Project Summary

Kameel N. Karkar, M.D. (Young Investigator 2006) of the University of California, San Francisco, plans to conduct animal studies of interneuron migration in the formation of the cerebral cortex, a process that is believed to be impaired in schizophrenia. Dr. Karkar will study animal brains that have genetic mutations in interneuron migration. He will obtain live videos of the migration of interneurons in these animals to observe their behavior. He will also perform experiments to determine if abnormal migration results from a defect in the interneurons themselves or from the environment they migrate in. These experiments, together with the recent discovery of the mutated gene in one of the mutants, should give clues for clarifying migration of interneurons and contribute to a better understanding of how interneurons develop in normal and disease states such as schizophrenia.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia

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