New Pilot Grant from the ADC!

I just received the exciting news that I have received a pilot project grant from the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

Hippocampal synapse loss is an early finding in Alzheimer’s disease that is associated with elevated levels of soluble amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers. These Aβ oligomers induce synaptic depression in the hippocampus in an NMDA receptor-dependent manner, but the mechanism remains unclear. My pilot project entitled “NMDA Receptor Subunit Dependence of Amyloid Beta-Induced Synaptic Depression” will use genetic approaches to examine the role of NMDA receptor GluN2 subunits in this Aβ-induced synaptic depression. The long-term goal is to understand the fundamental pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease at the earliest stages to allow for hypothesis-driven development of novel trajectory-altering treatments.