2014-15 Funded Research APDA Research & Impact What We Fund 2014-15 Funded Research Research We Funded in 2014-15 Three Post-Doctoral Fellowships Awarded to support post-doctoral scientists whose research training holds promise into new insights of geriatric psychology, pathophysiology, etiology and treatment of Parkinson’s disease. This is a fellowship of $35,000 per year for one year. Peter Ash, PhD Trustees of Boston University Environmental toxicant-agonists of the Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor induce expression of alpha synuclein Nebojsa Kezunovic, PhD Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Impact of PD-related mutation of LRRK2 on striatal synapse development and function Khoa Nguyen, PhD Stanford University Defining the role of microglia-specific LRRK2 in Parkinson’s disease Seven Research Grants Awarded for junior investigators to pursue research in Parkinson’s disease. The applicant must be affiliated with and perform the research project at an academic institution. This is a grant of $50,000 per year for one year, renewable. Theresa Ellis, PhD Boston University Mobile Health Technology (MHT) to Promote Physical Activity in Persons with PD Samual A. Frank, MD Boston University Mortality in PD: The PEACE Consortium Cristina Guardia Laguarta, PhD Columbia University A new role for alpha synuclein in Parkinson’s disease: Alteration of ER-mitochondria communication Daniel Lawrence, PhD University of Michigan Identification and evaluation of a novel therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease Laura Volpicelli-Daley, PhD University of Alabama at Birmingham LRRK2 in Pathological Synuclein Transmission Talene Yacoubian, MD, PhD University of Alabama at Birmingham Effects of 14-3-3s on Alpha Synuclein Release and Toxicity Jinbin Xu, PhD Washington University Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptor as a Biomarker for Imaging Nigrostriatal Neurons Summer Student Fellowships Brice Kessler University of North Carolina School of Medicine Use of preoperative 7T resting BOLD fMRI as an adjunct tool to guide lead placement in deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson’s disease Quynh Vo Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Characterization and development of a reliable and reproducible rat model of REM behavioral disorder associated with Parkinson’s disease