Sunflower Revolution contributes $153,000 to Parkinson's research at UC

Scientists at the University of Cincinnati's (UC) James J and Joan A Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders have received $153,000 to continue building on important Parkinson's research.

This gift, made by the University Hospital Foundation, came with the annual Sunflower Revolution gala and bike ride, held in collaboration with the Davis Phinney Foundation of Colorado.

Three scientists will benefit from this gift.  These three UC scientists have fruitful research records regarding Parkinson's, which this financial gift will help to further.

Kim Seroogy, PhD, of the Selma Schottenstein Harris Laboratory for Research in Parkinson’s will direct $53,000 of the gift into research on the effects of exercise on animal models of Parkinson's disease with stress induced depression.

Tim Collier, PhD, professor of neurology, will use $50,000 to support his research on the effects of antidepressants on animal models' dopamine neurons, which are lost to Parkinson's. 

And Caryl Sortwell, PhD, associate professor of neurology, received $50,000 of the gift, which she plans to apply toward her research into the mechanism at work in deep brain stimulation, which has been demonstrated to benefit patients with Parkinson's by increasing a nurturing, growth-inducing protein in animal models' brains.

A high percentage of patients with Parkinson's suffer from depression, making these studies important contributions toward improving treatment for patients suffering from this debilitating condition.


Writer:  Jonathan DeHart
Source:  University of Cincinnati

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