Project Summary

Gabriel Corfas, Ph.D. (Independent Investigator 2005) of Children’s Hospital, Boston/Harvard University , aims to create genetically engineered mice missing the activity of neuregulin 1 (NRG1) and its receptor erbB in the brain to study how the absence of these factors may play a role in the development of schizophrenia. Although schizophrenia symptoms arise in early adulthood, alterations in brain chemistry and structure responsible for the disease actually may occur earlier, possibly during childhood and adolescence, when much of brain maturation occurs. Studies have shown the disease has a strong genetic component and that people with a particular NRGl gene variant have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia. Dr. Corfas has studied NRGl signaling in brain development for over a decade. His work, and that of others, has shown NRGl and the erbB receptors are important for many aspects of brain development. In this proposal, Dr. Corfas will develop an animal that lacks erbB receptor function and NRG1 signaling in its brain. He hypothesizes this animal will have an altered brain structure similar to that in schizophrenia. Findings may lead to a better understanding of how changes in certain genes involved in brain development may bring about schizophrenia.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia

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