We are interested in identifying molecular abnormalities in the schizophrenic brain. We quantitate mRNAs encoding candidate proteins using the RNase protection assay and in situ hybridization. Molecules of interest range from those which regulate growth and development, for example neurotrophins, to those which define parameters of neurotransmitter action, for example transporters. We are delineating any changes in the normal human distribution and expression levels of growth factor mRNA’s in the developing postnatal brain. Our studies in the human currently focus on the cortical-striatal circuitry and the hippocampal-entorhinal connections. Our other major research effort centers around determining the molecular changes occurring in the brain of animals with neonatal damage of hippocampus or prefrontal cortex, the best characterized animal model of schizophrenia to date.
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Dr. Richard Coppola. Thank you!
Updated June 16, 1997