Argentina

Unraveling the effects of neuroleptics on diabetes onset

Mental illness and diabetes disorders are two kinds of diseases that are expanding worldwide. Today, it is assumed that 366 million people have diabetes, causing one death every seven seconds. It is well known that neuropsychiatric patients under medication are a population that is susceptible to metabolic diseases. Our project aims at establishing parameters or determine mechanisms which may predict the risk of metabolic disease onset in relation to chronic neuroleptic treatments, and will be beneficial not only for patients but for entire health system. At the same time, novel results will be important in diabetes research.

The aim of this Project is to introduce new techniques and expertise for the study of beta cell proliferation/apoptosis and mitochondrial functions related with dopamine pathophysiology in transgenic mice models, in order to elucidate the mechanisms which lead to beta cell function deterioration in relation to disruption or loss of function of the pancreatic D2R. The clue of this project is to learn in Canada specific techniques and obtain novel results, and then set up the techniques and work in Buenos Aires, Argentina in connection with the Canadian partner, in order obtain information using transgenic models with disruption of D2Rs.