INTERESTS
Parkinson's disease, movement disorders, basal ganglia circuit, neural plasticity, catecholamine, biomarkers

RESEARCH SUMMARY
My research is a part of multidisciplinary effort by a team of basic and clinical scientists to understand the mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease (PD) and related movement disorders. I pioneered experimental gene therapy approaches to replace dopamine for PD. My laboratory research now focuses on understanding how brain circuitry is perturbed by the dopamine loss and by pharmacological treatment in mouse models of PD. We hope to understand the mechanisms of exercise, rehabilitation, medication, and surgical intervention in PD. We are also exploring circuitry mechanisms underlying gait and freezing and non-motor symptoms of PD that have not been adequately addressed by the current therapies.

In addition, we are interested in the molecular dysfunctions that contribute to neuronal degeneration in PD and translating this knowledge into PD-specific biomarkers that can help us to predict, diagnose, and understand heterogeneity of Parkinson’s disease better. These tools may allow us to improve our individualized care of patients and facilitate the development of new therapies.