Project Summary

Lynette C. Daws, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2002) of University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, is seeking to elucidate how the serotonin transporter (SERT) is regulated, as it has important consequences for the treatment of many psychiatric disorders, notably depression.  Dr. Daws will measure, using in vivo choronoamperometry, the kinetics of 5-HT clearance from extracellular fluid in brains of mice bred with deficiencies of the 5-HT1B  receptor, i.e., knockout (KO) mice.  She predicts there will be homeostatic changes in SERT function to compensate for the decrease in 5-HT1B receptor density, and that because of such regulatory changes, heterozygotes will respond differently to the administration of drugs that act at the 5-HT1B receptor and/or the SERT. This study may increase understanding of depression, and may also provide information on the use of 5-HT1B receptor antagonists as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of this disorder. 

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Mood Disorders (General)

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