THE ROLE OF CHANGES IN THE HIPPOCAMPAL SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER IN THE PATHOLOGY OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

精神分裂症是一种严重的精神疾病，影响了大约1%的澳大利亚人口。这种疾病的原因尚不清楚，但许多证据表明，化学神经递质血清素功能的变化与疾病过程有关。我们已经发现，在精神分裂症患者大脑中一个叫做海马体的区域，血清素转运体发生了变化，血清素转运体是大脑中控制血清素活动的关键成分。这项提议试图阐明5-羟色胺转运蛋白的变化可能影响海马体中其他重要分子的机制。此外，我们将继续我们的研究，旨在评估5，7-二羟色胺处理的大鼠作为研究5-羟色胺转运蛋白变化的可能工具的有用性。

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects approximately 1% of the Australian population. The cause of the illness remains unknown but many lines of evidence suggest that changes in the function of a chemical neurotransmitter, serotonin, are involved in the disease process. We have shown a change in the serotonin transporter, a critical component of the brain which controls the actions of serotonin, in the an area of the brain called the hippocampus in subjects with schizophrenia. This proposal seeks to elucidate the mechanisms by which a change in the serotonin transporter may affect other important molecules in the hippocampus. In addition, we will continue our research designed to assess the usefulness of the 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine treated rat as a possible tool for the study of changes in the serotonin transporter.