Robert D. Moir, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neurology

My research focuses on mechanisms and reversibility of neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease models. During the course of Alzheimer’s disease, neurons lose synapses and specifically dendritic spines, the postsynaptic element of most excitatory synapses in the brain. Neurons also suffer changes in neurite architecture such as curvature caused by senile plaques and axonal and dendritic swellings associated with plaque and tangle pathology.

Using multiphoton imaging, I currently study the effects of accumulation of amyloid beta into senile plaques and phosphorylated tau into neurofibrillary tangles on dendritic spines, neurite morphology, and neuronal death. With tools such as inducible transgenic models, drug administration, and viral transduction to introduce genes of interest into neurons, I am investigating mechanisms underlying these changes and whether treatments such as immunotherapy can reverse some of the damage. Since synapses and neurites are very plastic structures, they have the potential to recover after treatments, giving hope for some functional recovery in patients if we can halt neurodegenerative processes in the future.

For a more complete description, visit my Neurology Research Investigator Profile.