Mechanisms of Glutamate Receptor Maturation in Chicken Brain

Funded Activity Summary

In the brain, many key proteins involved in signalling change during development as part of the fine tuning of the network of connections between nerve cells. Disorders of this fine tuning are thought to result in a number of neurological or psychiatric conditions such as epilepsy and schizophrenia. This project will investigate the maturation of signalling molecules in the brain (receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate, key enzymes called protein kinases and protein phosphatases that control the activity of receptors and scaffolding proteins that bind the whole lot into a signalling complex). The project uses chickens as a novel animal model because chicken brain has a slow maturation that occurs well after the initial wiring of the brain is complete. This enables the maturation changes to be clearly identified and experimentally modified. The project combines investigations at the molecular, physiological and behavioural levels. The effects of hormones and drugs on maturation will be investigated. Because brain maturation in humans is also slow an understanding of the way in which this maturation is controlled may provide insights into what causes some neurological-psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents and how to treat or prevent them.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2002

End Date: 01-01-2004

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $418,980.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Cell Neurochemistry

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

brain development | epilepsy | glutamate receptors | learning | neural plasticity | neurodevelopmental disorders | protein phosphorylation | psychosis/schizohprenia | synaptic plasticity

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