Nicotine produces a highly restricted pattern of degeneration with in the rat brain. As this is only a recent finding, this research is produced more questions than answers, especially concerning the long-term effects of this treatment. It appears that nicotine is expecting a large portion of its neurotoxicity, it has also seems to play a role in the neuroprotection against various neurotoxins and possibly neurological disorders such as Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease. Therefore, this research proposal focuses on the various aspects of nicotine neurotoxicity as mediated by nicotine's actions on this receptor. Experiments will focus on determining the extent of the alpha4beta2's role in both neurotoxicity and the long-term impact of this treatment on this receptor population. Finally, experiments will focus on the potential neuroprotective role of the alpha4beta2 receptor against two neurotoxins used as animal models of disease, and the effect of these neurotoxins on the alpha4beta2 population. It is my hope that these experiments will shed light on how nicotine is both neurotoxic and neuroprotective, and how the alpha4beta2 receptor may be involved in these seemingly opposite effects.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
5F31DA015266-02
Application #
6626186
Study Section
Human Development Research Subcommittee (NIDA)
Program Officer
Babecki, Beth
Project Start
2002-04-07
Project End
2003-06-30
Budget Start
2003-04-07
Budget End
2003-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$6,488
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
092530369
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095