/abstracts/abstracts2011.html

Rivers, J. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2011). Cannabinoid receptor type II as a target for neuroprotection following hypoxia ischemia: Or is it an active vehicle in the driving seat? In B. Leitch (Ed.), Proceedings of the 29th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 29, 5.38. AWCBR. Retrieved from http://psy.otago.ac.nz/awcbr/abstracts/abstracts2011.html

Maggo, S., Mockett, B. G., & Ashton, J. C. (2011). Cholesterol lowering through HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) impairs long term potentiation and induces anxiety in guinea pigs. In B. Leitch (Ed.), Proceedings of the 29th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 29, 4.8. AWCBR. Retrieved from http://psy.otago.ac.nz/awcbr/abstracts/abstracts2011.html

Other Research Output

Ashton, J. (2011, May). Is the cannabinoid CB2 receptor an attractive target for the treatment of neuropathic pain? University of Otago Department of Psychology Seminar, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

2010

Journal - Research Article

Goddard, M., Smith, P. F., & Ashton, J. C. (2010). Behavioural effects of co-administration of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol with fluoxetine in rats. Pharmacology, 86(2), 125-128. doi: 10.1159/000317059

Rivers, J. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2010). The development of cannabinoid CBII receptor agonists for the treatment of central neuropathies. Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 10(1), 47-64. doi: 10.2174/187152410790780145

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Maggo, S., Clark, D. W. J., & Ashton, J. (2010). Statin induced anxiety: What happens when you make guinea pigs swim. Proceedings of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting and the 6th Annual Carney Pharmacogenomics Symposium. ASCEPT. Retrieved from http://www.ascept.org.nz/

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Hutchinson, M., Grace, P., & Ashton, J. (2010, March). The immune system, cannabinoids and neuronal health. Verbal presentation at the 30th Australian Pain Society (APS) and the 35th New Zealand Pain Society (NZPS) Combined Annual Scientific Meeting: The Impact of Pain, Gold Coast, Australia.

2009

Journal - Research Article

Graham, E. S., Ashton, J. C., & Glass, M. (2009). Cannabinoid receptors: A brief history and 'What's hot'. Frontiers in Bioscience, 14, 944-957. doi: 10.2741/3288

Journal - Research Other

Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2009). Novel targets in pain research: The case for CB2 receptors as a biorational pain target. Current Anaesthesia & Critical Care, 20(5-6), 198-203. doi: 10.1016/j.cacc.2009.07.014

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Rivers, J. R., Sutherland, B. A., & Ashton, J. C. (2009). A new look at an old model: Anaylsing predicting factors of infarct size in a rat perinatal asphyxia model. In R. Napper (Ed.), Proceedings of the 27th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 27, (pp. 65). AWCBR. Retrieved from http://psy.otago.ac.nz/awcbr/Abstracts/Abstracts2009.htm

Wilkerson, J. L., Dengler, E. C., Wallace, J. A., Thakur, G. A., Zvonok, A. M., Makriyannis, A., Ashton, J. C., & Milligan, E. D. (2009). Cannabinoid 2 receptor (CB2R) selective agonists given intrathecally reverse chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced allodynia. Proceedings of the Society for Neuroscience 39th Annual Meeting. SfN. Retrieved from http://www.abstractsonline.com/plan/AdvancedSearch.aspx

Hoffman, T., Brownjohn, P., & Ashton, J. (2009). Western blot analysis of cannabinoid CB2 receptor expression in the rat spinal cord following induction of neuropathic pain. New Zealand Medical Journal, 122(1295). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/122-1295/3623/content.pdf

Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2009, September). Cannabinoid stimulated [³⁵S]GTPγS binding in a model of neuropathic pain. Poster session presented at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Brownjohn, P., & Ashton, J. (2009, September). CB2 receptors as a novel biorational target for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Poster session presented at the Third Annual Division of Health Sciences Research Forum, Wellington, New Zealand.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Ashton, J. C., Brownjohn, P. W., Hoffman, T., Wang, Y., & Milligan, E. D. (2009, September). Cannabinoid CB2 receptor expression in the rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion following sciatic nerve injury. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Rivers, J. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2009, September). Effects of the CBII partial agonist GW405833 on neurological damage caused by hypoxia ischemia in rats. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Maggo, S. D. S., Ashton, J. C., Lees, G., & Clark, D. W. J. (2009, September). Lipid lowering drugs and psychiatric ADRS: An animal behavioural assessment. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Hoffman, T., Brownjohn, P., & Ashton, J. (2009, September). Western blot analysis of cannabinoid CB2 receptor expression in the rat spinal cord following induction of neuropathic pain. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting, Dunedin, New Zealand.

