David G. Standaert, M.D., Ph.D. Principal Investigator, joined the Department of Neurology in July of 2006 and currently holds the John N. Whitaker Chair in the Department of Neurology. He also serves as the Director of the UAB Division of Movement Disorders.Dr. Standaert's lab is interested in the pharmacology and neurochemistry of the basal ganglia and the mechanisms of Parkinson's disease and other conditions which produce abnormalities of movement.
Current areas of study include:
- the role of microglial reaction and inflammatory processes in the etiology of Parkinson's disease
- investigating the role of acetylcholinergic interneurons and cholinergic signaling in genetic mouse models of DYT1 dystonia
- determining the role of epigenetics in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia
Our experimental approaches combine classic neuroanatomical methods with modern techniques of molecular and cell biology, using in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, laser capture microdissection, gene array profiling, animal models of disease, and in vitro systems.