Project Summary

Martin Weber, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2008) of University of California, San Diego, will study potentially novel drugs for schizophrenia in animal models and biochemical pathways central to schizophrenia. The most prominent hypotheses for the pathology of schizophrenia suggest aberrant function of the dopamine (DA) signaling system. Studies indicate that potentially novel drugs that act by blocking the D3 receptor only (D3-selective antagonists) - rather than blocking D3 and D2 receptors - may improve psychosis without causing major side effects. However, highly selective D3 antagonists have previously been virtually unavailable. Therefore, relatively little is known about their effects on behavior or on cellular mechanisms in the brain. These studies will help to elucidate the role of the D3 receptor in schizophrenia and in the development of novel antipsychotic medications.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia

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