Nora Gray Lab

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Lab overview

Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are all interrelated processes that contribute to the cognitive impairment seen in aging and neurodegenerative disease. Therapies that can improve any one of these factors can therefore have a dramatic effect on enhancing cognitive performance and perhaps also on slowing disease progression. Many botanically-derived compounds can modulate these cellular processes and new advances in synthetic compounds offer the potential for additional precision of effects.

The overall goal of our research is to use mouse models to identify cognitive enhancing therapies with strong translational potential for eventual use in patient populations with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) as well as healthy elderly individuals. We take a broad and highly collaborative approach to identifying potential therapeutics, combining a variety of behavioral assessments of different domains of cognitive function with sophisticated analyses of mitochondrial function, antioxidant response, neuroinflammation and disease pathology.

If you’re interested in joining the lab as a post-doctoral fellow, graduate student or research assistant please email Nora (grayn@ohsu.edu). The Gray lab values and supports diversity in alignment with OHSU’s policy to honor, respect, embrace and value of all employees, patients, students and volunteers regardless of age, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic status.