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Research Interest:
Many of the neurological disorders which may be targets for stem cell therapies (e.g. stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease) are more common in adults, often elderly adults. We are interested in the behaviour of stem cells in the adult and aged-adult brain environment. In particular, we are interest and the ability of stem cells to contribute to functional recovery, including the development of functional neural cells that receive and make connections with host cells. We are also interested in studying how molecular mechanisms associated with ageing and neurodegeneration influence neural stem cell function. For example, how proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) influences neurogenesis.
We are also interested in the pharmacology of adult neurogenesis. Our approach is to study the properties and regulation of the endogenous stem cells of the adult brain. The subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus is one of the regions in which new neurons continue to be born in adulthood. Understanding of the regulation of endogenous adult neurogenesis may lead to the development of new approaches to promoting brain repair and to new drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including depression.
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