Molecular determinants of sex-specific vulnerability to neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive disability during aging

Research project description

PhD will investigate the molecular profiles associated with sex-specific vulnerability to dementia and neuropsychiatric disorders during aging.  

Mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, affect disproportionally more women than men and are associated with increased risk of cognitive disability and dementia during normal and pathological aging. Strategies to develop novel precision diagnostics and therapies for age-related mental health management must account for these sex and neuropsychiatric differences. However, the neurobiological bases of these sex- and neuropsychiatric-specific vulnerabilities remain largely unknown. In this project, we hypothesize that transcriptional and genomic features of specific brain cell subpopulations are associated with sex-specific vulnerability to neuropsychiatric traits impacting brain function and mental health during aging. To identify brain cell type-specific gene signatures associated with sex-specific neuropsychiatric traits during aging, we will integrate behavioral and cell type-specific transcriptomics data from young and cognitively impaired female and male transgenic mice (APP/Tau model of pathological aging) with human gene expression data from the human Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP) cohort (ongoing collaboration with Dr. De Jager lab, Columbia University, NY https://www.neurology.columbia.edu/profile/philip-l-de-jager-md).  

In this project we aim to 1) Identify cell- and sex-specific gene networks and pathways that impact on age-related fear and anxiety phenotypes in mice and human, and 2) identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for molecular diagnosis and modulation of sex-specific vulnerability to these neuropsychiatric alterations during aging. We expect that the results obtained in this project will contribute to elucidate key sex-specific molecular determinants of age-related neuropsychiatric vulnerability, and to identify relevant targets for personalized therapeutic strategies for age-related neuropsychiatric disorders. 

Academic background / Skills

Candidates must hold a degree that allows admission to the official doctoral program at UAB:

Additional requirements for a stronger application are: 

• A candidate with a Master’s degree in Neuroscience, Psychology, Biomedicine, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Bioinformatics or related filed is required with high academic grades in the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.  
• The candidate must have theoretical knowledge in Neuroscience and experimental experience in biomedical research laboratories and demonstrate independence and motivation for research in psychobiology, physiology, and molecular neurobiology.  
• Research experience in genetics, behavior, cell biology, animal models, and analysis of human data will be valued, as well as in bioinformatic analysis of omics data. 

Research group/s description

The Research Group on Systems Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying memory loss, emotional disturbances and neurodegeneration during normal and pathological (e.g, Alzheimer’s disease, AD) aging. 

We aim to unravel cell-specific transcriptional mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric and cognitive disturbances during aging by applying novel methodologies (cell-specific transcriptomics, super-resolution imaging, chemogenetics, epigenetic editing, behavior) in new mouse models of neurodegeneration.

Our research projects provide knowledge of novel molecular targets and therapeutic strategies for early treatment of emotional and memory changes in age-related brain disorders. https://www.sauralab.com