AGE RELATED CHANGE IN GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS

候选人凯西·R博士马格努森，获得了博士学位。和 兽医学位，目前是助理教授， 科罗拉多州立大学解剖学和神经生物学系 现任解剖学系助理教授， 科罗拉多州立大学神经生物学。 我有一个独立的， 兽医生产研究实验室和教学 课程。 我目前由NIH FIRST奖资助， 衰老对NMDA受体功能的影响。 我的近期目标是 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 描述大脑中发生的与年龄相关的变化， 强调那些影响学习和记忆过程的因素， 干预措施将减少或缓解这些与年龄有关的下降。 我最近的研究结果表明， NMDA受体的组成可能解释了一些与年龄相关的 我在NMDA受体中看到的变化。 因此，至关重要的是， 精通分子生物学技术， 这是我研究计划中的一个重要的新途径。 这个奖项将让我 时间沉浸在学习这些新技术，以更好地 监督和分析目前资助的项目，并投入更多的 学术研究的时间。 我的系主任将支持这一点 通过减少我的教学和服务，以研究相关领域， 继续在职业和研究问题上为我提供建议， 第五年休假。 我在科罗拉多州立大学有资源 大学进行计划中的实验，包括两种技术 我打算学。 我也在这里或科罗拉多大学任教 博尔德和健康科学中心指导我这些技术。 此外，科罗拉多州立大学的教师对 神经科学，并为我提供了接触许多邀请神经科学家 来自世界各地 该研究计划旨在解决 假设NMDA受体的亲和力发生变化， 实验上可以改变的谷氨酸盐。 拟议的调查 包括以下具体目标：1）确定整个NMDA是否 受体复合物在衰老过程中丢失， 技术. 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)确定其他与年龄有关的 因素，如蛋白质浓度或细胞损失可以解释 减少与NMDA受体的结合。 4)确定是否存在 涉及NMDA的电生理反应中的可变减少 受体。 5)确定性能存在可变变化 空间记忆任务的能力。 该奖项的新目标是：6） 了解原位杂交技术; 7）了解卵母细胞/RNA 表达系统 这两个目的都是为了确定是否与年龄有关 受体亚单位组成的变化随着老化而发生。 的时间和 这个奖项提供给我的机会将加强我的知识， 老龄化领域和我提出相关问题的能力， 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.