The Neuroscience Core was a part of our MRDDRC during the initial period of support from 1987-1992, andconsisted of a synaptic neurochemistry unit directed by Dr. Joseph Coyle at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a lipidbiochemistry unit directed by Dr. Yasuo Kishimoto at the Kennedy Institute. The synaptic neurochemistry coreprovided biochemical assays for neurotransmitter enzymes, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)assays for a variety of neurotransmitters including amino acids and receptor binding assays forneurotransmitter receptors in the brain. The lipid biochemistry unit provided HPLC, gas liquid chromatography(GLC) and GLC-mass spectrometer assays used to characterize inborn errors of metabolism includingsphingolipidoses, peroxisomal disorders such as adrenoleukodystrophy and Refsum's disease and lysosomaldisorders. Dr. Michael Johnston replaced Dr. Coyle as director of the Neuroscience Core and head of thesynaptic neurochemistry unit during the next period of support from 1993-1998 after Dr. Coyle left Hopkins tobecome the chairman of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Johnston recruited Dr. Mary Blue as a coinvestigatorof the sysnaptic neurochemistry core to develop a new neuroimaging unit for brain histology.During this period the synaptic neurochemistry unit continued to provide HPLC assays for neurotransmittersand expanded sophisticated imaging techniques for immunocytochemistry and analysis of neurotransmitterreceptors and messenger RNA's in tissue sections using quantitative morphometric techniques. At the sametime Dr. Paul Watkins replaced Dr. Kishimoto as director of the lipid neurochemistry core. This unit continuedto develop advanced techniques for studying peroxisomal and related lipid disorders and added gaschromatography/mass spectrometry services for studying fatty and organic acid disorders under the directionof Dr. Richard Kelley. Leadership of the Neuroscience Core has remained stable for two additional periods ofsupport from 1998-2008. The Core has continues to provide the most modern technology for neuroscienceresearch including HPLC equipment, several systems for computerized morphometry and stereology, andmost recently has added a confocal microscope system. Equipment in the lipid biochemistry core has alsobeen updated to provide expanded research on peroxisomal and organic acid disorders.
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