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University of Alabama (UAB) Plans Expansion Of Brain Research Projects The Associated Press Last modified: March 19. 2004 1:31AM BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The chairman of the UAB Department of Neurology, citing developments in understanding and treating diseases of the brain, says he wants his department to become one of the best in the country. The effort at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is being built upon discoveries about the fundamental nature of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. "You name it, we want to grow in those areas," said Dr. Ray Watts, who last year became chairman of the department. The plan calls for the department to double the size of its faculty to about 50 doctors and researchers. You've got to aim high," said Watts, who came to UAB from Emory University in Atlanta. A nationally respected authority on Parkinson's, Watts said doctors now understand much more about the disease, which often is marked by tremors, rigidity and a shuffling walk. "We are in a period of exponential growth and knowledge, and neuroscience is at the leading edge of that, which is leading us to an explosion in treatment opportunities," Watts said. Researchers have found 10 genetic abnormalities that make some people susceptible to brain damage, sometimes from toxins such as pesticides, Watts said. Parkinson's develops when brain cells that produce dopamine are damaged. "There are a dozen ways you can insult and damage these dopamine cells," Watts said. Learning how Parkinson's develops has allowed scientists to produce the disease in laboratory animals, then develop treatments to slow or even reverse it, he said. Working with other departments, neurology will expand upon or create research programs into other chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and epilepsy. --- Information from: The Birmingham News SOURCE: Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL http://tinyurl.com/354v3 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn