Page 14 - Abacoa Community News - May '22

Page 14, Abacoa

FAU Features from page 10

• FAU Davie West: SBDC and PTAC consulting services,
training rooms and I&BD outreach offices
• City of West Palm Beach: SBDC satellite center for
consulting and specialized services
• City of Boynton Beach: FAU I&BD Hub, coworking
space, SBDC and PTAC consulting, specialized training and
programs
• City of Delray Beach: SBDC at the Chamber of
Commerce
• City of Boca Raton: SBDC and PTAC consulting in
Research Park at FAU, FAU College of Business, and FAU
College of Engineering, and I&BD hub at FAU Tech Runway Anthony K.G. Barbar ’78 and FAU President John Kelly variant whose frequency has been associated with Attention
for consulting, coworking space, specialized training and Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The scientists
programs the dreams of hundreds of students a reality.” demonstrate that mice that express the variant adopt an
• City of Deerfield Beach: SBDC satellite center Ruby-level sponsors ($100,000-plus) included Aubrey and inattentive phenotype similar to that seen in humans.
and city’s business incubator for business development, Sally Strul; Dr. Michael and Phyllis Dennis; Jay and Marilyn The study, led by researchers from the University of
specialized training and programs Weinberg; Georgina Dieter Dennis Foundation; James and Marta Michigan in collaboration with Florida Atlantic University,
• Town of Davie: SBDC consulting services, outreach Batmasian Family Foundation; Let’s Have a Smile Fund; Mr. Temple University, and the National Institute on Deafness
office and economic development, as well as business and Mrs. Robert McGee. and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of
development programs at a community-based office provided Sapphire-level sponsors ($50,000-plus) included Dr. Alan Health, used genetically engineered mice to examine the
by the town Aker and Dr. Ann Kasten-Aker; Brent ’81 and Tammy Burns; neural and behavioral effects of a choline transporter (CHT)
For more information and to register, visit fau.edu/ JM Family Enterprises; Palm Beach Illustrated; and PNC Bank. variant. Prior work by the team has shown that the variant
innovation-and-business-development. Platinum-level sponsors ($25,000-plus) included ADT; associated with heightened distractibility in humans, though
BrightView; DPR Construction; Follett Bookstores; and GA whether the variant was itself causal for inattention was
FAU Celebrates Dazzling 2022 Telesis. unclear.

Gold-level sponsors ($15,000-plus) included Coca-Cola
In the new study, researchers made a single change in

President’s Gala Company; David D. Selznick; Diamonds Direct; FPL/NextEra the gene encoding the neuronal CHT and then searched for
Energy; iTHINK Financial; Moss Construction; and Rey ’75 physiological changes in the brain, focusing on their ability to
By Brittany Sylvestri and Joyce More. sustain production and release of the powerful brain chemical
Florida Atlantic University recently celebrated the 2022 Silver-level sponsors ($10,000-plus) included Boca Raton acetylcholine, which is synthetized from choline.
President’s Gala in the Martin F. and Jane Greenberg Foundation Regional Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East and Baptist Health In humans, disruption of acetylcholine signaling impairs
Tower of FAU Stadium at its Boca Raton campus. South Florida; Bonnie Halperin ’74; Chartwells; Greystar one’s capacity to filter distractors and to perform focus-
The 2022 gala celebrated FAU’s Diamond Anniversary Development and the FAU Housing Project Team; Modernizing demanding tasks. A total loss of CHT function in mice
and more than $2 million was raised in support of student Medicine; Oracle Elevator; SFL Productions; Stewart ’89 and and people leads to early death due to the role played by
scholarships. Wendy Martin; and The Schmidt Family Foundation. acetylcholine in muscle contraction, particularly the muscles
The gala was a spectacular evening, spread over three levels Bronze-level sponsors ($5,000-plus) were Ezra and Barbara that control breathing. Lesser reductions in CHT activity
of the stadium, and featured gourmet dining, a full open bar, Shashoua; First Horizon Bank; Michael and Mindy Feldman; allow for normal growth and movement, but mice with these
fireworks, live entertainment, red carpet photo-ops and more. Pamela Higer-Polani and Mark Polani; Presidio; Robert and changes exhibit premature fatigue when made to run on a
“Sixty years ago, Florida Atlantic University was founded Pamela Weinroth; Robert M. Colton; The Gabor Agency, Inc.; treadmill. Work from the new study reveals that the mice
on the principle that higher education should be accessible to The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at FAU Boca and Jupiter; show signs of mental fatigue as well.
everyone,” said FAU President John Kelly. “The scholarships Shaun and Tanya Davis; and Weitz Construction. Results of the study, published in The Journal of
provided by the President’s Gala have a direct impact on our Crystal-level sponsors ($2,500-plus) were Accent Events, Neuroscience , indicate that the CHT gene variant known as
students’ ability to graduate and succeed in life. Thank you to Inc.; Advanced Roofing, Inc.; Barbara Feingold and (in blessed Val89, reduces the rate of choline uptake and the capacity to
our gala sponsors, attendees and volunteers, for helping to make memory) Dr. Jeffrey Feingold; CMTI; Dr. Malcom J. Dorman; sustain acetylcholine production during attention-demanding
Dr. Patricia Anastasio and Tom Mersch, Esq.; Exela Technologies conditions, effects that lead to diminished cognitive
Inc.; Gallo Herbert Architects; Grimes Events and Party Tents; performance when the mice are faced with attentional
HeartCare Imaging, Inc. – Bob Stilley and MaryLynn Mager; challenges. Evidence from the mouse studies provides
Infinity Roofing; J.C. White Architectural Interiors; J&M Family direct evidence that Val89 drives increased vulnerability
Foundation; Jon ’01 and Melissa Cipyak; JWR Construction; to distraction and provides a mechanistic basis for the
Marilyn G. Wallach; PGAL; RGD Consulting Engineers; diminished frontal cortex activation observed in Val89-
ShowPro of South Florida Inc.; Steve and Debbie Schmidt; expressing humans.
The Research Park at FAU; Tom ’71 and Maureen Workman; “Our mouse studies, along with prior behavioral and
Anthony K.G. Barbar ’78 and Vicki J. Barbar; Brad and Melissa brain imaging studies, indicate that a single copy of the
Levine; Elycia Morris and J. Todd Morris; Linda Stoch and variant is sufficient to change acetylcholine availability
Dr. Russell Stoch; U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth and its resulting cognitive effects,” said Randy D. Blakely,
Management; and Wahoo Bay. Ph.D., co-author, executive director of the FAU Stiles-
For more information on the gala, visit gala.fau.edu/. Nicholson Brain Institute and professor, FAU Schmidt
College of Medicine. “Seeing effects from a single copy
Human Gene Variant of Val89 suggests that choline transport may be mediated
by a pair of CHT proteins such that one poorly functioning
Produces ADHD-Like copy can impact the normal function of the other, leading to
We Measure, Problems In Mice stronger effects than expected from simply having one copy
compromised.”
Make & Install This finding has been reported before in people with
For You! By Gisele Galoustian neuromuscular disorder causing CHT mutations, but this

Mutant mice are providing scientists with a new also appears to be the case for brain function.
neurobiological framework to understand the brain changes
Kristen, Company Owner observed in distractible humans who carry a common gene FAU Features on page 15

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