Winter 2011 [pdf] - University of Kentucky - College of Pharmacy

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Kim Nixon: On the Cutting Edge of Alcoholism Research A tiny neuron, one-sixth the size of a grain of sand, found in the human brain damaged from long-term alcohol abuse could potentially reverse or ward off significant damage if pharmaceutical scientist Kim Nixon's theories prove true. Nixon, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kentucky's College of Pharmacy, is currently focusing her research on alcoholic neuropathology in follow-up to the discovery that neural stem cells produce two-fold more newborn neurons in the adult brain after alcohol-induced damage. It has been a long-held belief that alcohol abuse over a long period of time destroys brain cells that were not completely recoverable, even if the abuse stops. "We've known for some time now that when an alcoholic becomes abstinent, some brain mass recovers," Nixon said. "What researchers in the field haven't considered is that new neurons could be born and help in this recovery, which is the focus of our work right now." The belief that the number of nerve cells in the adult brain are fixed early in life has given way to the theory that new neurons are generated in adulthood through a process called neurogenesis. The new cells originate from stem cells, which Dr. Kim Nixon (center), with Dr. Jim Anderson, Director of the NIH Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, and Dr. Kenneth Warren, Director of NIAAA at the NIH ceremonies. 6 Focus on Pharmacy are cells that can divide indefinitely, renew themselves, and give rise to a variety of cell types. A major goal of Nixon's research is to identify and understand the effect of alcohol on the environment surrounding the stem cells, or “neurogenic niche” following binge-induced brain damage. Secondarily, she hopes to identify factors that influence the niche and how that endogenous pathway may be harnessed for pharmacological treatment of alcoholinduced neurodegeneration and/or alcoholism. Currently, Nixon's lab has two National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded projects that are investigating different aspects of alcohol and neural stem cells. If new neurons can be induced to form in the alcohol-damaged brain, some regions could be repopulated with healthy cells to stave off significant impairment. Nixon's complex research focuses on the interaction between supporting cells of the nervous system, glia, and the neural stem cells, which are able to become a range of cells found in the nervous system. The challenge is the structure and function of the brain itself. Only two regions of the brain can regenerate - the hippocampus and the subventricular zone – but several types of cells besides the supporting cells of the nervous system and the neural stem cells manufacture various brain chemicals and growth factors. Trying to identify and describe the functions of both types of cells and how these functions interact and lead to the birth of new neurons is another hurdle in Nixon's work. The hippocampus is primarily involved in learning and memory; the subventricular zone, continued on page 18
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