Lisa M. Schrott, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Neuroscience
Ph.D., 1992, University of Connecticut

Major Research Interests:
• Behavioral, endocrine, and immune consequences of prenatal drug exposure
• Role of neurotrophic factors and cytokines in brain development and behavior
• Immune system influences on behavior

Heroin use during pregnancy poses substantial health risks for the mother and fetus. To minimize these risks, opiate substitution therapy is recommended for pregnant opiate-dependent women. Complicating effects of opiate exposure is the eventual withdrawal from the opiate (abstinence syndrome), either during pregnancy or following birth, a scenario facing a growing population. Previous studies using a chick embryo model system have found alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to stressors and disruptions in neural-immune interactions following prenatal drug exposure. Recent studies have replicated these effects in the rodent. Future studies will attempt to ameliorate these effects by using opiates with differing pharmacological properties and by manipulating the magnitude of opiate withdrawal.

Recently it has been reported that two neurodevelopmental disorders, autism and schizophrenia, are associated with increased levels of the neurotrophin brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is an attractive candidate to examine for these disorders because it plays a critical role in establishing appropriate connections during neural development and mediates postnatal synaptic plasticity, learning, and mood. Using transgenic mice that overexpress BDNF, my collaborators and I are assessing various behavioral and biochemical parameters to model these neurodevelopmental disorders.

Behavioral changes accompany activation of the immune system, either acutely following a bacterial or viral infection, or chronically in disease states such as cancer and lupus. These behavioral changes include decreased appetite and activity, increased fatigue, and depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. Following acute infection, these behaviors promote recovery and survival. However during a chronic illness, they can impair quality of life. Research in my laboratory is examining the immune mechanisms involved in these behavior changes, focusing on various cytokines and their receptors.

Selected Recent Publications:
Schrott, L. M. and Crnic, L. S. Anxiety Behavior, exploratory drive, and activity in NZB x NZW F1 hybrid mice: role of genotype and autoimmune disease progression. Brain Behav. Immun. 10 (1996) 260-274.

Schrott, L. M. and Crnic, L. S. Attenuation of behavioral abnormalities in autoimmune mice by soluble interferon-g receptor treatment. Brain Behav. Immun. 12 (1998) 90-106.

Schrott, L. M., Getty, M. E., Wacnik, P. W., and Sparber, S. B. Open field and LPS-induced sickness behavior in young chickens: Effects of embryonic cocaine and/or ritanserin. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 61 (1998) 9-17.

Larson, E. B., Schrott, L. M., Bordone, L., and Sparber, S. B. Embryonic cocaine exposure and corticosterone: serotonin2 receptor mediation. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 69 (2001) 71-75.

Schrott, L. M. and Sparber, S. B. Embryonic “binge” cocaine exposure alters neural-immune and neural-endocrine interactions in young chickens: involvement of 5-HT2 receptors. Develop. Brain Res. 130 (2001) 99-107.

Schrott, L. M., Baumgart, M I., Zhang, X., and Sparber, S. B. Prenatal opiate withdrawal activates the chick embryo hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and dilates vitelline blood vessels via serotonin2 receptors. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2002 303: 257-264.

Recent research showing altered HPA axis function after prenatal opiate exposure

Contact Info:
Dr. Lisa M. Schrott
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Neuroscience
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
1501 Kings Highway
Shreveport, LA 71130-3932
318-675-7184
lschro@lsuhsc.edu