by Jennifer Kowalewski
Yang Li,
Ph.D.,
assistant professor of neuroscience, wants to understand cell
communication, particularly the “talk” between the neurons in
the brain.
For the past two years, this has led him to investigate the role
of zinc in brain function.
“We have been
working on the brain, primarily how the cells communicate with
one another in different circumstances,” Li says. “My research
focuses on zinc ions. Specifically, we use zinc as a research
model to help us understand how the brain modifies its function
through experiences.”
Li’s laboratory
works on several projects, which look at the impact of zinc as
an intracellular messenger interacting with proteins and as a
trans-membrane messenger from neuron to neuron.
“There are large
numbers of free zinc (ions) in the hippocampus,” Li says, adding
this area of the brain is involved in memory formation, learning
and emotion. “We are asking why the zinc is compacted in the
hippocampus. What role does it play?”
His research will
likely have far reaching implications, most notably for patients
suffering from epilepsy or ischemic stroke. In 2004, the
American Epilepsy Foundation gave Li a $40,000 research grant
investigating zinc and epilepsy. In 2005, the American Heart
Association followed up with a $120,000 research grant
investigating zinc and stroke.
Researchers have
shown epilepsy affects the hippocampus, and most curative
surgery involves the removal of hippocampus to reduce seizure
frequency and severity.
“There is a
puzzling relationship between zinc and epilepsy. A certain type
of epilepsy is focused in hippocampus. In animal model, after an
epileptic seizure, the hippocampus generates new fibers.
Interestingly, these fibers contain a huge amount of zinc. By
studying the relationship of Zn2+ and epilepsy, I
hope that we would be one step closer to understanding this
brain dysfunction,” he says.
Another project,
which Li called “pretty dramatic,” looked at the phenomenon of
ischemic strokes. Following a stroke, if the brain was deprived
of oxygen because of a blood clot, tissues or neurons accumulate
a large amount of calcium.
“Calcium
overload, or too much of calcium, triggers the death of cells,”
he says.
But calcium
wasn’t the only substance rising in the brain after a stroke. Li
found zinc would do the same.
“What is the role
of zinc here?” he says. “There are few drugs available for the
treatment of acute stroke. Treatment or clinical trials targeted
to calcium ions have not been very successful. We have shown the
zinc overload in our models; more than that, zinc ‘cross talks’
with other proteins in neurons in ischemic condition.”
The bottom line
for the researchers in his laboratory is to improve human health
and quality of living, Li says. His research will remain focused
on this and will hopefully unlock the mysteries of zinc and
brain function as a whole, to develop better therapies for
patients living with these disorders.
“I am grateful
for the types of support I have received, intramural and
extramural, since I came to OU-COM,” he says. “We have developed
an exciting research model, which is paving the way to
understanding brain function and beyond.”
Li, who came to
the college two and half years ago from Uniformed Services
University in Maryland, says without the grant money he has
received, his research would not have been able to move forward.
He notes the tight budgets of recent years in federal funding
for biomedical research.
- 30 -
News for
the week of
March 13
– March 18
