Potentiate Cav3.3 To Treat Cognitive Deficits Associated with Impaired Sleep Spindle

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Project Summary/Abstract Sleep spindle is a hallmark brain oscillation occurring in NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep that reflect intrinsic thalamocortical offline processing. Spindles are waxing and waning bursts of 12-15 Hz oscillations that originate in Thalamic Reticular Nucleus (TRN) when its neurons undergo bursting firing, and TRN- Thalamic Relay network oscillates at spindle frequency through the reciprocal connection. Sleep spindles are markedly reduced in schizophrenia patients as well as in Alzheimer patients, two very different CNS disorders yet both demonstrated significant altered sleep spindle properties associated with cognitive impairment. We hypothesize that hypofunctional TRN may underlie the risk/symptoms of these two devasting illnesses. CACNA1I is encode the α1 functional core of the CaV3.3 voltage-ˇgated calcium channels, and its expression is enriched in TRN. We have discovered two novel chemical scaffolds that potentiate CaV3.3 function, and this proposal aims to deliver in vivo ready Cav3.3 positive modulators. This multidisciplinary effort is expected to yield a panel of incisive pharmacological reagents to enhance CaV3.3 function in the brain and nominate candidates for preclinical development for treating cognitive impairments in schizophrenia patients.