The overall goal of this program of research is to develop novel approaches for the prevention, treatment and modeling of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This goal will be achieved through five years of funding of 4 research projects that are supported by 4 vital cores. The approach of our drug discovery group has been and will continue to be two fold. First, we believe that the effective treatment of AD may require small molecules that easily access the brain and can be administered for years to decades. As such, we have three research projects that access small molecules, for which we have evidence of neuroprotection, effects on neuropathologies of AD, effects on cognitive decline, and that readily penetrate the brain (Project by Simpkins, Project by Meyer, Project by Koulen). Further, these compounds are expected to have little or no toxicity for reasons developed in the individual projects. Project 1 will continue a long-standing effort to discover novel compounds and mechanisms for estrogen related neuroprotection. Project 2 will continue to develop their well established program for understanding of how brain alpha7 nicotinic receptors both improve memory related behaviors and protect cells from a variety of toxic insults. Project 5 is a new research project that will identify components and mechanisms of neuroprotection mediated by N-Acylethanolamines and identify potential candidates from this group of compounds for drug development. The second strategy that we have used for drug discovery has been genetic, both for treating as well as modeling AD. We believe that ultimately, the prevention/treatment of AD may require genetic modification to replace missing or defective proteins, or reduce the production of over-expressed proteins. We have projects that use viral (Project 4) vectors for in vivo transfer of model genes, genes that produce certain aspects of AD neuropathology, and genes that are expected to prevent/treat the neuropathology of AD. The 4 supportive cores are Administrative (Core A), Vector Core (Core B), Neuroimaging Core (Core C) and Drug Synthesis Core (Core D). Collectively, this program of research will continue our successful efforts to discover novel compounds and approaches for the prevention, treatment and modeling of AD.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Research Program Projects (P01)
Project #
2P01AG010485-14
Application #
6857941
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAG1-ZIJ-3 (O3))
Program Officer
Buckholtz, Neil
Project Start
1991-09-30
Project End
2010-01-31
Budget Start
2005-03-01
Budget End
2006-01-31
Support Year
14
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$1,193,933
Indirect Cost
Name
University of North Texas
Department
Pharmacology
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
110091808
City
Fort Worth
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
76107
Richter, Frank; Koulen, Peter; Kaja, Simon (2016) N-Palmitoylethanolamine Prevents the Run-down of Amplitudes in Cortical Spreading Depression Possibly Implicating Proinflammatory Cytokine Release. Sci Rep 6:23481
Means, John C; Gerdes, Bryan C; Kaja, Simon et al. (2016) Caspase-3-Dependent Proteolytic Cleavage of Tau Causes Neurofibrillary Tangles and Results in Cognitive Impairment During Normal Aging. Neurochem Res 41:2278-88
Montgomery, Christa L; Keereetaweep, Jantana; Johnson, Heather M et al. (2016) Changes in Retinal N-Acylethanolamines and their Oxylipin Derivatives During the Development of Visual Impairment in a Mouse Model for Glaucoma. Lipids 51:857-66
Kaja, Simon; Payne, Andrew J; Singh, Tulsi et al. (2015) An optimized lactate dehydrogenase release assay for screening of drug candidates in neuroscience. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 73:1-6
Sarkar, Saumyendra; Jun, Sujung; Simpkins, James W (2015) Estrogen amelioration of A?-induced defects in mitochondria is mediated by mitochondrial signaling pathway involving ER?, AKAP and Drp1. Brain Res 1616:101-11
Kaja, Simon; Payne, Andrew J; Naumchuk, Yuliya et al. (2015) Plate reader-based cell viability assays for glioprotection using primary rat optic nerve head astrocytes. Exp Eye Res 138:159-66
Cheli, V T; Santiago González, D A; Spreuer, V et al. (2015) Voltage-gated Ca2+ entry promotes oligodendrocyte progenitor cell maturation and myelination in vitro. Exp Neurol 265:69-83
Kaja, Simon; Sumien, Nathalie; Shah, Vidhi V et al. (2015) Loss of Spatial Memory, Learning, and Motor Function During Normal Aging Is Accompanied by Changes in Brain Presenilin 1 and 2 Expression Levels. Mol Neurobiol 52:545-54
Kaja, S; Payne, A J; Nielsen, E Ø et al. (2015) Differential cerebellar GABAA receptor expression in mice with mutations in CaV2.1 (P/Q-type) calcium channels. Neuroscience 304:198-208
Grillo, Stephanie L; Koulen, Peter (2015) Psychophysical testing in rodent models of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Exp Eye Res 141:154-63

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