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FAU Research Provides Clues

to Treat Depression, Autism and

Other Neuropsychiatric Disorders Award Winning Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing Centers

Alterations in a naturally occurring chem-
ical in the brain called serotonin have been
linked to a number of neuropsychiatric dis-
orders including depression, anxiety, obses-
sive-compulsive disorder as well as autism
spectrum disorder (ASD). Randy Blakely, CELEBRATING
Ph.D., executive director of Florida Atlantic CASE MANAGERS
University’s Brain Institute and a professor
of biomedical science in FAU’s Charles E. MAKING A
Schmidt College of Medicine, and his team, DIFFERENCE!
have been studying this mood-regulating
gene in the brain that carries signals across
the synapse, or the gap between nerve cells.
The supply of serotonin is tightly regulated
by the serotonin transporter (SERT) and
inappropriate shifts in SERT activity can
have dramatic consequences.
Blakely first identified and cloned the Plaza Health Network’s seven award-winning skilled
SERT gene about 25 years ago, and recently nursing and rehabilitation centers salute case managers
received a $2.3 million grant from the in South Florida. Exceptional people providing
National Institutes of Health (NIH) to con- exceptional care.
tinue his research efforts to gain a better
understanding of how SERT is regulated. Dr. Randy Blakely
Through this research, Blakely and the team
pursue studies that can reveal critical insights into the mechanisms producing over- Arch Plaza | Aventura Plaza | Jackson Plaza
active SERT, changes that can drive diminished serotonin signaling during develop- Ponce Plaza | Sinai Plaza | South Pointe Plaza
ment and in adulthood. Blakely’s ultimate goal: to provide new ways of treating sev- University Plaza
eral widespread neuropsychiatric disorders associated with perturbed serotonin sig-
naling.
“Serotonin transporters are an important research subject because they are the tar-
get for the most commonly used drugs prescribed by physicians worldwide to treat
depression,” said Blakely. “By understanding how the brain can naturally turn sero- plazahealth.org
tonin transporter activity up and down, we may be able to develop more efficacious not-for-profit 501(C)(3)
medications and ones with milder side-effects. We suspect that the study of inappro-
priately regulated SERT proteins during development may yield insights into pediatric
onset behavioral disorders such as autism whereas an understanding of poor SERT
regulation during adulthood may yield insights into mood disorders, such as depres-
sion.”
A particularly important class of antidepressant drugs called selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) includes medications such as Prozac™, Lexapro™, and
Zoloft™. These medications are thought to work by blocking the ability of SERT to
eliminate serotonin. A downside of their action is that these drugs must fully shut
down the brain’s serotonin transporters to achieve a clinical benefit. However, this
manipulation can produce a number of unpleasant side effects such as nausea, weight
gain, sexual problems, fatigue and insomnia. Blakely’s research is motivated by the
concept that resetting the normal regulation of SERT, rather than eliminating its func-
tion, may be a more subtle, and ultimately a more effective way to control serotonin
signaling.

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