Systemic Lupus Erythematosis, or SLE, is an autoimmune disease that can present with a variety of symptoms including damage to joints, kidneys, heart, lung and brain.  In approximately 20% of cases, people with lupus develop neuropsychiatric symptoms, or CNS-lupus.  The etiology of SLE is unknown, and as with many autoimmune diseases, complex interactions are believed to occur between molecules involved in processes regulating the immune response, inflammation, cell death and others.  In collaboration with Dr. Susan Larson in Psychology, we are currently conducting genomic analysis of lupus-prone mice using real-time PCR, and will soon perform microarray analysis, with the goal of elucidating the gene expression differences in lupus-prone mice exhibiting certain neuropsychiatric behaviors compared to control animals.