Dr. Chu’s lab research focuses on understanding how the loss of dopamine and/or presence of protein aggregates may impact normal function of the brain circuits, which in turn leads to numerous aspects of motor and non-motor defects in parkinsonism. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the progressive degeneration of midbrain cells that produce and release dopamine and the accumulation of insoluble protein aggregates. Loss of dopamine-producing cells dramatically affect how the brain controls behaviors, leading to the manifestation of the feature parkinsonian motor symptoms, including the slowness, or even the absence, of motor activities. Dr. Chu’s lab focuses on the accumulation and propagation of insoluble protein aggregates that has been closely associated with the pathogenesis and progression of the disease.
Academic Appointment(s)
- Primary
- Associate Professor, Pharmacology & Physiology