Project 170940
Neuroprotective Effect of Mood Stabilizers: the Role of the Major Brain Antioxidant Glutathione
Neuroprotective Effect of Mood Stabilizers: the Role of the Major Brain Antioxidant Glutathione
Project Information
| Study Type: | Other Mechanistic_Study |
| Therapeutic Area: | Cancer |
| Research Theme: | Biomedical |
| Disease Area: | cancer |
| Data Type: | Canadian |
Institution & Funding
| Principal Investigator(s): | Wang, Jun-Feng |
| Institution: | University of British Columbia |
| CIHR Institute: | Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction |
| Program: | |
| Peer Review Committee: | Behavioural Sciences - A: Neurobiological Basis of Behavioural Processes |
| Competition Year: | 2008 |
| Term: | 4 yrs 0 mth |
Abstract Summary
Bipolar disorder is a serious psychiatric illness in which subjects experience severe recurrent episodes of mania and depression, and a high rate of psychosocial disability. Lithium and valproate are the most commonly used mood stabilizing drugs in treatment of bipolar disorder, and have been found to protect brain cells from damage. We recently found that these two drugs specifically inhibit oxidative damage to brain cells. We also found that lithium and valproate regulate the essential brain antioxidant glutathione and functionally related enzyme glutathione s-transferase. Both glutathione and glutathione s-transferase play important roles against oxidative damage to cells. We will further determine if lithium and valproate regulate glutathione and glutathione s-transferase in brain regions specifically related to mood using animal models for mania and depression. The results of these studies will further clarify the mechanism of action of mood stabilizing drugs and may lead to the identification of new treatments for bipolar disorder.
Research Characteristics
This project includes the following research characteristics:
Study Justification
"Our research program is focused on understanding the mechanisms that allow cells to move, with the expectation that this will lead to new therapeutic strategies for a range of diseases including cancer."
Novelty Statement
"The ultimate goal of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of how the loss of tissue architecture contributes to cancer, and to identify new avenues for therapeutic intervention."
Methodology Innovation
studying the molecular mechanisms of cell migration to identify new therapeutic targets for cancer