Project Summary

John W. Olney, M.D. (Distinguished Investigator 2000) of Washington University, is investigating the patterns of degeneration of NMDA glutamate receptors in the brain that are induced by alcohol during development, and determine the constellation of behavioral disturbances that ensue in adulthood.  The aims of this study derive from recent evidence by his group that blockade of these NMDA receptors for only a few hours during a specific stage of development triggers a wave of neurodegeneration in which large numbers of nerve cells are lost from several brain areas.  In addition, alcohol, even in a single dose, was shown to result in loss of tens of millions of neurons.  This effect was limited to a specific developmental period, the equivalent of the last three months of gestation. This study may provide important information on the mechanisms by which prenatal alcohol exposure could lead to psychiatric disorders in adulthood.

Program Area: MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS\Schizophrenia/Unipolar/Bipolar

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