The brain is especially vulnerable to damage in the neonatal and early fetal period. Early brain damage can lead to a bewildering variety of behavioral problems. Damage early in development does not necessarily cause the same effects as damage in adulthood. Dr. Berger Sweeney has developed a novel model system for studying the effects of early brain damage. She has found that lesions of an important nucleus in the forebrain the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nBM) cause unusual cellular formations in the sensori motor cortex in adulthood and have severe deficits in spatial navigation. She hypothesizes that the behavioral and morphological effects are due to transient depletion of cholinergic afferents to the cortex. She will now determine whether the affected behaviors are ones known to be dependent on cholinergic function or whether the deficits are due to some more nonspecific effect of the early lesion. She will also attempt to reverse the effects of the early lesions by augmenting the function of the depleted transmitter. The results will greatly strengthen our understanding of the mechanisms by which early brain damage affects behavior and may set the stage for developing effective therapies.***//
