Awards in the past 20 years

The following are some of the awards we made for research into diseases affecting the brain and neurological system, including stroke.

£141,343 over three years to Dr Gareth B. Miles (School of Biology, University of St Andrews), to test the 'synaptic stripping' hypothesis for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), by an investigation of cholinergic synapses on motoneurones in ALS.
ALS is a neurodegenerative, paralysing and fatal disease which results from the selective loss of motoneurones - the nerves in the brain and spinal cord responsible for controlling movement. It is incurable and the only available treatment has limited benefit. This project hopes to shed light on the poorly understood mechanisms which damage the nerves.

£74,715 to Dr Jenni Harvey (Neurosciences Institute, University of Dundee) for a two-year investigation of whether age-related decline in cognitive function is assocated with altered neuronal responsiveness to leptin.
Leptin regulates food intake and body weight and is also involved in the processes underlying learning and memory. Food intake is linked to age-related cognitive decline; over-eating increasing the risk. The levels of brain leptin receptors reduce with age and this research will investigate whether age-related decline in cognitive performance and brain leptin function are linked.

£79,111 to Dr Trevor John Bushell (Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Strathclyde) for a two-year project to determine the role of proteinase-activated receptor 2 upregulation in CNS neurones.
This study aims to understand the part played by proteinase-activated receptors in communication between nerve cells in the central nervous system, information that is key to the development of treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

£79,816 to Dr Julie Calvert (Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University) & Professor Gordon Neale Dutton (Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow) for a two-year project on the identification, characterisation and management of dorsal stream dysfunction in children.
Many children with early brain damage have complex visual problems which may result from damage to the nerve pathway which processes information on the spatial properties and motion of objects. This project aims to develop a test to identify affected children as early as possible, to avoid their educational and social development being impaired.

The Medical Research Scotland/Mrs Jean V. Baxter Medical Research Fellowship 2006-08 was awarded to Dr Marie-Astrid Pezze (Centre for Cognitive & Neural Systems, University of Edinburgh) for her project entitled "Dopamine signalling from the ventral tegmental area to the hippocampus, novelty, and memory encoding: investigating the substrates of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia".
This work will identify possible links between the effects of current treatments for, and the memory impairment associated with, schizophrenia.

£69,971 over two years to Dr Thomas Gillingwater (Anatomy, University of Edinburgh) for high-resolution imaging of synapse loss in mouse models of spinal muscular atrophy.
The junction between nerve and muscle is a primary site of damage in spinal muscular atrophy, one form of the degenerative and ultimately fatal condition known as motor neurone disease. This study will investigate the detail of the anatomical changes occurring in the cells of the junctions between the nerves and the muscles in the disease.

£79,820 to Dr Giles E. Hardingham (Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, Edinburgh University) for a two-year investigation into neuronal pro-survival pathways triggered by the synaptic activation of NMDA receptors.
Nerve cells communicate with each other by chemical signals, detected by receptors. One such receptor, NMDA, causes signal activation which seems to keep neurones alive. This project proposes to study these 'pro-survival' signals, whose effects are depleted in brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's and also in other forms of brain damage, such as is caused by strokes.

£79,982 to Dr Sanbing Shen (Biomedical Sciences, Aberdeen University) for a two-year investigation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neural tube defects.
By studying the activity of two enzymes found in the developing brain, this progect aims to establish if, in inappropriate quantities, they are a cause of neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

£79,644 to Dr Fiona A. White (Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Glasgow University) for a two-year project for the assessment of GADD34 as a potential therapeutic target in cerebral ischaemia.
This work aims to improve understanding of the molecular and cellular processes involved in the damage to brain cells which can result in stroke.

£63,236 over 18 months to Dr Neil McLennan & Professor David W. Melton (Molecular Medicine Centre, Edinburgh University) to study the role of the prion protein in protecting the brain from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is known to cause damage to neurones in diseases such as Parkinson's.
This research seeks to establish if prion proteins have a role in protecting neurons from oxidative stress, which would protect the brain and its functioning.

£ 64,995 over two years to Dr James M. Brewer (Division of Immunology) and Drs Clive Bate & Alun Williams (Veterinary Pathology, Glasgow University) for an analysis of the role of cholesterol-sensitive domains in the trafficking and neurotoxicity of prions.
Prion diseases,such as CJD and BSE, cause death and dysfunction of neurones through mechanisms which are not fully understood. This study will look at the role of cholesterol-rich areas on neurones to establish if high levels of cholesterol are needed by prions to exert their destructive effects.

£57,838 over two years to Dr Gayle H. Middleton (Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, Royal (Dick) Vet School, Edinburgh University) to investigate the role of the Bcl-2 protein family in regulating cell survival in the substantia nigra and striatum.
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's & Huntington's, involve an imbalance of the molecules promoting brain cell death and those preventing it. This research focuses of the Bcl-2 molecule family to understand their role in these processes.

The Nasmyth Travelling Research Scholarship 2000-2002 was awarded to Dr Tracey A. Baird (Neurology, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow) to visit the Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Centre for Brain Imagine Research, Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia. The focus of Dr Baird's research is to find new, simple and cost-effective ways to diagnose and treat acute stroke - a disease which remains the third commonest cuase of dealth in Scotland.

£69,957 over three years to Dr Frank J. Gunn-Moore (School of Biology, St Andrews University) to investigate the amyloid-ABAD complex, a novel model for Alzheimer's Disease.
The protein amyloid is known to be deposited in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, where it is thought to bind to ABAD protein. This research will study the molecular effects of deposition and look at the early processes in Alzheimer's.

