1. HPLC analysis of Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin and their metabolites in mice with a defective FGFR1 receptor. This project applies to both Schizophrenia and Parkinson disease.

2. HPLC analysis of human serum samples following osteopathic treatment.

3. HPLC analysis of acetominophen metabolites in a liver toxicity study.

4. Synthesis and toxicity testing of the dopamine oxidation product, DOPAL. There is speculation that DOPAL may be a contributor to the neuronal degeneration associated with Parkinson's disease. The goal of this project is to determine its toxicity to cells in culture and more specifically to substantia nigra cells in vivo.

5. Real-Time Three-Dimensional analysis using multiple-oblique illumination to study the contacts between GnRH Immunoreactive elements and other peptidergic systems.* Previous studies revealed numerous juxtapositions between GnRH immunoreactive elements and other peptidergic systems in the human diencephalon. These close associations may be functional synapses and may represent direct influence of various neurotransmitter systems on the human GnRH release. Due to the long post-mortem time, justification of these contacts as real synapses utilizing electron microscopy is virtually impossible. However, close examination of the peptidergic-GnRH juxtapositions with multi oblique illumination can yield a 3D picture of the contacting elements. Analyzing this 3D image, contacts between the neurotransmitter systems can be verified, excluding superimpositions of the juxtaposing elements.

* - Denotes projects of the 3-D Microscopy Center within the B.R.L.

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