Dr. Nadine Kabbani's Laboratory
* Laboratory located at Mason's Fairfax Campus
Research Interests:
Our laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms by which nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) signal and operate in the developing and adult brain. We are investigating two key lines of research on this topic in the lab at this time. First, we are studying how nAChRs direct neuronal development by examining the role of nAChRs in growing axons and growth cones. Growth cones are important developmental structures that play a role in neuronal survival and target selection within the developing brain. We have developed a neuronal culture system to examine the contributions of nAChRs in growth cones of neurons from the hippocampus and cortex. We are currently investigating the intracellular mechanisms driving growth cones dynamics and movement.
A second line of research, aims to examine the contributions of nAChRs to cognitive functions in the adult brain. This class of receptors has been linked to important features of learning and memory and is thought to play a central role in information processing. The alpha 7 nAChR has been implicated in Schizophrenia and has emerged as an important receptor target for antipsychotic drug medication. Our lab is currently examining how various classes of antipsychotic medications can regulate the expression and distribution of alpha 7 nAChRs within the adult brain.
Potential 2012 Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Projects
ASSIP students will participate in key studies of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the developing brain. We are currently utilizing a transgenic line of mice that do not express the alpha 7 nAChR subunit. Students will work alongside a graduate student in the lab to characterize this transgenic mouse line from a developmental perspective with an emphasis on examining the morphological development of the alpha 7 knockout mouse. A series of cell based immuochemical detection techniques will be used to study the growth of axons and dendrites in the absence of the alpha 7 nicotinic receptor. Moreover, quantitative analysis of neuronal morphology will be performed to assess the cellular effects of alpha 7 nAChRs on neural growth. By the end of their fellowship, the ASSIP students will have gained mastery and working knowledge in neuroanatomy as well as immunohistochemistry.