£99,418 over three years to Drs Andrew J. Irving and Bruno Frenguelli (Pharmacology & Neuroscience, Dundee University) for a study linking hypoxia/ischaemia with altered glutamate receptor expression and dynamic changes in the neuronal cytoskeleton.
Neurodegeneration following reduced blood flow and oxygen deprivation involves the production of certain receptor complexes which are activated by glutamate, intensifying the damage. By studying these neurotoxic receptors this research hopes to find a way to modify the neurone damage and prevent loss of normal functioning.

£31,293 over three years to Dr Stuart R. Cobb (Neurosience & Biomedical Systems, Glasgow University) to investigate the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in controlling epileptiform activity.

£62,411 over 18 months to Dr Christine Bell, Ms Caroline Clark & Professor Neva E. Haites (Medical Genetics, Aberdeen University) to investigate the role of regulatory sequences of the candidate genes in the pathogenesis of hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy Type 1 (HMSN1).

£68,457 over two years to Dr Stephany M. Biello (Psychology, Glasgow University) for a study of the neural basis of circadian timing.

£84,954 over two years to Dr Gurman Pall, Professor Keith Johnson & Dr Catherine Winchester (Molecular Genetics, Glasgow University) for the identification and characterisation of the genes regulated by the homeodomain protein SIX5 and their contribution to the pathogenesis in myotonic dystrophy.

£40,695 over one year to Drs Alasdair M.J. MacLullich (Molecular Endocrinology Unit) & Joanna M. Wardlaw (Clinical Neurosciences) and Professors Jonathan R. Seckl (Molecular Endocrinology Unit) & Ian J. Deary (Psychology, Edinburgh University) to investigate the relationshp between hippocampal structure, metabolites, glucocorticoids and age-related cognitive decline by means of an mri and specroscopy study.

A Medical Research Scholarship 1999-2000 was awarded to Dr Susan Kerr (Aberdeen Royal Infirmary) to study the effect of nitric oxide donation on regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism in acute ischaemic stroke

£70,000 over two years to Dr Keiran C. Breen (Pharmacology, Dundee University) to continue his research into the role of tau protein glycosylation in the generation of neurofibrillary tangles associated with Alzheimer's Disease.

£69,674 over two years to Dr Peter D. Currie (Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh University) for the identification of downstream mediators of the secreted signalling moelcule Sonic Hedgehog.

£33,671 over one year to Dr Colin D. McCaig (Biomedical Sciences) & Professor John V. Forrester (Ophthalmology, Aberdeen University) to investigate sprouting nerves and healing cornea.

£30,415 over one year to Dr Malcolm P. Caulfield (Pharmacology & Neuroscience, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee) for a study of metatropic glutamate receptors in cerebellar Purkinje neurones.

The Mrs Jean V. Baxter Medical Research Fellowship 1997-1999 was awarded to Dr Alasdair M.J. MacLullich (Rehabilitation Medicine, Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh) for a study of the association between glucocorticoids and brain ageing.

£99,697 to Dr Bruno Frenguelli (Pharmacology, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee) for a three-year investigation into neuronal function after hypoxia/ischaemia in the in vitro rat hippocampal slice.

£94,237 to Dr Ian J. Holt (Molecular & Cellular Pathology, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee) & Dr Alan R. Prescott (Biochemistry, Medical Science Institute, Dundee University) for a three-year project analysing innervated cultured muscle from patients with mitochondrial disease.

£25,963 to Dr Deborah Dewar (Wellcome Surgical Unit, Glasgow University) for a one-year in vitro study using organotypic slice cultures of presynaptic protein damage after ischaemia.

£85,285 to Mr Robert P. Mills (Otolaryngology, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee) and Dr Eric W. Abel (Biomedical Engineering, Dundee University) for a two-year in vitro evalulation of physiological models of the ossicular chain.

£63,539 to Dr Malcolm P. Caulfield (Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacology, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee) for a study to define the transduction pathways inducing long-term synaptic depression and release of calcium from intracellular stores by investigating the metabotropic glutamate receptors in cerebellar Purkinje neurones.

£56,145 to Professor Janet M. Allen (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Glasgow University) for a study of neuronal differentiation induced by the neuropeptide pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating peptide (PACAP).

£36,063 to Dr Karen Horsburgh (Wellcome Surgical Institute & Hugh Fraser Laboratories, Glasgow University) for a one-year study of alterations in protein kinase C and amyloid precursor protein in human head injury and stroke.

£19,211 to Drs Richard Ashley & Cecile Martin (Biochemistry, Edinburgh University) and Dr Karen Chapman (Medicine, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh) for a six-month pilot study of the expression of calcium release channel genes in human brain.

£89,854 over three years to Dr Kieran C. Breen (Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacology, Dundee University) for a study of neural glycosylation state in Alzheimer's Disease.

£89,850 over two and a half years to Drs Hugh J. Willison & G. Paterson (Neurology, Glasgow University) and colleagues in Cambridge, London and Texas, for a study involving combinatorial library cloning of anti-ganglioside antibodies from autoimmune neuropathy patients.

The Mrs Jean V. Baxter Medical Research Fellowship 1993-95 was awarded to Dr Karen J. Horsburgh (Wellcome Surgical Institute & Hugh Fraser Laboratories, Glasgow University) for work on protein kinase and beta-amyloid protein deposition in human head injury and stroke.