Neuro-Main Lab

Research

“After all, it is ongoing work which makes one go to the laboratory with a feeling of suspense and cautious expectation. Although success is rare, we continue in the spirit expressed by Robert Louis Stevenson, that to travel hopefully is better than to arrive.”

-Stephen W. Kuffler

Neuro Lab worker

Overview

Our current research focuses on the role of small GTPase signaling in neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We employ advanced imaging, transcriptome profiling, cell biology, biochemistry, and behavioral techniques, in conjunction with mouse models of AD, to identify genetic and molecular factors associated with neuroresiliency to AD.

Projects

One line of research in the lab focuses on the small GTPase, Rab 10, as chronic reduction in the level and activity of this protein lowers the risk of AD even in individuals that carry the ApoE epsilon allele. Using AD model mice (J20 and 5xFAD) on Rab10 +/- background, we aim to identify the signaling pathways that underly Rab10-dependent resilience to AD.

A second project in the lab focuses on the role of ADAP1 (Centaurin alpha-1) in neurodegenerative disorders. Our studies demonstrated that ADAP1/CentA1 is a negative regulator of learning and memory and that reduction in its level protects against neurodegeneration in a mouse model of AD. In collaboration with Dr. Alessandro Didonna lab (Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine) we also demonstrated the involvement of ADAP1/CentA1 in the neuroinflammation associated with multiple sclerosis.

The third project focuses on the development of reversible molecular optogenetic tools to study neurodegeneration-associated cellular responses. Since joining East Carolina University in 2018, our lab has had a strong interdisciplinary collaboration with Dr. Robert Hughes lab (Department of Chemistry), that created and validated several molecular optogenetic tools for studying neuronal cytoskeletal and membrane dynamics under cellular stress conditions.

Dr. Szatmari is passionate about training the next generation of neuroscientists and building a strong neuroscience community at ECU. Graduate and undergraduate trainees in the lab have received several travel and research awards and have gone on to either medical school or postdoctoral training.

Selected Publications