In the United States, over two million individuals are affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). These neurodegenerative disorders 🧠 are marked by the accumulation of amyloid aggregates of the protein α-synuclein within the neuronal cell bodies and axonal pathways, a phenomenon referred to as Lewy pathology.
The Fight Against Parkinson’s Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies
As a member of the Volpicelli-Daley Lab, aka “The Synuclein Syndicate,” we are deeply engaged in unraveling the mechanisms by which pathological α-synuclein contributes to neuronal impairment, manifested through a spectrum of severe symptoms. These include motor function disruption, cognitive decline, and the emergence of psychiatric disturbances. By elucidating the pathways of α-synuclein's toxic influence on neurons, we aim to halt the progression of neuronal damage. Our ultimate objective is to rehabilitate neural networks to their unimpaired state, thereby reversing the effects of these debilitating conditions.
Publications
Nolwazi Z. Gcwensa, Dreson L. Russell, Khaliah Y. Long, Charlotte F. Brzozowski, Xinran Liu, Karen L. Gamble, Rita M. Cowell, Laura A. Volpicelli-Daley. (2024) Cortico-amygdala synaptic structural abnormalities produced by templated aggregation of α-synuclein. [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Link to paper.
Casey L. Mahoney-Crane, Megha Viswanathan, Dreson Russell, Rachel A.C. Curtiss, Jennifer Freire, Sai Sumedha Bobba, Sean D. Coyle, Monika Kandebo, Lihang Yao, Bang-Lin Wan, Nathan G. Hatcher, Sean M. Smith, Jacob N. Marcus, Laura A. Volpicelli-Daley [Ph.D]. (2022) Neuronopathic GBA1L444P mutation accelerates Glucosylsphingosine levels and formation of hippocampal alpha-synuclein inclusions, Journal of Neuroscience, 7, December 2022. Link to paper.
Lindsay Stoyka, Casey Mahoney, Drake Thrasher, Dreson Russell, Anna Cook, Anner Harris, Ashwin Narayanan, Tiara Janado, David Standaert, Erik Roberson, and Laura Volpicelli-Daley. (2021) Templated α-synuclein inclusion formation is independent of endogenous tau, eNeuro, 8, May 2021. Link to paper.
Nolwazi Z Gcwensa, Drèson L Russell, Rita M Cowell, Laura Anne Volpicelli-Daley. (2020) Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Synaptic and Axon Degeneration in Parkinson's Disease, Frontier in Cellular Neuroscience, March 2021. Link to paper.
Lindsay E. Stoyka, Andrew E. Arrant, Drake R. Thrasher, Dreson L. Russell, Jennifer Freire, Casey L. Mahoney, Ashwin Narayanan, Aseel G. Dib, David G. Standaert, Laura A. Volpicelli-Daley. Behavioral defects associated with amygdala and cortical dysfunction in mice with seeded α-synuclein inclusions, Neurobiology of Disease, 134, February 2020. Link to paper.
Eizo Marutani, Maria Miranda, Timothy J. Durham, Sharon H. Kim, Dreson L. Russell, Presli P. Wiesenthal, Paul Lichtenegger, Marissa A. Menard, Charlotte F. Brzozowski, Gary Ruvkun, Joshua D. Meisel, Laura Volpicelli-Daley, Vamsi K. Mootha, Fumito Ichinose. (2024). Hypoxia ameliorates neurodegeneration and movement disorder in a murine model of Parkinson’s disease [Manuscript Submitted].
Ananya Swaroop, Jodi R Paul, Laura J. McMeekin, Ashley M. Barnett, Alana M. Colafrancesco, Dreson L. Russell, Camille M. Smith, Micah S. Simmons, Laura A. Volpicelli-Daley, Rita M. Cowell, Karen L. Gamble. (2024). The molecular clock drives motivated locomotion and time-of-day-dependent firing patterns in mouse dopaminergic neurons [Manuscript Submitted].
Saroj Sah, Andrew D. Sauerbeck, Jyoti Gupta, Dayana Pérez-Acuña, Jacob E. Reiber, Dreson L. Russell, Thomas M. Goralski, Michael X. Henderson, Laura A. Volpicelli-Daley, Michael J. Higley, Terrance T. Kummer, Thomas Biederer. (2024). Cortical synaptic vulnerabilities revealed in a α-synuclein aggregation model of Parkinson’s disease [Manuscript Submitted]. Link to paper.
Presentations
“L444P GBA mutation potentially mediates behavioral deficits and α-synuclein pathology”
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Fall Expo
November 2020
Birmingham, AL
“L444P GBA mutation potentially mediates behavioral deficits and α-synuclein pathology”
National Conference on Undergraduate Research
April 2021
Virtual
“Heterozygosity of GBA1 L444P mutation enhances hippocampal pathology and lipid accumulation”
Society of Neuroscience
November 2022
San Diego, CA
“Heterozygosity of GBA1 L444P mutation enhances hippocampal pathology and lipid accumulation”
Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists
November 2023
Phoenix, AZ