2008

Chapter in Book - Research

Ashton, J. C., & Glass, M. (2008). Multiple roles for cannabinoids in neuroprotection during oxidative stress injury. In O. M. Roux (Ed.), Brain hypoxia-ischemia research progress. (pp. 229-244). New York: Nova.

Journal - Research Article

Ashton, J. C., Wright, J. L., McPartland, J. M., & Tyndall, J. D. A. (2008). Cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor ligand specificity and the development of CB2-selective agonists. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 15, 1428-1443.

Ashton, J. C., & Milligan, E. D. (2008). Cannabinoids for the treatment of neuropathic pain: Clinical evidence. Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs, 9(1), 65-75.

Ashton, J. C., Smith, P. F., & Darlington, C. L. (2008). The effect of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol on the extinction of an adverse associative memory. Pharmacology, 81(1), 18-20. doi: 10.1159/000107663

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Ashton, J. (2008). Pro-drugs for indirect cannabinoids as therapeutic agents. Current Drug Delivery, 5(4), 243-247.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Rivers, J. R., Sutherland, B. A., Brownjohn, P. W., Glass, M., & Ashton, J. C. (2008). Preliminary investigations into the specificity of antibody probes raised against the cannabinoid CBII receptor. Proceedings of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting. ASCEPT. Retrieved from http://phal.otago.ac.nz/ascept_docos/programme%202008.pdf

Brownjohn, P. W., Rivers, J. R., Wilkinson, J., Milligan, E. D., & Ashton, J. C. (2008). Mechanisms of GW405833 induced amelioration of hyperalgesia in 2 models of neuropathic pain. Proceedings of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting. ASCEPT. Retrieved from http://phal.otago.ac.nz/ascept_docos/programme%202008.pdf

Ashton, J., Goddard, M., & Smith, P. (2008). Interaction between 5-HT pathways and the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of anxiety. In J. G. Anson (Ed.), Proceedings of the 26th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 26, (pp. 54). AWCBR. Retrieved from http://psy.otago.ac.nz/awcbr/Abstracts/2008Abstracts.pdf

Ashton, J. C., Wright, J. L., McPartland, J. M., Gertsch, J., & Tyndall, J. D. A. (2008). Development of drugs targeting the cannabinoid CB2 receptor for therapeutic use. Proceedings of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting. ASCEPT. Retrieved from http://phal.otago.ac.nz/ascept_docos/programme%202008.pdf

2007

Chapter in Book - Research

Ashton, J. C. (2007). Oxidative stress induces upregulation of the CB2 receptor in a population of cells in the dentate gyrus subgranular layer. In S. G. Pandalai (Ed.), Recent Research Developments in Neuroscience (Vol. 2). (pp. 111-114). Trivandrum, India: Research Signpost.

Ashton, J. C., & Smith, P. F. (2007). Bcl-2 and mitochondrial control of apoptosis as a mechanism for regulating neural plasticity. In L. B. Shultz (Ed.), Cell Apoptosis: Regulation and Environmental Factors. (pp. 1-23). New York: Nova Science.

Journal - Research Article

Ashton, J. C., & Glass, M. (2007). The cannabinoid CB2 receptor as a target for inflammation-dependent neurodegeneration. Current Neuropharmacology, 5(2), 73-80.

Ashton, J. C. (2007). Cannabinoids for the treatment of inflammation. Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs, 8(5), 373-384.

Ashton, J. C., Rahman, R. M. A., Nair, S. M., Sutherland, B. A., Glass, M., & Appleton, I. (2007). Cerebral hypoxia-ischemia and middle cerebral artery occlusion induce expression of the cannabinoid CB2 receptor in the brain. Neuroscience Letters, 412, 114-117.

Ashton, J. C., & Smith, P. F. (2007). Cannabinoids and cardiovascular disease: The outlook for clinical treatments. Current Vascular Pharmacology, 5(3), 175-184.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Baek, J.-H., Zheng, Y., Ashton, J. C., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2007). Abundant expression of the cannabinoid CB₂ receptors in the rat cerebellum. Proceedings of the Society for Neuroscience 37th Annual Meeting. SfN. Retrieved from http://www.abstractsonline.com/viewer/SearchResults.asp

Ashton, J. C., Potter, J. M., Harrison, J. A., Sloane, E. M., Maier, S. F., Watkins, L. R., & Milligan, E. D. (2007). Neuropathic pain is controlled by spinal delivery of the selective CB2 partial agonist, GW405833. Proceedings of the Society for Neuroscience 37th Annual Meeting. SfN. Retrieved from http://www.abstractsonline.com/viewer/SearchResults.asp

2006

Journal - Research Article

Smith, P. F., Ashton, J. C., & Darlington, C. L. (2006). The endocannabinoid system: A new player in the neurochemical control of vestibular function? Audiology & Neurotology, 11, 207-212.

