GABA and Glutamate receptors on Alzheimer's disease

Project Summary

All the functions of the brain, our sensations, memory etc. depend on the transmission of signals across the myriads of synapses that interconnect the billions of neurons of the brain. In the synaptic process neurotransmitter substances, released from one neuron, act on receptor proteins embedded in the membrane of neighboring neurons. Alzheimer's is a synaptic disease accompanied by neuronal loss. Nevertheless, very little is known about the neurotransmitter receptors of the Alzheimer's brain. We will study the structure and function of these receptors, using a method that we developed to micro-transplant receptors from the human brain to frog oocytes. Membranes, isolated from brains frozen post-mortem, are injected into oocytes. These membranes, carrying the original receptors from the Alzheimer's brain, and still embedded in their original membrane, fuse with the oocyte membrane. Remarkably, the receptors are still functional and can be subjected to detailed structural and functional analyses. Receptors from Alzheimer's brains will be compared with those from non-Alzheimer's brains, focusing on the receptors to GABA and Glutamate: the main inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the human brain. The effects of Amyloid beta will also be studied. All this will help determine the cause of Alzheimer's disease and help to develop new treatments.