Project Summary

Paul B. Fitzgerald, M.B.B.S., M.P.M., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P. (Young Investigator 2005) of Monash University, plans to study the chemical response of the circuits in the outer brain to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS, used to treat schizophrenia, is a non-invasive way to stimulate nerve cells in superficial areas of the brain. During a TMS procedure, an electrical current passes through a coil placed close to the scalp. This current induces a magnetic field that stimulates electrical activity in nerves below the coil. As such, TMS can be used to study the functioning of these outer nerve cells in the brain and the way in which they respond to repeated stimuli. In the project, Dr. Fitzgerald aims to use TMS to study the functioning of the outer brain circuits in patients with schizophrenia by measuring the concentration of a certain brain chemicals in these patients and relating changes in this brain chemical to the response of the patients’ brains to TMS. Findings should provide data as to the function of these brain areas and could guide the development of therapeutic interventions.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia\Molecular

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