Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2007

Mentor: Subroto Ghose, Carol Tamminga
Department: Psychiatry
Room number: NE5.110C
Mail Code: 9127
Phone number: 214 645 2783
E-mail: subrotro.ghose@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Glutamate and GABA in the hippocampus in schizophrenia:

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Patient - based (human post mortem studies)

Brief Description of Project: The cause of schizophrenia is unknown. There is converging evidence from neuroimaging, neuropsychological, human post mortem and animal studies that implicate the hippocampus in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The human hippocampus has 2 primary types of neurons - pyramidal neurons that are glutamatergic and interneurons that are GABAergic. Using human post mortem hippocampal tissue from our own brain collection (Dallas Brain Collection), we are investigating expression patterns of genes related to these neurotransmitter systems and related molecular pathways. We have a particular interest in studying the influence of genetic variations on the expression profiles of these genes and correlating them with clinical characteristics of subjects.
Techniques will include in situ hybridization studies to detect mRNA expression patterns, western blotting to determine protein levels and genotyping specific genetic variants.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Current MS1: Analysa Gallegos: UTSW 45th Annual Medical Student Research Forum.
Influence of SERT genotype on glutamate-related markers in the hippocampus in schizophrenia (2007): Analysa Gallegos, Subroto Ghose, Jane Nestler, Ronald Chin, Carol Tamminga

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