Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2008

Mentor: Subroto Ghose
Department: Psychiatry
Room number: NE5.110C
Mail Code: 9127
Phone number: 214 645 2783
E-mail: subroto.ghose@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Cannabis and schizophrenia

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 072007-006

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: Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disease affecting 3.2 million Americans and is one of the top ten causes of disability in the United States. The primary biological mechanisms of this illness have not yet been identified, partly because schizophrenia may be a heterogeneous disease. There is a large and convincing body of literature that identifies adolescent cannabis use (ACU) as an independent risk factor for schizophrenia. 7 cross-sectional and 4 prospective studies published in the last 15 years have found that ACU is associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia. There are data that suggest that adolescents may be more susceptible to the physiologic effects of cannabinoid administration during a specific vulnerable period of brain development.
We use human post mortem tissue to investigate neurotransmitter systems and molecular pathways related to cannabinoids that may be differentially regulated in schizophrenia. A secondary focus of the lab is the influence of genetic variations on these molecular pathways. The routine techniques we utilize in our laboratory include in situ hybridization studies to detect mRNA expression patterns, immunoblotting to determine protein levels and quantitative RT-PCR.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

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
Analysa Gallegos: UTSW 46th Annual Medical Student Research Forum (Poster Winner,2008)
The NAAG system in schizophrenia (2008): Analysa Gallegos, Bryan Potts, Maeturah Harmon, Carol Tamminga, Subroto Ghose