{"id":7355,"date":"2024-04-17T09:18:55","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T13:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/380cebbe0d.nxcli.io\/pharmacy\/?page_id=7355"},"modified":"2025-05-21T16:00:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T20:00:20","slug":"dengler-crish-lab","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/380cebbe0d.nxcli.io\/pharmacy\/pharmsci\/dengler-crish-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Dengler-Crish Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row content_width=”full” page_header_style=”normal” css=”.vc_custom_1713293111862{margin-bottom: 0px !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}” el_class=”block-a”][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1713293133775{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_inner css=”.vc_custom_1713293083106{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_width=”full” el_class=”block-b”][vc_column][vc_row_inner gap=”10″][vc_column_inner el_class=”sidebar” width=”1\/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1713289176498{padding-top: 200px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”7482″ img_size=””][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Principal investigator<\/h4>\n

Christine Dengler-Crish, Ph.D.<\/strong>
\nAssistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences<\/span><\/p>\n

Full biography<\/a><\/p>\n

Contact<\/h4>\n

ccrish@380cebbe0d.nxcli.io<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” el_width=”70″ accent_color=”#c1c1c1″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner el_class=”main-body” width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Overview<\/h3>\n

Our lab studies some of the earliest, yet overlooked factors that may be driving the neurodegenerative process of Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) dementia. Our research philosophy is that alterations in the brain\u2019s most fundamental abilities to sense and respond to information from the external world and bodily signals may be the key to understanding highly complex diseases like dementia. Increasing scientific evidence shows that the brain\u2019s ability to process sensory information and regulate bodily homeostasis are compromised in AD prior to the first signs of memory loss. However, these neural processes are often overlooked because dementia is classically considered to be\u00a0 a disorder of cognition and memory. This is problematic to the field because there is a critical need to identify and deploy early interventions in AD to halt this devastating disease before cognition, memory, and personality are irreparably destroyed.\u00a0 Our research investigates two major areas: a) mechanisms by which visual system function is disrupted in AD and may further contribute to brain damage and cognitive decline, and b) how disruptions in bodily homeostasis such as bone loss or altered energy metabolism may indicate that the dementia disease process is beginning. In studying how these early changes in body and brain function contribute to dementia, we hope to identify new strategies and treatments that can be used to prevent the onset and progression of AD and spare patients and their families the devastating consequences of this fatal disease.<\/p>\n

\n

Current work<\/h3>\n

Integrin dysfunction in tauopathy<\/h5>\n

We are studying factors that contribute to neurofibrillary tau pathogenesis (i.e. tauopathy), a hallmark pathology of dementia that accumulates in preclinical disease stages and correlates closely with clinical progression of cognitive decline in dementia. We recently found that that the exercise-induced hormone irisin\u2014which is known to modulate critical cell surface proteins called integrins– reduces tau pathology and inflammation in the brains of transgenic tauopathy-model htau mice in a sex and age-dependent manner. We are currently testing whether integrin function is altered by AD risk factors or susceptibility genes, and whether this causes integrins to activate inflammatory and neurodegenerative pathways that promote onset and progression of tauopathy.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Impact of Alzheimer\u2019s pathology on visual system<\/h5>\n

We are investigating how presence of pathological A\u03b2 or tau proteins in the retina causes damaging changes along the primary retinal pathway to primary visual cortex (V1), and whether disease mechanisms can then spread via V1\u2019s interconnections to brain regions affecting learning and memory. To study this, we are experimentally injecting A\u03b2 or tau and proteins into either the eyes or V1 of healthy mice and measuring the effects of this manipulation on visual system circuitry using a combination of electrophysiological and immunohistochemical techniques.<\/p>\n

\n

Open positions<\/h3>\n

See open positions in this lab on\u00a0the NEOMED careers site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Select publications<\/h3>\n