Roles of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in plasticity of injured sensory neurons

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/160052

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

The fundamental problem of how nerve cells respond to a nerve injury has long been studied by neuroscientists and clinicians. After a nerve injury outside the brain or spinal cord, ie, in the periphery, some sensory nerve cells die, some regenerate to reconnect to their targets, and some sprout to make abnormal connections. Recent evidence from our lab and others indicates that the nerve sprouting is linked to chronic pain experienced by nerve-injury patients. However, how these changes occur still remains largely unknown. Our recent studies showed that growth factors, particularly brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is made by the sensory nerve cells, may play important roles in mediating these changes. This proposed project, directly evolved from our recent exciting findings, aims to further examine roles and action mechanisms of BDNF and its relatives in regulating the responses of sensory nerve cells to a nerve injury. We propose that after an injury, BDNF promotes survival of some nerve cells, enhances sensory nerve regeneration in both periphery and spinal cord, and also mediates abnormal nerve sprouting and is involved in neuropathic pain. With strong expertise and powerful tools in hand, we have designed a series of experiments to investigate the roles and action mechanisms of BDNF and its related molecules in these processes. Results from this project will help us understand mechanisms underlying the responses of nerve cells to a nerve injury, and should provide much needed information which would help in designing new methods for enhancing nerve cell survival and nerve regeneration as well as for inhibiting nerve injury-induced chronic pain in nerve-injury patients.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2001

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $461,443.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Medical parasitology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Neurotrophins | brain-derived neurotrophic factor | myelination | nerve injury | nerve regeneration | neurodegenerative disease | neuropathic pain | sensory neurons | spinal cord injury

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