![Brain Development in Adverse Situations]()
R. Suzanne Zukin, Ph.D., was awarded a five-year, $1.7 million NIH grant to study how adverse experiences early in life influence N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (NMDARs) in the brain. These receptors play crucial roles in neural circuitry and in higher cognitive functions. During brain development after birth, NMDARs switch from one type (containing GluN2B-) to another (containing GluN2A). The gene silencing factor REST (Repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor) plays a role in this switch. To discover the mechanisms by which early-life stress may block REST activity and the NMDAR switch, Dr. Zukin’s group will study newborn rats that have been separated from their mothers for several hours a day. Dr. Zukin is a professor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Center and holds the F.M. Kirby Chair in Neural Repair and Protection. (1R01HD083828-01A1)
Posted on: Monday, December 05, 2016