# NEUROCHEMICAL PLASTICITY OF LOCUS COERULEUS IN AGING

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 1991 · $121,792

## Abstract

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the applicant's abstract):  The rationale for
this project derives from a substantial literature showing functional
deficits in locus coeruleus activity and norepinephrine-mediated behavior
in aging animals.  It is argued that the few studies of TH, the
rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis, that have been
described in aging animals or human disease have been inconclusive since
these studies have only assayed baseline TH activity under optimal
conditions.  The working hypothesis is that regulation of neurochemical
adaptive responsiveness in locus coeruleus neurons is reduced in aging
animals.  This difference will be reflected in changes in the induction or
activation of TH following neurotoxic insult or pharmacologic manipulation
of this neural system.  Three major aims are proposed to test this
hypothesis.  The first asks if there is an age-dependent alteration in the
ability of these neurons to induce TH in response to partial damage by
6-hydroxydopamine.  TH mRNA induction will be measured by in situ
hybridization and TH protein by immunohistochemistry and comparisons will
be made to the induction of group II beta tubulin as a marker for
regenerating neurons.  The second uses enzyme assays to study age-related
alterations in TH activation (phosphorylation) in response to the same
experimental treatment.  The third aim has two parts.  The first looks for
age-related changes in TH activation in response to treatments with
clonidine, oxotremorine, and reserpine, while the second aims to identify
the protein kinase system(s) which may be responsible for altered TH
regulation in aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3121471
- **Project number:** 1R01AG009587-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **SAM.gov UEI:** W8XEAJDKMXH3
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMES R UNNERSTALL
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1991
- **Award amount:** $121,792
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1991-08-15 → 1994-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3121471

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3121471, NEUROCHEMICAL PLASTICITY OF LOCUS COERULEUS IN AGING (1R01AG009587-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3121471. Licensed CC0.

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