Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency And Prefrontal Cortical Dysfunction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,570.00
Summary
The cause of schizophrenia is unknown but is believed to be due to abnormal brain development. Dopamine abnormalities are central to schizophrenia. We have developed a model of maternal vitamin D deficiency in rats, based on disease epidemiology that shows individuals that have low levels of vitamin D at birth have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. We now also show dopamine systems in regions associated with cognition may develop abnormally in our animal model.
The Developmental Vitamin D-deficiency Animal Model Of Schizophrenia:- Critical Window For Intervention And Optimal Dose
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,811.00
Summary
We have established that low levels of vitamin D at birth increase the risk of children developing schizophrenia in later life. Our studies indicate this risk is dose-dependent and may be enhanced if developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency is extended into postnatal life implying there may be an early critical vitamin D threshold and a critical window of exposure required to avert schizophrenia. This project will examine this and the effects of supplements using our DVD-deficiency animal model.
Do The Developmental Vitamin D-deficiency And Maternal Immune Activation Animal Models Of Schizophrenia Have Convergent Early Pathways ?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$669,580.00
Summary
The etiology of schizophrenia is unknown but it is generally considered to have a neurodevelopmental basis and involve altered dopamine signaling. Using two distinct developmental animal models of schizophrenia we have shown convergent gestational abnormalities in how dopamine systems develop. This is possibly a convergent early etiological mechanism in schizophrenia.
Differentiation Of Respiratory Behaviour In The Mammalian Fetus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$434,839.00
Summary
Mammalian fetuses are highly active from early in gestation, manifesting patterns of activity that are gradually transformed throughout fetal life, ultimately producing a repertoire of behaviours essential for postnatal survival. These behaviours are of fundamental importance to animals, and none more so than breathing which must perform effectively from the moment of birth. We plan to examine neural control mechanisms that transform a primitive pattern of breathing in the early gestation fetus ....Mammalian fetuses are highly active from early in gestation, manifesting patterns of activity that are gradually transformed throughout fetal life, ultimately producing a repertoire of behaviours essential for postnatal survival. These behaviours are of fundamental importance to animals, and none more so than breathing which must perform effectively from the moment of birth. We plan to examine neural control mechanisms that transform a primitive pattern of breathing in the early gestation fetus into the functional form that effectively ventilates the lungs after birth. In addition to examining the prenatal development of breathing, our program will focus on the developmental fate of a transient behaviour restricted to early development. This early behaviour plays a fundamental role in the development of the motor system before being extinguished under the influence of supraspinal inputs. This program will therefore provide a basis for understanding the mechanisms by which the brain establishes control of the motor circuits of the spinal cord during development. Further, the program is designed to provide a basis for understanding the respiratory problems so common in the preterm human infant.Read moreRead less