Project Summary

Francis Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2002) of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, will seek to further characterize the ability of adenosine to activate neurotrophin receptors in primary striatal neuronal cultures, screen for other small molecules in PC12 cells, and test whether adenosine can preserve neuroprotective effects in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's Disease.  These studies are likely to yield new important approaches to treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.  Huntington's Disease is a prototypical neurodegenerative disorder, which has prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms.  Patients frequently have a schizophreniform psychosis as well as marked behavioral disorders.  The development of new therapeutic approaches to activate neurotrophin receptors with small molecules holds promise for producing novel treatments for both neurologic and psychiatric disorders.

Program Area: Basal Ganglia Diseases\Huntington's Disease

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