华人医生数据库 Chinese Speaking Doctors in US and Canada

Yanping Charles, Shao  MD, Ph.D.
Attending and Clinical Associate Professor
Pathology Neuropathology

Education:
Beijing, Capital Medical University

Main Office:
800-681-4338   Therapath Neuropathology
545 W 45th St  
New York, NY 10036

Clinic Intersts:
neuropathology.

Ph.D.:  Emory University , Atlanta, GA 1985-1990

Research Interests: I am interested in the pathogenesis of
neurodegenerative diseases, especially
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) the most common form of memory disorders. Accumulating evidence has
indicated that synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation (LTP) that underlines learning and
memory is impaired in AD. I currently focus on an unique molecule called PKMzeta that plays a
critical role in LTP maintenance and memory function in living animals. I have found that PKMzeta
associates with a variety of AD pathology that mark changes of postsynaptic structures such as
Hirano bodies (dendritic spines), perisomatic granules (AMPA receptors) and granulovacular
degeneration. I postulate that PKMzeta regulate these structures during memory formation and their
aggregation during AD lead to memory loss. Using primary cultures of hippocampal neurons, I
demonstrate that PKMzeta indeed positively regulates synaptic structures and AMPA receptors. Further
studies will explore what alters PKMzeta in neurons and how PKMzeta may play a role in combating AD.