Mental Retardation by Anis Contractor

2009
Anis Contractor, Ph.D.

In Vivo Analysis of the Role of FMRP in Dendrite Maturation and Plasticity in the
Somatosensory Cortex
2009 Seed Grant
Anis Contractor, Ph.D.
Northwestern University

Fragile X syndrome is the most common form of human mental retardation and the single
largest known cause of autism. One prominent manifestation of the disease is an alteration in
sensory processing that results in tactile hypersensitivity in fragile X patients. This study will
seek to define the impairments in dendritic maturation and plasticity in the sensory cortex of a
fragile X mouse model. The results will allow us to determine the role that fragile X mental
retardation protein plays in the development and plasticity of neurons which underlie sensory
processing.

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Other Grants

Brain Research Foundation
Rebekah C. Evans, Ph.D., Georgetown University
In Vivo and Ex Vivo Dissection of Midbrain Neuron Activity During Exercise
Exercise is important for the health of the body and the mind. Exercise promotes learning and reduces symptoms of brain-related diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it…
Brain Research Foundation
William J. Giardino, Ph.D. Stanford University
Deciphering the Neuropeptide Circuitry of Emotional Arousal in Narcolepsy
This research project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms of a specific type of brain cell called neuropeptide neurons within a region of the brain’s amygdala network called the bed…
Brain Research Foundation
Howard Gritton, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Attention Mechanisms Contributing to Auditory Spatial Processing.
Our world is composed of a rich mixture of sounds. We often process sounds including speech in the presence of many other competing auditory stimuli (e.g., voices in a crowded…
Brain Research Foundation
Nora Kory, Ph.D., Harvard University
Elucidating the Fates and Functions of Lactate in the Brain
The human brain requires significant energy to function. Despite accounting for only 2% of our body weight, the brain consumes a substantial 20% of the body’s energy, relying on a…