1. Molecular mechanisms of mood stabilization
Galila Agam, PhD
Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology
and Psychiatry Research Unit
Faculty of Health Sciences
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Beer-Sheva, Israel

3. Main Mood Stabilizers (antibipolar drugs) + Li+ ion Valproate - CH3OH O
Li+ ion
Valproate

4. Tools Behavioral paradigms - mice KO mice
Molecular
“Traditional” enzymatic activities
Protein levels (WB)
mRNA levels (qPCR)
Neurochemical metabolism follow-up
using radiolabelling
Neurogenesis (immunohistochem)
DNA microarrays/bioinformatics
Behavioral paradigms
- mice
Mood-related
Motor-related
Anxiety-related
KO mice
IMPA1
SMIT1
GSK-3beta

5. Relevant Lithium-Sensitive
Behavioral Paradigms
Chronic lithium treatment reduces mice immobility in the Porsolt forced-swim test (FST) (O'Brien et al., 2004; Bersudsky et al., 2007)
Lithium attenuates amphetamine-induced hyper-locomotion (Berggren et al., 1978) 5

6. Heat Map (Z-scores) of 261 genes differentially expressed (p<0.05)
IMPA1 KO/Li - frontal cortex
CON Li
IMPA1 KO
CON Li
IMPA1 KO
Two Gene Groups
Below mean
Above mean
Toker L

7. Recent areas of interest
Neurogenesis
Mitochondrial function
Autophagy
Interest in collaboration
Any measurable brain-related parameter