Project Summary

Steven E. Arnold, M.D. (Independent Investigator 2000) of University of Pennsylvania, is investigating the molecular mechanisms that underlie abnormalities of nerve cell connectivity in autopsied brains of patients with schizophrenia.  Previous work has demonstrated abnormalities of the olfactory system (the system which governs the identification of odors) in schizophrenia. These abnormalities are believed to be caused in part by disturbances in brain development, as well as disruptions later in life. Patients with schizophrenia appear to have diminished innervation of the olfactory system. To investigate this question further, Dr. Arnold will examine autopsied brains of schizophrenia patients and matched controls in order to assess the distribution and intensity of specific proteins, such as cell adhesion molecules and growth factors that guide nerves to their appropriate targets and that establish connections with those targets in the olfactory bulb. This work may shed new light on the abnormal neural connectivity present in schizophrenia.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia

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