Navigating the neuronal maze of aging

C. elegans is a powerful model organism for studying both aging and neurodegeneration. This tiny worm offers unique advantages, including a short lifespan and a well-defined nervous system and many of their genes and proteins closely resemble those in humans. I use C. elegans to find out what goes wrong during the aging process that leads to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In these diseases, there is a build-up and spread of harmful proteins, eventually causing neuronal death and memory loss or movement problems, respectively. I am particularly interested in understanding the role of molecular chaperones, the cellular caretakers, which normally ensure that proteins fold into the correct shape and get rid of damaged proteins, in aging and disease.

Being stressed has become the norm in our fast-paced world, so it’s important to understand the impact of chronic stress on physical and mental health. This talk will be an introduction to the biology behind common mental illnesses and research being conducted to improve treatment outcome.