Project Summary

Eva Anton, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2005) of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, plans to study during brain development the role of neuroregulin1, which has been implicated in schizophrenia susceptibility. Dr. Anton hypothesizes that impaired neuroregulin mediated neuronal precursor migration and resulting changes in the circuitry of the forebrain my lead to neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia. Preliminary observations from her laboratory show that neuregulin 1 and its receptor ErbB4 are expressed at high levels in the rostral migratory stream (RMS) of the forebrain and that RMS contains migrating neuroblasts that are destined to become interneurons. Dr. Anton proposes studying the role of neuroregulin 1 in the migration and placement of neuroblasts in the adult forebrain. She plans to characterize those cells expressing neuroregulin 1 in the RMS, and how the protein influences the guidance and migration of neuroblasts in the adult forebrain. Such research should improve understanding of the molecular signals that regulate neuronal placement in the adult forebrain and the impaired biological processes underlying disorders such as schizophrenia.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia\Molecular

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