Seminars/Colloquia/Invited Talks

Seminars

Godfrey Pearlson

Schizophrenia Risk genes - What Are they Doing in the Brain?

PLACE:	Clark 314
EVENT:	CIS Seminar Series
DATE:	November 08, 2005
TIME:	1:00 - 2:00

Abstract

A key issue for schizophrenia (SZ) researchers is the identification of heritable phenotypes. Because there are likely multiple SZ vulnerability genes, each of individually weak effect, there are compelling arguments for assessing intermediate phenotypes that can also be quantified in individuals without clinical SZ, and might have a simpler genetic basis that is more amenable to linkage and association studies. It has been hypothesized that many schizophrenia vulnerability genes act via influencing cognitive efficiency, especially for memory. SZ patients and their close relatives tend to show particular deficiencies in various types of memory. Dr. Pearlson will discuss the relationship between functional polymorphisms in 4 schizophrenia "risk" genes (COMT, BDNF, alpha-7 nicotinic cholinergic and CB1 cannabinoid receptor) that are believed to influence working and verbal or spatial long-term memory and associated activity in memory-related neural circuits and their effects on memory ability and functional neuroimaging.

Brief biography

Dr. Pearlson is a Professor of Psychiatry at Yale Medical School, & Director of the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center in Hartford CT.