James Chin

Area of Research

Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating neurological disorder that causes decreased cognition and memory loss. In post-mortem brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the most striking finding is deposits of a protein called b-amyloid (bA). These deposits are especially prevalent in the basal forebrain, which plays an important role in memory and learning. Recently, it has been found that soluble bA binds to cholinergic receptors, which modulate of synaptic transmission in learning and memory. These receptors are highly permeable to calcium. Calcium is an important cation that is involved in many neuronal processes such as apoptosis. My research examines whether b-amyloid affects intracellular calcium regulation via cholinergic receptors and if this plays a role in the neurodegenerative changes observed in Alzheimer’s disease. I am performing patch-clamp recordings and calcium imaging on cells from the basal forebrain to examine the changes in synaptic transmission induced by b-amyloid. My research will provide insight into the mechanism by which b-amyloid interferes with synaptic transmission and may lead to new therapeutic targets.