Current Research
Modeling Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neruson in DS-AD
My research is focused on using human pluripotent stem cells (trisomy 21 iPSCs) to study different aspects of cortical development and aging in Down Syndrome (DS) including interneuron development and the effects of oxidative stress on neuron function. I specifically study a subset of neurons, Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons, which are known to degenerate in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and DS-AD patients. The results from this study will help us find the link between the early onset of AD in the DS population, as well as offer a broad understanding of BFCN pathology in AD.