DOCUMENT

Headlines 5 guiding them toward areas of the brain damaged by neurological disease. The most impressive example of this regeneration is found in the nose where there is a constant replacement of neurons that allow us to learn new smells. This same system also becomes dysfunctional first in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease whereby 6-10 years before the overt signs of the disease, people have already lost their sense of smell. It is now apparent that harnessing the brain’s own stem cells is more difficult than first thought and may not be a viable treatment option. In 2007, I returned from my postdoctoral studies in Sweden to a lectureship in the Department of Anatomy and slowly developed my own laboratory. The focus of the work my team does has been understanding the earliest brain changes in the olfactory system in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and how to prevent the spread of disease-causing proteins from one cell to the next. What my team and collaborators have discovered is that the number of functional units called glomeruli are significantly reduced in the most exposed parts of the olfactory bulb in Parkinson’s disease, that there is abundant pathology in the olfactory system and that certain metals accumulate in the olfactory bulb. Furthermore, the accumulation of alpha synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease is not limited to In celebration of the Foundation’s Golden Jubilee, we will be hosting four celebratory events throughout the year highlighting the scientists and clinicians who were awarded the Chapman and Wrightson Fellowships, and to honour our founders. Please join us on 16 June at 6.30 pm to hear Professor Maurice Curtis discuss his career, his research and how the Wrightson Fellowship shaped the scientist he is today. neurons but rather most cell types in the olfactory bulb accumulate this disease-causing protein. We are also collaborating with bio-engineers to create detailed anatomical maps of the olfactory system which have not been available to date. This will allow us to quantify the amount and location of disease-causing proteins. We are also sampling the microbiome and mucosal tissue in the nose in people with newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease and their partner to look for structural, genetic and microbiome changes. This work is being performed in collaboration with ear, nose and throat surgeons with the aim of identifying why the nose is a common starting point for brain diseases. A further very important study we are working on, which began with a brain donation to the brain bank, is to understand the earliest evident biomarkers in a large New Zealand family that carry a gene that causes frontotemporal dementia. We are very grateful for the contribution from this family to enable research for early intervention for neurological diseases. This study involves each participant (all participants are enrolled before any symptoms are evident) coming into the Dementia Prevention Research Clinic for a psychological assessment, blood test for microRNA changes, smell testing, and a functional MRI and journaling. This study is longitudinal and we hope will demonstrate what the earliest biological changes are that occur in frontotemporal dementia and as new therapy trials occur, our participants should be able to participate since their clinical background is well known. This collaborative work involves input from psychologists, neurologists, geneticists, nurses and molecular biologists. The opportunities for neuroscience to have a significant impact on people’s lives is enormous and understanding how the brain works in health and disease is the final frontier. I feel very privileged to work in this field and I am so grateful for the trust that generous New Zealanders have placed in me and my colleagues to advance the field of neuroscience with the aim of providing early detection and early treatments. Date: 16 June 2021 Time: 6.30 pm Location: Auditorium South Entrance AucklandWar Memorial Museum To get a ticket to this event, please choose from one of the options below: Phone: 0508 BRAINS(0508 272 467) EXT 3 Email: RSVP@neurological.org.nz Website: neurological.org.nz/headlines- auckland21