AGE RELATED CHANGE IN GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS

候选人凯西·R·马格努森博士获得了博士学位和 他拥有兽医学位，目前是 科罗拉多州立大学解剖与神经生物学系 目前是解剖学系的助理教授 科罗拉多州立大学神经生物学。我有一个独立的， 产学研实验室及兽医教学 课程设置。我目前得到了美国国立卫生研究院第一个奖项的资助，以研究 衰老对NMDA受体功能的影响我的近期目标是搬家 将分子生物学方法纳入我的研究计划， 这将需要额外的培训。我的长期目标是 描述大脑中与年龄相关的变化，特别是 强调那些影响学习和记忆过程的因素，并设计 将减少或减缓这些与年龄相关的下降的干预措施。 我最近的研究结果表明，亚基的变化 NMDA受体的组成可能解释了一些与年龄相关的 我在NMDA受体上看到的变化。因此，似乎至关重要的是，我 精通分子生物学技术，以便探索这一点 在我的研究项目中有重要的新途径。这一奖项将使我获得 是时候全身心地学习这些新技术了，为了更好地 监督和分析目前获得资金的项目，并投入更多资金 是时候进行学术调查了。我的系主任将支持这一点 通过将我的教学和服务减少到与研究相关的领域， 继续就职业和研究问题向我提供建议，并允许我 五年级的休假。我在科罗拉多州立大学有资源 大学进行计划中的实验，包括这两项技术 我打算学一学。我在这里或科罗拉多大学也有教员 博尔德和健康科学中心向我传授这些技术。 此外，加州州立大学的教职员工对 神经科学，让我接触到许多受邀的神经学家 来自世界各地。这项研究计划旨在解决 假设NMDA受体的亲和力发生变化 实验上可以改变的谷氨酸。拟议中的调查 包括以下具体目标：1)确定整个NMDA 放射自显影在衰老过程中丢失受体复合体 技巧。2)确定NMDA结合位点的变化是否是由于 受体亲和力的丧失或改变。3)确定其他与年龄相关的内容 蛋白质浓度或细胞损失等因素可能是 与NMDA受体的结合减少。4)确定是否存在 涉及NMDA的可变性电生理反应下降 感受器。5)确定性能中是否存在可更改的更改 空间记忆任务随着年龄的增长。该奖项的新目标是；6) 学习原位杂交技术和7)学习卵母细胞/RNA 表达系统。这两个目标都是为了确定与年龄有关的 随着年龄的增长，受体亚单位组成也会发生变化。时间和时间 这个奖项为我提供的机会将加强我在 老龄化领域和我提出相关问题的能力和 寻找衰老在大脑中引发的问题的答案。

The candidate, Dr. Kathy R. Magnusson, has earned both a ph.D. and a veterinary medical degree and is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Colorado State University currently an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Colorado State University. I have an independent, productive research laboratory and teach in the veterinary medical curriculum. I am currently funded by an NIH FIRST award to study the effects of aging on NMDA receptor function. My immediate goals are to move toward incorporating molecular biology approaches into my research program, which will require additional training. My long-term goals are to characterize age-related changes that occur in the brain with particular emphasis on those that effect learning and memory processes and to design interventions that will reduce or alleviate these age-related declines. Recent findings in my research suggest that changes in the subunit composition of the NMDA receptor might account for some of the age-related changes I see in the NMDA receptor. Therefore, it seems crucial that I become proficient in molecular biology techniques in order to explore this important new avenue in my research program. This award would allow me the time to immerse myself in learning these new techniques, to better supervise and analyze the currently funded projects, and to devote more time to scholarly investigation. My department Chair will support this award by reducing my teaching and service to research-related areas, continuing to advise me on career and research issues and allowing me a sabbatical leave in year 5. I have the resources here at Colorado State University to conduct the planned experiments, including the two techniques I plan to learn. I also have faculty here or at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Health Sciences Center to instruct me in these techniques. in addition, CSU has faculty with a concentrated interest in the neuroscience and provides me with exposure to many invited neuroscientist from around the world. The research plan is designed to address the hypothesis that there is a change in affinity of NMDA receptors for glutamate that is alterable experimentally. The proposed investigation includes the following specific aims; 1) Determine if the entire NMDA receptor complex is lost during aging with the use of autoradiographic techniques. 2) Determine if the change in NMDA binding sites is due to loss or change in receptor affinity. 3) Determine what other age-related factors, such as protein concentration or cell loss could account for decreases in binding to NMDA receptors. 4) Determine whether there is an alterable decrease inn electrophysiological responses involving NMDA receptors. 5) Determine there is an alterable change in the performance of a spatial memory task with aging. The new aims of this award are; 6) To learn in situ hybridization techniques and 7) To learn the oocyte/RNA expression system. Both aims are designed to determine whether age-related changes in the receptor subunit composition occur with aging. The time and opportunities provided to me by this award will strengthen my knowledge in the field of aging and my ability to formulate pertinent questions and pursue the answers to the problems that aging induces in the brain.