Charlotte Taylor
PhD Student,
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Research Summary
A link between NMDA receptor function and GABAergic inhibition in the modulation of cognition? A comparison of neural and cognitive changes in rat models of NMDA receptor hypofunction, neural… read more
Current Research
A link between NMDA receptor function and GABAergic inhibition in the modulation of cognition? A comparison of neural and cognitive changes in rat models of NMDA receptor hypofunction, neural disinhibition and maternal immune activation
Hippocampal and prefrontal GABA inhibition is required for cognitive functions, such as attention and memory. NMDA receptors are required to maintain GABA inhibition, with NMDA receptor hypofunction in rodents reducing hippocampal and prefrontal GABA markers. Both NMDA receptor hypofunction and neural disinhibition have been implicated in cognitive disorders, including schizophrenia and age-related cognitive decline.This BBSRC i-CASE project combines neurobiological and behavioral methods in rat models to examine the overarching hypothesis that NMDA receptor hypofunction impairs cognition by causing hippocampal and prefrontal neural disinhibition.
In partnership with b-neuro, the maternal immune activation model, which shows cognitive deficits in the adult offspring that may be linked to GABA and glutamatergic changes, will be explored by examining NMDA and GABA markers.