Neuro-Psychopharmacology

 

Research Objectives

The pharmacology of drugs that may exert neural, psychological and behavioural changes in animals and human. The key areas are as follows:

 

• Diet, environmental toxins, and neurodegenerative disease
• Neuronal stem cells
• Neuronal lipidomics
• Cognitive neuroscience
• Evidence-based prescription in East Asia

 

Programme Highlights

The various research activities are ongoing. Collaborative research studies with East Asian countries continue to yield good clinical data.

 

• Studies of the roles of 5-HT receptor subtypes in the effects of antidepressant drugs on adult neurogenesis and stem cell proliferation.
• Studies of antidepressant drugs on lipidomics and glutamate receptor expression in mice.
• Studies of noradrenergic modulation of hippocampo-prefrontal cortical long-term potentiation
• Studies of the role of the nucleus incertus in antipsychotic-induced weight gain

 

 

Research Achievements

 

Oct 2007: International Psychogeriatric Association Award for Research in Ageing and Cognitive

 

Research Grants 2008

Co-investigator: Identification of New Biomarkers for Mild Cognitive Impairment Funded by NMRC: $495,375

Co-PI: Gerontology Research Programme: Biological, Clinical, Psychosocial and Behavioural Predictors of Health Status in Prospectively. Followed-up Cohorts of Elderly Persons, Funded by BMRC (A*Star): $2,245,524

 

Others

Bestsellers under World Scientific Publicating Company (Medicine and Healthcare):

"A Guide to Medicinal Plants"; Authored by Koh HL, Chua TK and Tan CH
http://www.worldscibooks.com/bestsellers.shtml

 

 

Key Representative Publications

 

1. Ho NF, Han SP, Dawe GS. Effect of voluntary running on adult hippocampal neurogenesis in cholinergic lesioned mice. BMC Neurosci. 2009 10:57.
2. Lee LY, Farooqui AA, Dawe GS, Burgunder JM, Ong WY. Role of phospholipase A(2) in prepulse inhibition of the auditory startle reflex in rats. Neurosci Lett. 2009 Mar 27;453(1):6-8.
3. Verma V, Tan CH, Ong WY, Grigoryan GA, Jones CA, Stolzberg D, Salvi R, Gross KW, Ratty AK, Dawe GS. The chakragati mouse shows deficits in prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle and latent inhibition. Neurosci Res. 2008 Mar;60(3):281-8.
4. Lim EP, Verma V, Nagarajah R, Dawe GS Propranolol blocks chronic risperidone treatment-induced enhancement of spatial working memory performance of rats in a delayed matching-to-place water maze task. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2007 Apr;191(2):297-310.
5. Verma V, Rasmussen K, Dawe GS. Effects of short-term and chronic olanzapine treatment on immediate early gene protein and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the rat locus coeruleus and medial prefrontal cortex. Neuroscience. 2006 Dec 1;143(2):573-85.
6. Tsang S.W.Y., M.M. Esiri, P.T. Francis, P.T.-H. Wong, C.P.L.-H. Chen and M. K.P. Lai (2008) Loss of [3H]4-DAMP binding to muscarinic receptors in the orbitofrontal cortex of Alzheimer’s disease patients with psychosis. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 198: 251-259. [Epub ahead of print Mar 30, 2008].
7. Tsang S. W.Y., H. V. Vinters, J. L. Cummings, P. T.-H. Wong, C. P.L.-H. Chen and M. K.P. Lai (2008) Alterations of NMDA Receptor Subunit Densities and Ligand Binding to Glycine Recognition Sites are Associated with Chronic Anxiety in Alzheimer’s Disease. Neurobiol. Aging 29: 1524-1532. [Epub ahead of print Apr 10, 2007].
8. Sherrin T., C. Todorovic, T. Zeyda, C.H. Tan, P.T.-H. Wong, Y.-Z. Zhu and J. Spiess (2008) Chronic stimulation of corticotrophin-releasing factor receptor 1 enhances the anxiogenic response of the cholecystokinin system. Mol. Psychiat. 14: 291-307. [Epub ahead of print Jan 15, 2008].
9. McLachlan CS, Farook JM, Daugé V, Wong PT. (2009) The CCK(2) agonist BC-264 decreases predatory fear freezing at high but not low dosages in PVG hooded rats during initial exposure to a cat. Peptides. 30:808-9. [Epub 2008 Dec 25].
10. Ng TP, Feng L, Kua EH , et al . Tea consumption and cognitive impairment in older Chinese adults.  American J Clinical Nutrition 2008, 88, 224-231.
    

 

Member(s) of Programme

Programme Coordinator:

Assoc Prof Tan Chay Hoon

Members:

A/Prof Peter Wong Tsun-Hon A/Prof Lee How Sung Prof Kua Ee Heok Prof Calvin Fones Soon Leng

Dr Zhu Yi-Zhun A/Prof Gavin Dawe A/Prof Ong Wei Yi

 

 

Contact Details

 

Associate Professor Tan Chay Hoon

Department of Pharmacology
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
Clinical Research Center, MD11,
Level 5, #05-09, 10 Medical Drive,
Singapore 117597
Tel     : 6516 3264
Fax    : 6873 7690
Email : phctanch@nus.edu.sg