Project Summary

Stephen J. Gold, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2006) of Stephen J. Gold, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, proposes studying the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAchR) in the brain as a target for drugs to overcome memory deficits common to many psychiatric disorders. A principal memory-loss treatment enhances acetylcholine signaling by blocking its breakdown by acetylcholinesterase. Although the strategy works, benefits have been modest. In the proposed project, Dr. Gold aims to study a novel approach to accelerating acetylcholine signaling by targeting proteins specifically to mAchRs. The mAchR class of AchRs has been implicated in memory consolidation, and is inhibited by RGS proteins. Dr. Gold plans to test if one RGS, RGS10, attenuates memory formation by inhibiting mAchRs. He will assay if RGS10 inhibits mAchR signaling using biochemical and electrophysiological comparisons of wild-type and RGS10 knockout mice he developed. If so, he will assess which mAchR subtype RGS10 inhibits. Also, he will analyze how RGS10 affects learning and memory in wild-type and RGS10 knockout mice. Results may suggest RGS10 as a potential drug target for memory disorder treatment.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia

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