Dr. Rosemarie Booze
Bicentennial Chair Professor in Behavioral Neuroscience

Barnwell, Room 546
(803) 777-7570
booze@sc.edu

These are the questions that Dr. Booze's laboratory seeks to answer. Research concerning neurodevelopmental disorders integrates information regarding development in both humans and other species, to determine the relationship between the developing brain and emergence of psychological abilities during infancy and childhood. Approximately 14% of school-aged children have disabilities, and many of them neurodevelopmental origin. We tackle issues such as determining the neuropathological underpinnings of cognitive and behavioral deficits across developmental states.

For example, in one set of studies, we are investigating is how the use of drugs, such a cocaine, by pregnant women produces cognitive/attentional dysfunction in the offspring of these mothers. Research progress along these lines of investigation may identify the neurobiological basis for drug abuse and whether the offspring have a higher risk of becoming abusers themselves.

Current conservative estimates place the incidence of ADHD at between 3-7% of all children. Over 6% of children and adolescents use psychoactive medications, and very little is known concerning the long-term effects of this early drug use. Our studies of early developmental exposures to stimulants such as amphetamine, nicotine, and cocaine can tell us about the neurological consequences of such treatments and exposures. Moreover, there are sex differences in ADHD and sex differences in the response to these stimulant drugs that we are currently investigating.

Additionally, intravenous drug use is a risk factor for HIV infection and we are also studying the interactions between the HIV virus and cocaine in the brain. Pediatric HIV infection is a devastating illness, with long term consequences for cognitive function.

Thus, neurodevelopmental disorders are a diverse set of psychological disorders that impact not only the individual, but also families and society as a whole. Our research effort fills a critical societal need in identifying how the developing nervous system adapts to injury and disease, and how neurodevelopmental disorders occur, and potentially identifying appropriate therapeutic treatments for these disorders.

Representative Publications: Aksenov MY, Hasselrot U, Wu G, Nath A, Anderson C, Mactutus CF, Booze RM. Temporal relationships between HIV-1 Tat-induced neuronal degeneration, OX-42 immunoreactivity, reactive astrocytosis, and protein oxidation in the rat striatum. Brain Res. 2003 Oct 10;987(1):1-9.

Nath A, Hauser KF, Wojna V, Booze RM, Maragos W, Prendergast M, Cass W, Turchan JT. Molecular basis for interactions of HIV and drugs of abuse. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2002 Oct 1;31 Suppl 2:S62-9.

Aksenov MY, Hasselrot U, Bansal AK, Wu G, Nath A, Anderson C, Mactutus CF, Booze Oxidative damage induced by the injection of HIV-1 Tat protein in the rat striatum. Neurosci Lett. 2001 Jun 1;305(1):5-8.

Turchan J, Anderson C, Hauser KF, Sun Q, Zhang J, Liu Y, Wise PM, Kruman I, Maragos W, Mattson MP, Booze R, Nath A. Estrogen protects against the synergistic toxicity by HIV proteins, methamphetamine and cocaine. BMC Neurosci. 2001;2(1):3. Epub 2001 Mar 02.

Nath A, Anderson C, Jones M, Maragos W, Booze R, Mactutus C, Bell J, Hauser KF, Mattson M. Neurotoxicity and dysfunction of dopaminergic systems associated with AIDS dementia. J Psychopharmacol. 2000;14(3):222-7. Review.

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