Anthone W. Dunah, PhD

Parkinson’s Disease Research Group

The research focus of Dr. Dunah is investigating the function of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) class of ionotropic glutamate receptors in Parkinson’s disease, and implications as potential targets for the development of novel therapeutic agents.

Interactions between dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems in the striatum are thought to underlie the pathology, symptoms as well as adverse effects of long-term treatment of Parkinson’s disease patients with dopaminergic drugs.

My previous studies have revealed that in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease, the expression, assembly and phosphorylation of NMDA receptors are altered in the striatum. Further work resulted in the discovery of a dopamine receptor dependent mechanism for the trafficking of striatal NMDA receptors between intracellular and post-synaptic compartments.

In an effort to explore and understand the dopamine receptor dependent mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying the synaptic trafficking of NMDA receptors in Parkinson’s disease, molecular, genetic, immunocytochemical, confocal microscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, biochemical and pharmacological approaches are applied using a model of dissociated rat primary neurons of the striatum.