Grant: Foundation Grant

Stroke and Parkinson's disease are devastating neurological disorders with devastating personal, social, and economic consequences. Stroke affects 15 million people a year worldwide and is the third leading cause of death. Parkinson's disease, a movement disorder, affects 10 million people worldwide and is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. We now realize that there are incredibly sophisticated processes that govern the death of brain cells in these conditions. Our work is focused on understanding these complex processes and blocking the signals that lead to death thereby eliminating or reducing the brain injury in these conditions. While seemingly simple in concept, this strategy is incredibly difficult. For example, multiple signals likely control the death process, some of which work in parallel to control the long-term survival of brain cells. Also, how/whether manipulation of these signals ultimately lead to a proper functioning brain circuit is unclear. Finally, because it is difficult to actually work in humans to manipulate these signals, the development and use of appropriate animal models of study are critical. Our research program takes all these complex issues into consideration to systematically work through the issues that are impeding effective therapeutic strategies to treat stroke and PD. We have exciting and novel insights into the complex network of events that occur in a brain damaged by stroke or in PD. We will critically test whether these signals effectively lead to improved brain circuitry and animal behavior in these diseases. Together with a team of researchers and clinicians, we are working to define the appropriate strategies to treat these devastating neurological conditions. Our work is central to this important effort.