Nucleus Incertus: Mapping its Anatomy in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology

Principal Investigator

Project Goals

The main goal of this project is to investigate the nucleus incertus of the brain in humans and elucidate its role in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease pathology. This project aims to: (i) characterize the human nucleus incertus (NI) at the molecular level in post-mortem tissue from subjects without a history of dementia or other neurological disorders; and (ii) identify the gene expression profile of NI neurons in post-mortem tissue from Alzheimer's disease and control subjects.

Note: This grant was terminated by the investigator on October 13, 2022, when she transferred to the Arizona Board of Regents for and on behalf of Arizona State University for an industry position.

Project Summary

The anatomy and key aspects of the neurochemistry of the nucleus incertus (NI) and its connections throughout the brain have been systematically mapped in rat, mouse and in primate, but not in humans. In my proposal, I will characterize the human NI at the molecular level in post-mortem human tissue. The study will lay the foundation for comparative studies of nucleus incertus samples from Alzheimer's disease and matched control subjects; the data will lay the foundation for future multi-omics studies.

First published on: November 08, 2021

Last modified on: March 28, 2024