Louisville, Ky. -- Michal Hetman, MD, PhD, associate professor and endowed chair in molecular signaling in the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center and the UofL Department of Neurological Surgery, has received a three-year, $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund a project that will aim to explain how the nervous system grows and develops. This knowledge may someday help scientists develop better treatment strategies for illnesses and injuries that cause damage to the nervous system.
In the developing brain, growth of the extensions of nerve cells – called dendrites – is critical to establishing the connections between neurons that underlie brain function.
"This project aims to identify the critical elements of the signaling network underlying dendritic growth," Hetman said.
The study, using animal models, will specifically look at genes found in a subsection of the cell nucleus called the nucleolus and their contribution to dendritic growth.
This project will provide an opportunity for students from UofL and from Northern Kentucky University to contribute to the research as part of a 10-week summer program.