Admission to this internship program is by application only and is at the discretion of the individual research scientists - space is limited. The program is open to all undergraduates at Rutgers and NJIT. Specific course of skill prerequisites will vary by instructor.

For more information, contact Connie Sadaka at 973-353-1080 x 3294

Research Opportunities: Robert Ledeen, Ph.D.

Research Overview -

We study two main areas:
(a) Function of gangliosides in the nervous system
(b) Function of N-acetylaspartate in brain

Description:
(a) We are presently working with a knockout mouse lacking the major gangliosides of brain. Cerebellar and cortical neurons in culture show dysregulation of calcium, consistent with the fact that the animals are highly susceptible to induced seizures. A key regulatory mechanism that malfunctions in the absence of gangliosides is a sodium-calcium exchanger in the nuclear membrane. Cellular-molecular mechanisms involving gangliosides are one main focus of interest. Also, we are experimenting with ganglioside-replacement paradigms in vivo that relieve seizure susceptibility.

(b) N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is now widely used in clinical medicine in a variety of neurological disorders. Depressed levels in brain, measured non-invasively by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, indicate neuronal loss and dysfunction. Yet it has been a long-standing mystery as to what NAA actually does in the brain, other than serving as a clinical indicator. Our research is showing that NAA is produced in neurons but migrates into the adjacent myelin sheath where its acetyl group is released and utilized for synthesis of myelin lipids. This is one possible reason why NAA decrease in multiple sclerosis is thought to contribute to demyelination. Our ultimatae goal is to prepare a NAA-synthase knockout.

More Information -

Phone:(973) 972-7989
Email: ledeenro@umdnj.edu