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For David Baker, Ph.D., glutamate isn’t just another chemical in the brain. It’s uncharted territory that could help neuroscientists better understand and treat schizophrenia and other disorders.
Baker, assistant professor of biomedical sciences, is researching a unique process in the brain that may be critical to treating brain disorders. His research is supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, and the Biomedical Technology Alliance.
While studying glutamate’s role in addiction, Baker became intrigued by a mechanism, system xc-, that releases glutamate in a very unusual way.
“Essentially every neuroscientist assumes that neurotransmitters are released into very specialized gaps between nerve endings called the synapse. But system xc- appears to bathe the entire length of the nerve in glutamate,” he explains.
Neuroscientists had known about this second pool of glutamate for awhile, but they didn’t know why it was important. “The real discovery is that we are the first to show that glutamate released from system xc- is critical to how the brain functions,” Baker says.
“We have evidence that it’s involved in addiction and schizophrenia. Other people believe it may be involved in Parkinson’s Disease,” he says. Because glutamate is critical to most aspects of brain function, discovering a new pool may reveal a new treatment target for many neurological disorders.
The researchers have initiated clinical trials for an existing drug that targets system xc-, and the results are promising. Baker also is collaborating with researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and the Medical College of Wisconsin to develop new and better drugs. Says Baker, “The new drugs will really be the test as to whether system xc- holds the key to the treatment of neurological disorders such as schizophrenia.”
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Quick Facts About Marquette
| Identity: | Catholic, Jesuit, private |
| Established: | 1881 |
| Location: | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Undergraduate: | 8,048 |
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| Campus: | Urban, 80 acres |
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