Nien-Pei Tsai, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studies hyperexcitable brain circuit, a neurological abnormality observed in patients with various psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. It is linked with clinical symptoms such as hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli, anxiety and seizures. Dr. Tsai seeks to better understand the mechanisms by which neurons fine-tune their excitability in order to develop new routes to control hyperexcitability in serious psychiatric disorders. The focus will be on an enzyme called Mdm2 and its substrate, the tumor suppressor p53, which are involved in a mechanism through which neurons reduce their excitability when they are chronically challenged by higher activities. This work has the potential to impact pharmaceutical development.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
