Research
Thesis
Exploring the relationship between schizophrenia risk genes and adult hippocampal plasticity
Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric condition which affects around 1% of the general population. It is a highly heritable condition, and several genetic changes have been linked to the development of the disorder. Copy Number Variants (CNVs), are one such group of genetic changes in which microscopic pieces of DNA are deleted or duplicated, leading to altered gene dosage. Previously, large-scale analyses have linked CNVs with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia. Similarly, work from our lab has found that schizophrenia associated CNVs have a particular effect on pathways activated during extinction learning in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. The aim of this project is to further investigate the association between genetic risk for schizophrenia and associative learning, using large-scale analyses and behavioural learning in rats.
Funding source
Wellcome Trust PhD Studentship
Supervisors
Professor Jeremy Hall
Director, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences; Director/Clinical Professor, Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute
Dr Kerrie Thomas
Reader, Operations Director Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI), Co-Director of the Hodge Centre for Neuropsychiatric Immunology in Cardiff
