MAILMAN RESEARCH CENTER
Laboratory for Translational Neuroscience
   Images by the Laboratory for Translational Neuroscience (click to enlarge) |
Researchers in the Translational Neuroscience Laboratory use postmortem investigations and animal models to study the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The hypothesis being tested is that the clinical manifestations of these diseases arise from an array of pathological changes affecting, in a related manner, several interconnected brain regions involved in the processing of emotions.
Recent findings point to intriguing patterns of abnormalities affecting the amygdala and entorhinal cortex. For example, a distinct distribution of changes relative to specific subpopulations of intrinsic neurons within these limbic regions was found in each of these diseases. Animal modeling studies currently in progress in this laboratory indicate that such changes may be the result of a disruption of inhibitory transmission in the cingulate gyrus, such as it has been shown in major psychotic illnesses. Anatomical investigations in rodents use a combination of tract tracing, immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy to identify amygdalar neuronal populations that receive direct synaptic inputs from the anterior cingulate gyrus as well as other prefrontal cortical areas. The synaptic targets of such neurons are also being investigated. These studies are complemented by investigations aimed at identifying the neurochemical phenotype and distribution of equivalent neuronal populations in the normal human amygdala.
By increasing our knowledge on the specific pathophysiological mechanisms at the basis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, researchers in this laboratory hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of these diseases and to the improvement of medical treatment.
Personnel
- Sabina Berretta, M.D. - Director (e-mail)
- Harry Pantazopoulos - Investigator (e-mail)
- Ying Lui - Research Associate (e-mail)
- Linda Hassinger - Research Specialist (e-mail)
Research Support
Representative Publications
- Berretta, S., Pantazopoulos H., Lange, N. Neuron numbers and volume of the amygdala in subjects diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Oct 15;62(8):884-93
- Pantazopoulos H, Lange N, Baldessarini RJ, Berretta S. Parvalbumin neurons in the entorhinal cortex of subjects diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Mar 1;61(5):640-52. Epub 2006 Sep 1.
- Pantazopoulos H, Lange N, Hassinger L, Berretta S. Subpopulations of neurons expressing parvalbumin in the human amygdala. J Comp Neurol. 2006 Jun 10;496(5):706-22.
- Berretta S, Pantazopoulos H, Caldera M, Pantazopoulos P, Pare D. Infralimbic cortex activation increases c-Fos expression in intercalated neurons of the amygdala. Neuroscience. 2005;132(4):943-53.