Project Summary

Darja Obradovic, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2003) of Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry, notes that Vitamin D deficiency may be associated with neuropsychiatric conditions such as major depression and Alzheimer's Disease.  Cellular and molecular actions of vitamin D are mediated exclusively through vitamin D receptors. Corticosteroid receptor (MR and GR) impairments lead to inappropriate biological and behavioral responses to stress that may ultimately result in depression.  Previously, Dr. Obradovic has shown that corticosteroids influence vitamin D receptor expression in rat hippocampus.  Furthermore, vitamin D receptor activity can repress MR and GR-mediated activity.  In this project, Dr. Obradovic plans to gain further insight into the molecular nature of vitamin D receptor-MR and vitamin D receptor-GR interactions.  Animal studies will be performed to examine whether increased vitamin D receptor expression alters the outcome of antidepressant therapy in animal models of depression.  Vitamin D receptor levels will be also analyzed in post-mortem brain tissue from depressed, dementia-afflicted and normal humans.

Program Area: MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS\Neurodegenerative Disease/Unipolar Depression

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