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Basic Research Division
Front: Megan Schmidt, Heidi Vogelsang, Lisa Kemper, Jamie Starks.
Back: Zeb Kurth-Nelson, Mathew Sherman, Linda Kotilinek, Jennifer Paulson,
Peng Liu, Colleen Forster, Brian Hoover, Sylvain Lesné, Karen Ashe, Martin
Ramsden.
Our research addresses the molecular basis of memory loss and cognitive
dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. The studies involve the creation of transgenic
mouse models of Alzheimer's disease in order to understand how the amyloid-ß and
tau proteins impair memory and cognition. The work has shown that the aggregates
of amyloid-ß and tau proteins which define Alzheimer's disease neuropathologically
do not cause cognitive deficits in mice. These investigations have led to the
discovery of a form of the amyloid-ß protein called Aß* (A beta star) that
disrupts cognitive function in mice and rats. The focus of current research
is to determine the relevance of Aß* in humans, to elucidate its mechanism
of action, and to decipher the critical changes in tau transgenic mice leading
to memory dysfunction.
Faculty and Scientists
Staff
Post-Doctoral Fellows and Research Associates
Doctoral Candidates
Collaborating Members
- Carrie
Wilmot, PhD
Department
of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics
Protein enzymes containing catalytic metal ions and/or post-translational modifications
in human health and disease, with a focus upon macromolecular X-ray crystallography
and spectroscopic techniques in crystal and in solution.
- James Cleary, PhD
GRECC
(Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center),
Minneapolis Veteran’s Administration Medical Center
Behavioral psychology and pharmacology in Alzheimer rodent models.
- Eric
Newman, PhD
Department of Neuroscience
Glial cell physiology, Neuron-glial interactions.
- Dezhi
Liao, PhD
Department of Neuroscience
Glutamate receptor physiology and plasticity in CNS disorders and disease.
- LiLian
Yuan, PhD
Department of Neuroscience
Synaptic plasticity in health and disease, with a specific focus on intrinsic
pathways within and connections between brain regions that are involved in learning
and memory, such as hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex .
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