Mechanisms of brain disease

Major fields of study
o Neurochemistry and Molecular Biology of Amino Acid Transmitters in the brain
o Their rôles in the pathogenesis of human alcoholic brain damage and Alzheimer disease.
Research
o I focus on excitotoxicity as a pathogenic mechanism. Over-excitation of neurons leads to cell death: my work has shown that such a mechanism operates in the human brain.
- I examine the key components that mediate amino acid transmission.
o Alcohol abuse and Alzheimer damage different areas of cerebral cortex, and spare others. By use of tissue from both regions the cases act as their own controls. Many neurological diseases exhibit local variations in pathology: so these constitute general models.
- We were the first to publish the microarray analysis of human brain mRNA profiles, and now use proteomics to define the differential expression of novel proteins.

Selected Publications:

Selected Publications 2000-present Lewohl J. M., Miles M. F., Wang L., Dodd P. R. and Harris R. A. (2000). Gene expression in human alcoholism: microarray analysis of frontal cortex. Alcohol. Clin. Exper. Res. 24, 1873-1882.

Andersen D. L., Eckert A. L., Tsai V. W.-W., Burke C. J., Tannenberg A. E. G. and Dodd P. R. (2002). GABAA receptor sites in the developing human fœtus. Devel. Brain Res. 139, 107-119.

Scott H. L., Tannenberg A. E. G., Pow D. V. and Dodd P. R. (2002). Aberrant expression of glutamate transporter EAAT1 in Alzheimer's disease. J. Neurosci. 22, RC206 (1-5).

Hynd M. R., Lewohl J. M., Scott H. L. and Dodd P. R. (2003). Biochemical and molecular studies using human autopsy brain tissue. J. Neurochem. 85, 543-562.

Dodd P. R., Foley P. F., Buckley S. T., Eckert A. L. and Innes D. J. (2004). Genes and gene expression in the brain of the alcoholic. Addictive Behaviors 29, 1295-1309.

Professional Associations:

Asia-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry: Member of Council since 1994; Secretary 1996-1998; President 1998-2002; currently Immediate Past President. . Member of Australia New Zealand Society for Neuropathology; Secretary-Treasurer 1998-2000. Queensland State Representative, National Association of Research Fellows of NHMRC 1995-1998. Current member of: Alzheimer's Association; American Society for Neurochemistry; Australian Brain Foundation; Australian Neuroscience Society; International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism; International Society for Neurochemistry; International Society for Neuropathology; New York Academy of Sciences; Research Society on Alcoholism (USA); Society for Neuroscience (USA).

Research Collaborators:

D'MELLO Heather
ECKERT Allison
SHEN Yi
WEBB Sonja
WHITWORTH Deanne
WIXEY Julie
FOLEY Philomena
INNES David
LEWOHL Joanne
SCOTT Heather

Postdoctoral Staff:

KUO Sheng-wen - The University of Queensland
GEBHARDT Florian - The University of Queensland
SCOTT Heather - The University of Queensland
ECKERT Allison - The University of Queensland

Students:

DISSANAYAKA Nadeeka - Honours - New agents acting on glutamate receptors and transporters
PERRY Anthony - BSc(Hons)
SCOTT Heather - PhD
AWABDY Doreen - PhD
KECSKES Susanne - PhD
GREGORATOS Diatsendoula - PhD
PROCTOR Dustin - PhD - Dynamic interactions between N-type Ca2+ channels and the exo-endyocytic machinery.