Patent ID: 7892769

Claim:
A method of screening for compounds which affect the processing of EphA4 by γ-secretase, comprising the following steps: (i) culturing neuronal cells in the presence and absence of a candidate compound under conditions that allow the cleavage of EphA4 by γ-secretase; (ii) measuring the number of dendritic spines in said neuronal cells in the presence and absence of the candidate compound; (iii) assessing the cleavage of EphA4 by γ-secretase with an antibody specific for cleaved EphA4; (iv) selecting those candidate compounds which affect the number of dendritic spines based on the number of spines measured in step (ii) and the cleavage of EphA4 in step (iii); and (v) identifying the candidate compounds selected in step (iv) as compounds which affect the processing of EphA4 by γ-secretase.