The Mollie and Jerome Levine Neuroscience Laboratories

The Division of the Levine Neuroscience Laboratories in the Department of Neurology has as its focus on basic research aimed at the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of neurological disease with a primary focus on sporadic and familial Parkinson’s disease. Research on Parkinson’s disease encompasses the study of the role of mitochondria and oxidative stress in dopamine cell degeneration, factors contributing to dopamine cell vulnerability, animal modeling of Parkinson’s disease and neurotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Some Recent Publications:

• German, D.C. and Sonsalla, P.K. (2002). A Role for the Vesicular Monoamine Transporter (VMAT2) in Parkinson's Disease. In: Basal Ganglia: p131-138.
• Alfinito, P.D., Wang, S.P., Manzino, L., Rijhsinghani, S., Zeevalk, G.D., and Sonsalla, P.K. (2003) Adenosinergic protection of dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons against mitochondrial inhibition through receptors located in the substantia nigra and striatum, respectively. J. Neurosci., 23: 10982 – 10987.
• Gluck, M.R. and Zeevalk, G.D. (2004) Inhibition of brain mitochondrial respiration by dopamine and its metabolites: implications for Parkinson’s disease and catechalamine-associated diseases. J. Neurochem.. 91: 788-795.
  Johnson WG, Stenroos ES , Spychala J, Buyske S, Chatkupt S, Ming X. A New 19 bp Deletion Polymorphism in Intron-1 of Dihydrofolate Reductase (DHFR) -- A Risk Factor for Spina Bifida Acting in Mothers During Pregnancy? {30432} Am.J.Med.Genet. 2004(Feb 1);124A(4): 339-45.
• Zeevalk, G.D. and Bernard, L.P. (2005) Energy status ubiquitin proteasomal function and oxidative stress during chronic and acute complex I inhibition with rotenone in mesencephalic cultures. Antioxidants and Redox Signaling 7 (5-6): 662-672.
  Zeevalk, G.D., Bernard, L.P., Song, C., Gluck, M., and Ehrhart, J. (2005) Mitochondrial inhibition and oxidative stress: reciprocating players in neurodegeneration. Antioxidants and Redox Signaling. 7(9-10): 1140-1149.
  Buyske S, Williams TA, Mars AE, Stenroos ES, Wong R, Ming X, Sreenath M, Factura M, Johnson WG. Analysis of case-parent trios at a locus with a deletion allele: association of GSTM1 with autism {32304}. BMC Genetics 2006,7(2/10/06): 8 doi: 10.1186/1471-2156-7-8.
• Yazdani, U, German, D.C., Liang, C-L., Manzino, M., Sonsalla, P.K. and Zeevalk, G.D. (2006) Rat model of Parkindon’s disease: chronic central delivery of MPP+. (2006) Exp. Neurology.(in press).