Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

BACKGROUND: The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a naturally occurring substance that has been discovered in the brain. It is responsible for neurons growth, healing of brain vessels and has a role in depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. BDNF has also been found in platelets with much higher amounts than the brain. Platelets are small cells that circulate in blood and help form a plug to prevent bleeding in case of injury. This fact raises the question about what role can a brain growth factor have in platelets and how it is involved in clot formation. WHAT WE HAVE DONE: We have isolated platelets from the blood of healthy volunteers to study their response to BDNF. We have found that BDNF is able to stimulate platelets, so they can form clots. Since we don't know how BDNF is able to stimulate platelets, we blocked different pathways (like locking doors) in order to determine which pathway (door) BDNF uses. We were able to identify few players in the pathway. WHAT WE WILL DO: We will continue the work and identify the whole pathway activated by BDNF. As mentioned earlier, platelets contain very large amounts of BDNF and surprisingly, they are unable to produce it since they don't have the necessary machinery. We will investigate where all the BDNF in platelets comes from and what role it can have in platelets and blood vessels. POTENTIAL BENEFITS: By better understanding how platelets respond to brain growth factors, we will be able to encourage platelet to release of their useful cargoes and help vessels heal. This might be particularly important in the vessels that nourish the brain, where damaged blood vessels could lead to stroke and dementia. Platelets may be a new avenue of treatment for these crippling diseases.