Project Summary

Robert H. Edwards, M.D. (Distinguished Investigator 2005) of University of California, San Francisco, will explore neurotransmitter release (specifically dopamine), important in schizophrenia, drug abuse and movement disorders, with implications for serotonin processes relevant for depression. Using a tissue culture, he hopes to understand the mechanism and biological role of somatodendritic release. Specifically, he hopes to determine whether release occurs by the reversal of plasma membrane transporters, or by exocytosis. He hypothesizes that the somatodendritic vesicles in monoamine neurons correspond functionally to dense core vesicles, and that similar mutations will re-route the neuronal vesicular monamine transporter (VMAT2) to constitutive secretory vesicles in neurons. He will also study the effects of the genetic mutations on the release processes. This work will ultimately provide important information for the development of new medications for these disorders.

Program Area: MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS\Bipolar Disorder/Schizophrenia\Unipolar Depression

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