Plasticity and Promise: A New Era in Brain Research and Psychiatry Dolores Malaspina, MD, MSPH Anita...
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Transcript of Plasticity and Promise: A New Era in Brain Research and Psychiatry Dolores Malaspina, MD, MSPH Anita...
Plasticity and Promise: A New Era in Brain Research and Psychiatry
Dolores Malaspina, MD, MSPHAnita Steckler & Joseph Steckler Professor of Psychiatry
Institute for Social and Psychiatric Initiatives:Research, Education and Services
NYU Langone Medical Center
Translational Neuroscience Research
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<20 20- 24 25- 29 30- 34 35- 39 40- 44 45- 49 50- 54
Age of motherAge of father
Basic Science Animal Models
Epidemiology
Clinical Research
Jerusalem Birth CohortAnimal ModelMice with older sires
have impaired learning
Epidemiology Study
NIH funded Genetic Study in Israel
Psychiatric hospital patients in Jerusalem
Translational Research Example in Schizophrenia
Clinical ResearchNYU Challenge Grant-
Define the clinical features, brain changes and best
treatment for this subtype
Lamarck
Watson and Crick 1953
Genetics Epigenetics
Epigenetic mechanisms:- change gene expression without changing DNA sequence.-transmit information to descendents to best adapt their physiology to the expected environment.
messenger RNA
No message
large amounts of protein
no protein
Epigenetic regulation of gene activity
Scenario ‘B’ Scenario ‘A’
Risk for Disease
Adult Phenotype
Birth Phenotype
Postnatal Environment
GENES
EPIGENETIC CHANGES
History of the Population
INTERGENERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
MATCH ?
Epigenetic effects: intergenerational influences, prenatal environment and life course potential for plasticity
Prenatal Environment
fetal programming
Increased by exercise
Brain cells are replenished throughout life in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus
Decreased by stress
Imaging Neurogenesis?We have imaged the dentate gyrus image using the NYU 7T MRI
The dentate is 10 times smaller than the width of a human hair
Neurogenesis also ongoing in brain olfactory regions
Olfactory bulb
Neurons from scrapings at the top of the nose can be cultured and
used for genetic study.
They have the potential to made into stem cells
Olfactory epithelium
In response to an earlier article :
“Understanding the Anxious Mind”
By Robin Marantz HenigNY Times Magazine
October 4, 2009
Translating science to the public: letter to the editor: NY Times Magazine October 18, 2009