Project Summary

Ipe Ninan, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2002) of Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. at the Nathan Kline Institute, will try to determine the facilitatory action advantage that newer antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia offer over classical antipsychotic drugs in improving negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction.  Many research groups have shown that atypical antipsychotic drugs increase prefrontal cortical dopamine, which is suggested to play a very important role in schizophrenia.  Dr. Ninan's preliminary results indicate that atypical antipsychotic drug-induced augmentation of glutamatergic neurotransmission is sensitive to blockade by dopamine depletion and dopamine D1 receptor antagonist.  He will extend his studies to investigate the role of dopamine and D1 receptors in particular on atypical antipsychotic-induced facilitation of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the pyramidal cells of prefrontal cortex.  He also intends to study the possible role of protein kinase A in this facilitatory action.  The results may account for, at least partially, the purported beneficial effect of atypical antipsychotic drugs over classical antipsychotic drugs in reducing schizophrenic negative symptoms and improving the executive function and cognition.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia

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