Ashton, J. C., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2006). Co-distribution of the cannabinoid CB₁ receptor and the 5-HT transporter in the rat amygdale. European Journal of Pharmacology, 537, 70-71.

Ashton, J. C., Friberg, D., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2006). Expression of the cannabinoid CB2 receptor in the rat cerebellum: An immunohistochemical study. Neuroscience Letters, 396, 113-116.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

McKelvey, K., Rahman, R., Nair, S., Ashton, J., & Appleton, I. (2006). T-lymphocyte contribution in a model of cerebral ischaemia. New Zealand Medical Journal, 119(1234). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/119-1234/1991/content.pdf

Ashton, J. C., Glass, M., Sutherland, B., Rahman, R., & Appleton, I. (2006). Induction of cannabinoid cb2 receptor positive cells in the brain by stroke. Journal of Neurochemistry. 98(Suppl. 1), (pp. 65-66). [Abstract]

Rahman, R. M. A., Nair, S. M., McKelvey, K., Ashton, J. C., & Appleton, I. (2006). Immune cells in a model of cerebral ischaemia. Journal of Neurochemistry, 98(Suppl. 1), (pp. 66). doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03946_5.x

2005

Journal - Research Article

Ashton, J. C., Little, E., Muir, M., Smith, P. F., & Darlington, C. L. (2005). Mitochondrial ultrastructure and apoptotic protein expression in the vestibular nucleus complex following unilateral labyrinthectomy. Brain Research, 1055, 165-170.

Zhang, R., Ashton, J., Horii, A., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2005). Immunocytochemical and stereological analysis of GABA_B receptor subunit expression in the rat vestibular nucleus following unilateral vestibular deafferentation. Brain Research, 1037(1-2), 107-113. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2005.01.018

Ashton, J. C., Khalessi, A., Kapoor, M., Clarkson, A., Sammut, I. A., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2005). Characterization of mitochondrial respiratory chain energetics in the vestibular nucleus complex [Short Communication]. Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 125, 422-425.

2004

Journal - Research Article

Ashton, J. C., Appleton, I., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2004). Immunohistochemical localization of cannabinoid CB₁ receptor in inhibitory interneurons in the cerebellum. Cerebellum, 3, 222-226.

Ashton, J. C., Appleton, I., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2004). Cannabinoid CB1 receptor protein expression in the rat choroid plexus: A possible involvement of cannabinoids in the regulation of cerebrospinal fluid. Neuroscience Letters, 364, 40-42.

Ashton, J. C., Appleton, I., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2004). Immunohistochemical localization of cerebrovascular cannabinoid CB1 receptor protein. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, 44(5), 517-519.

Ashton, J. C., Zheng, Y., Liu, P., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2004). Immunohistochemical characterisation and localisation of cannabinoid CB1 receptor protein in the rat vestibular nucleus complex and the effects of unilateral vestibular deafferentation. Brain Research, 1021, 264-271.

2003

Journal - Research Article

Ashton, J. C., Gliddon, C. M., Darlington, C. L., & Smith, P. F. (2003). Effect of low body temperature during unilateral labyrinthectomy on vestibular compensation in the guinea pig. Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 123, 448-452.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Ashton, J. C., Khalessi, A., Kapoor, M., Clarkson, A., Darlington, C. L., Smith, P. F., & Sammut, I. A. (2003). Mitochondria respiratory chain activity in the vestibular nucleus and cerebellum. Proceedings of the 21st International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 21, (pp. 45). University of Otago, Dunedin: AWCBR. [Abstract]

2002

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Khalessi, A., Ashton, J. C., Sammut, I. A., Smith, P. F., & Darlington, C. L. (2002). Mitochondrial function in the vestibular nucleus complex. 20th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 20, (pp. 36). [Abstract]

Ashton, J. C., Smith, P. F., Darlington, C. L., & Gliddon, C. M. (2002). The effect of low body temperature at unilateral deafferentation on vestibular compensation. 20th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. 20, (pp. 37). Dept of Psychology: AWCBR. [Abstract]