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Headlines 13 “I’m fascinated by neurology and the nervous system. It's always interested me because it's one of the areas of medicine we know a lot about, but there’s also a lot we don't know.” Harriet Spoelstra Harriet Spoelstra joined a lab at the University of Otago’s Department of Anatomy that studies potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Many of their research projects focus on sAPPa – a naturally occurring molecule that enhances memory. It may also protect nerve cells from damage. She used her studentship to learn more about the relationship between sAPPa and a receptor in the brain known to play a role in the formation of memories. “We observed how these receptors responded to two hours of sAPPa treatment. Past studies have suggested sAPPa enhances receptor activity, yet we saw a decrease.” “This was an unexpected and intriguing finding that suggests a new mechanism by which sAPPa may protect nerve cells from damage. This takes us a step closer to understanding the potential of sAPPa as a treatment to slow down Alzheimer’s disease.” Harriet says the project gave her a great sense of what postgraduate research entails. “It has been an important step in my academic journey. I’d also like to acknowledge the amazing support of my supervisor, Associate Professor Joanna Williams, and my mentor, Courteney Westlake.” A huge congratulations to the latest round of summer students: Paige Bell, Maggie Hames and Zachary Adamson, who are all about to start their projects. Paige has joined a project studying Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Alzheimer’s disease at the University of Auckland. Maggie has also joined a lab studying Alzheimer’s at the University of Otago, and Zachary is investigating an aspect of Parkinson’s disease, also at Otago. Read more about this year’s summer students on our website https://neurological.org.nz/news/summer- student ships-class-of-23 A microscopic image of a neuron from Harriet's project.