Gaurav Chattree, MD

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Investigator Bio:

Dr. Gaurav Chattree is an Instructor in Neurology and a physician-scientist at Stanford University specializing in movement disorders. His research is dedicated to identifying the specific cell types that malfunction in Parkinson’s disease (PD) to develop targeted therapies that restore brain circuit function. Dr. Chattree earned his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, followed by his MD from UT Southwestern. He completed his Neurology residency and Movement Disorders fellowship at Stanford, where he now conducts research in the lab of Dr. Mark Schnitzer.

Dr. Chattree integrates his clinical insights with expertise in optical neurophysiology, spatial transcriptomics, and behavioral neuroscience. His recent work revealed that amantadine, a medication used in PD, modulates specific action-related neurons in the striatum. He is helping to establish a novel research tool developed in the Schnitzer lab to identify vulnerable cell types across motor (movement) and cognitive (thinking) circuits impacted in PD for the discovery of targets for intervention. 

Dr. Chattree was awarded the American Academy of Neurology Neuroscience Research Training Scholarship, was selected as a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Physician-Scientist Scholar and is now the recipient of the George C. Cotzias Fellowship from the APDA. His work aims to translate basic neuroscience discoveries into effective, personalized treatments for people living with Parkinson’s disease. 

Objectives/Background:

PD affects brain circuits that control movement and thinking. Current treatments manage some symptoms but often have difficult side effects and fail to adequately address problems like memory or attention. A key reason for this may be our limited understanding of the specific brain cells that malfunction in PD. This research aims to pinpoint these vulnerable cell types and understand what goes wrong with them. Using a new tool developed in the Schnitzer lab we can track the activity and identity of individual brain cells in mice with PD-like symptoms. We focus on two major challenges: movement problems and cognitive decline. By identifying which cells malfunction and discovering how to reactivate them, we hope to develop safer, more effective therapies for PD. 

Methods/Design:

We will use a new technology developed in the Schnitzer lab to study how specific cells in the brain function in real time in mice with Parkinson’s-like symptoms. This method lets us track individual brain cells while the mice perform tasks related to movement or thinking and then analyze those same cells to see what genes they express and how they are connected. We use two different mouse models, one that shows movement problems and another that mimics thinking difficulties. In each case, we identify which brain cells are most affected, how their activity changes, and whether they die or stop working. Then, we test if adjusting these cells’ activity with specialized therapies can restore normal brain function and improve symptoms. This approach lets us link changes in behavior to specific brain cell types and find new targets for treatment. 

Relevance to Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease:

This research could lead to significant advances in the treatment of PD. By identifying the exact brain cell types involved in movement and thinking problems, we can design targeted therapies that act only on those cells. This precision promises to reduce side effects and could improve symptoms more effectively than current options. Because the brain cell types we study in mice have direct counterparts in humans, our work builds a crucial bridge from the laboratory to future clinical trials and drug development. Ultimately, this research aims to deliver more personalized and effective therapies that improve quality of life for people with PD.