The American Academy of Neurology and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded Bruce D. Trapp, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurosciences in the Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute, the prestigious 2003 John Dystel Prize for MS Research.

Overview

The Department of Neurosciences, founded in 1994, is chaired by Dr. Bruce Trapp and comprises a core of internationally recognized scientists who investigate the cellular and molecular biology of brain development and neuronal and glial function. In collaboration with research programs in the Clinic's Departments of Neurology and Neurological Surgery, staff scientists also participate in clinically relevant research in the areas of myelin disease, neurodegeneration, neuro oncology, epilepsy and cerebrovascular disease.

The glial program includes Drs. Trapp, Wendy Macklin, Susan Staugaitis, Richard Ransohoff and Richard Rudick. Drs. Trapp and Macklin investigate basic questions related to the cellular and molecular biology of glial development and myelin formation. Dr. Susan Staugaitis is a board-certified neuropathologist who has joint appointments in the Departments of Neurosciences and Neurological Surgery. Dr. Staugaitis investigates glial progenitor cells as the source of glial tumors in the CNS. Dr. Trapp also investigates mechanisms responsible for destruction of myelin and axons in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), and Dr. Macklin investigates the glial response in animal models of hypoxia. The glial research program has close ties with physicians in the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, which houses one of the largest clinical MS programs in the world.

Drs. Ransohoff and Rudick hold joint appointments in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosciences. Dr. Ransohoff's research focuses on the regulation and function of chemokines as they pertain to the pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases. Dr. Rudick directs clinical trials in MS therapeutics and is interested in outcome measure and surrogate markers for disease progression in MS patients and in mechanisms of interferon action as a MS therapeutic. The MS group is supported by an NIH Program Project Grant.

The neuronal de-velopment and function program includes Drs. Mark Perin, Hitoshi Komuro and Masaru Nakamoto. Dr. Perin's research focuses on molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter release and recycling. Dr. Komuro investigates cellular mechanisms of neuronal cell migration in the developing cerebellum. Dr. Nakamoto explores the role of ephrins and EPH receptors during axonal targeting in the developing cerebellum.

The neurodegenerative disease program includes Drs. Erwin Montgomery and Erik Pioro. Dr. Pioro is a physician investigator who has joint appointments in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosciences. He investigates mechanisms of neuronal degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)(Lou Gehrig's disease) and the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in an animal model of ALS. Dr. Erwin Montgomery directs the Parkinson's Research Program at CCF. His basic science research utilizes primate models to understand the complexity of neurosystems that regulate motor function. His clinical research focuses on early diagnosis and surgical treatment of Parkinson's disease.

The strategic plan for the Department of Neurosciences is to recruit additional staff whose research focuses on neuronal development, neuronal function and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. The department is one of the few neuroscience departments in the United States that has as its major mission the goal of investigating and understanding the pathogenesis of human CNS diseases. The interactions between faculty in the Departments of Neurosciences, Neurology, Neurological Surgery and Radiology provide a unique environment for reaching this goal.