Sreemathi Logan, PhD

Biography

"My career in research has encompassed many aspects of aging as evidenced from my earlier work on Alzheimer’s Disease, and macular degeneration, which is one of the leading causes for blindness with age. The current focus of my research lab is to pursue mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction associated with age and neurodegenerative disorders. More specifically, my lab is interested in the role of astrocyte mitochondrial metabolism and redox status that alters the astrocytic phenotype and increase gliosis during aging. We have shown that the age-related decline in IGF-1, a neurotrophic factor, impairs cognitive function that correlates with a decline in mitochondrial energy production and increased oxidative stress. This work is currently funded by my R00 from NIA. Furthermore, astrocyte-specific deletion of IGF-1 receptor impairs astrocytic regulation of amyloid uptake and clearance suggesting that intervening in these age-related pathways may be an avenue for improving astrocytic function and preventing or delaying cognitive impairment with aging and disease.

My lab is also focused on deciphering mechanisms that underlie cognitive heterogeneity with age. Humans and non-human primates demonstrate substantial heterogeneity in age-related cognitive performance. Specifically, many aged subjects perform as well as young subjects, while other aged individuals are impaired. Using cutting-edge automated behavioral assessments in mouse models, we have extensively characterized the cognitive status in young and aged mice using the PhenoTyper that is both reliable and consistent with testing over time. More importantly, we have the unique capability of characterizing mice based on their cognitive status (impaired or resilient) that mirrors the inherent susceptibility (or resilience) found in the aging human population."

Email

Sreemathi-Logan@ouhsc.edu

Publications

Research Interests:

• Aging
• Astrocyte Function
• Mitochondria
• Oxidative Stress
• Cognitive Function
• Gliosis