Thought Leaders Dr.
Interview conducted by Lily Ramsey, LLMSep 1 2023 Thought LeadersDr. Paula DesplatsAssociate Professor of NeurosciencesUniversity of California San Diego Ahead of World Alzheimers Awareness Month, News Medical interviewed Dr Paula Desplats, an Associate Professor of Neurosciences at the University of California San Diego. Recently hitting the headlines, Paula's most recent study with the Desplats Lab explored whether intermittent fasting could tackle neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease.
My studies aim to work on the bench to uncover molecular underpinnings of pathology that can provide therapeutic targets and to identify biomarkers to diagnose these devastating disorders in the clinic better. I received my Ph.D. from the University of Mar del Plata, Argentina, and moved to California to train in neurodegeneration. I became a faculty member at UCSD Neurosciences in 2009.
While the field is still not exactly sure how circadian impairment contributes to Alzheimer’s disease, circadian dysfunction disrupts rhythms in gene transcription that have a profound impact on cellular function, behavior, and disease, and emerging evidence suggests that this circadian unraveling contributes to the pathological cascade by accelerating brain neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.
Your research suggests that timed feeding not only impacts metabolism but also has broader effects on neurodegeneration and circadian rhythmicity. Could you elaborate on how this pleiotropic nature of timed feeding is particularly relevant to our understanding of Alzheimer's disease? Alzheimer’s disease is a complex, multi-factorial neurodegenerative disease that starts several years before the manifestation of clinical symptoms.
It can be challenging to study the effects of a treatment on patients when the brain is the main organ affected, as it is obviously inaccessible, so sensitive biomarkers need to be deployed to monitor the outcomes of interventions. At the same time there are limitations when using mouse models of Alzheimer's, as they do not adequately represent what is seen in humans with the disease.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Stress and insomnia for women linked to irregular heart rhythms after menopauseAfter menopause, an estimated 1 in 4 women may develop irregular heart rhythms—known as atrial fibrillation—in their lifetime, with stressful life events and insomnia being major contributing factors, according to new research published today in Stroke.
Read more »
Divorce and insomnia after menopause have major health implicationsAfter menopause, an estimated 1 in 4 women may develop irregular heart rhythms.
Read more »
Intel shows off a maths defying 8-core chip with 528 threads and optical interconnectsHyper ultra mega threading.
Read more »
Scientists reverse Alzheimer's plaque formation in animal models by boosting activity of key ion channelLosing the activity of a key ion channel in the brain may contribute to the buildup of a devastating and toxic protein responsible for the clumps of plaque that accumulate in Alzheimer's disease, a team of neurobiologists in China has found.
Read more »
Educational attainment found to protect against a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's diseaseA new study by researchers from Mass General Brigham further illustrates that when it comes to risk of Alzheimer's disease, even genetically determined forms of the disease, genetics is only one piece of the puzzle.
Read more »
New study finds genetic factor fends off Alzheimer's and Parkinson'sAbout one in every five people carries a version of a gene that—although largely unsung—appears to confer protection against both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, Stanford Medicine investigators and their colleagues have learned. These lucky people may someday benefit all the more from a vaccine that could slow or stall the progression of these two most common neurodegenerative conditions.
Read more »