Upregulation of GABA Signaling for the Treatment of Acquired Cognitive Deficits

Principal Investigator: 

Nicholas D. SchiffProfessor of Neuroscience

Background & Unmet Need

  • Loss of organized sleep electrophysiology is a characteristic finding after severe brain injury
  • Acquired cognitive deficits may lead to loss of autonomy and independence and significantly impact patient quality of life
  • Recent studies have implicated daytime brain activation as a modulator of sleep architecture in the severely injured brain
  • Unmet Need: Novel therapeutics for patients who experience continued cognitive deficits following brain injury

Technology Overview

  • The Technology: Treatment of acquired cognitive deficits through upregulation of GABAB signaling
  • The Discovery: Administration of sodium oxybate (SO) in mice right before sleep generated an increase in the delta oscillations (1-4Hz) LFP power in the non-REM
  • Administration of SO at night increased beta (20-40Hz) and gamma (>40Hz) LFP during the subsequent wakeful period
  • An increase in beta and gamma frequency power is associated with the recovery of complex behaviors in a wakeful state

Technology Applications

  • Treatment of cognitive deficits following brain injury, or in association with chronic disease or psychiatric disturbance
  • Improvement of wakeful function

Technology Advantages

  • Upregulation of GABAB signaling at night may be coupled with anterior-forebrain stimulating therapy when the subject is awake
  • Several upregulators of GABA signaling are already approved for other indications (e.g., baclofen, tiagabine, zolpidem, midazolam)

Figure: administration of sodium oxybate (SO) injection to mice during the night results in elevation of delta (1-5Hz) local field potential (LFP) power and increases the subsequent wakeful period in beta (15-30Hz) and gamma (>30Hz) LFP.

Intellectual Property

Patents

  • PCT Application Filed

Cornell Reference

  • 8839

Contact Information

Louise Sarup, Ph.D

For additional information please contact

Louise Sarup
Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing
Phone: (646) 962-3523
Email: lss248@cornell.edu