Stephanie Cragg

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Stephanie J. Cragg (MA, DPhil) is a full Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. [1] She holds a joint appointment [2] [3] as Professor in the University Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and as Tutor for Medicine, Fellow and Director of Studies at the college Christ Church, Oxford. [2]

Contents

Education and awards

Cragg studied Natural Sciences at Clare College, University of Cambridge, followed by a DPhil in neuropharmacology at the University of Oxford Department of Pharmacology. [3] Her graduate supervisors were Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield (Oxford) and Dr Margaret Rice (New York University). [4] She received postdoctoral awards of an E.P. Abraham Junior Research Fellowship at St. Cross College, an E.P. Abraham Research Fellowship at Keble College, a Beit Memorial Fellowship, and then a Paton Research Fellowship. [3]

Research

Her work focusses on understanding the functioning in health and disease of the brain circuits and cell types that are dysregulated in Parkinson's disease, addictions and other neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. [2] [3] This work focusses particularly on the regulation of dopaminergic transmission.

Cragg's work includes the study of how dopamine release in the striatum is regulated by other neuronal pathways and neuromodulators, including the neurotransmitters acetylcholine, GABA, adenosine, and dysregulation in Parkinson's disease. [5] [6] Her most cited work relates to the axonal regulation of dopamine transmission by acetylcholine, cholinergic interneurons and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). [7] [8]

Scientific leadership

Scientific journals

Societies

Engagement with scientific societies include:

Keynote lectures

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurotransmitter</span> Chemical substance that enables neurotransmission

A neurotransmitter is a signaling molecule secreted by a neuron to affect another cell across a synapse. The cell receiving the signal, or target cell, may be another neuron, but could also be a gland or muscle cell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Putamen</span> Round structure at the base of the forebrain

The putamen is a round structure located at the base of the forebrain (telencephalon). The putamen and caudate nucleus together form the dorsal striatum. It is also one of the structures that compose the basal nuclei. Through various pathways, the putamen is connected to the substantia nigra, the globus pallidus, the claustrum, and the thalamus, in addition to many regions of the cerebral cortex. A primary function of the putamen is to regulate movements at various stages and influence various types of learning. It employs GABA, acetylcholine, and enkephalin to perform its functions. The putamen also plays a role in degenerative neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striatum</span> Nucleus in the basal ganglia of the brain

The striatum or corpus striatum is a nucleus in the subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain. The striatum is a critical component of the motor and reward systems; receives glutamatergic and dopaminergic inputs from different sources; and serves as the primary input to the rest of the basal ganglia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Substantia nigra</span> Structure in the basal ganglia of the brain

The substantia nigra (SN) is a basal ganglia structure located in the midbrain that plays an important role in reward and movement. Substantia nigra is Latin for "black substance", reflecting the fact that parts of the substantia nigra appear darker than neighboring areas due to high levels of neuromelanin in dopaminergic neurons. Parkinson's disease is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basal ganglia</span> Group of subcortical nuclei involved in the motor and reward systems

The basal ganglia (BG) or basal nuclei are a group of subcortical nuclei found in the brains of vertebrates. In humans and other primates, differences exist, primarily in the division of the globus pallidus into external and internal regions, and in the division of the striatum. Positioned at the base of the forebrain and the top of the midbrain, they have strong connections with the cerebral cortex, thalamus, brainstem and other brain areas. The basal ganglia are associated with a variety of functions, including regulating voluntary motor movements, procedural learning, habit formation, conditional learning, eye movements, cognition, and emotion.

The mesolimbic pathway, sometimes referred to as the reward pathway, is a dopaminergic pathway in the brain. The pathway connects the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain to the ventral striatum of the basal ganglia in the forebrain. The ventral striatum includes the nucleus accumbens and the olfactory tubercle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nucleus accumbens</span> Region of the basal forebrain

The nucleus accumbens is a region in the basal forebrain rostral to the preoptic area of the hypothalamus. The nucleus accumbens and the olfactory tubercle collectively form the ventral striatum. The ventral striatum and dorsal striatum collectively form the striatum, which is the main component of the basal ganglia. The dopaminergic neurons of the mesolimbic pathway project onto the GABAergic medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle. Each cerebral hemisphere has its own nucleus accumbens, which can be divided into two structures: the nucleus accumbens core and the nucleus accumbens shell. These substructures have different morphology and functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dopaminergic pathways</span> Projection neurons in the brain that synthesize and release dopamine

Dopaminergic pathways in the human brain are involved in both physiological and behavioral processes including movement, cognition, executive functions, reward, motivation, and neuroendocrine control. Each pathway is a set of projection neurons, consisting of individual dopaminergic neurons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield</span> British scientist

Susan Adele Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield, is an English scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords. Her research has focused on the treatment of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. She is also interested in the neuroscience of consciousness and the impact of technology on the brain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigrostriatal pathway</span> Bilateral pathway in the brain

The nigrostriatal pathway is a bilateral dopaminergic pathway in the brain that connects the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) in the midbrain with the dorsal striatum in the forebrain. It is one of the four major dopamine pathways in the brain, and is critical in the production of movement as part of a system called the basal ganglia motor loop. Dopaminergic neurons of this pathway release dopamine from axon terminals that synapse onto GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs), also known as spiny projection neurons (SPNs), located in the striatum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ventral tegmental area</span> Group of neurons on the floor of the midbrain

The ventral tegmental area (VTA), also known as the ventral tegmental area of Tsai, or simply ventral tegmentum, is a group of neurons located close to the midline on the floor of the midbrain. The VTA is the origin of the dopaminergic cell bodies of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system and other dopamine pathways; it is widely implicated in the drug and natural reward circuitry of the brain. The VTA plays an important role in a number of processes, including reward cognition and orgasm, among others, as well as several psychiatric disorders. Neurons in the VTA project to numerous areas of the brain, ranging from the prefrontal cortex to the caudal brainstem and several regions in between.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interneuron</span> Neurons that are not motor or sensory

Interneurons are neurons that connect to brain regions, i.e. not direct motor neurons or sensory neurons. Interneurons are the central nodes of neural circuits, enabling communication between sensory or motor neurons and the central nervous system (CNS). They play vital roles in reflexes, neuronal oscillations, and neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progabide</span> Pharmaceutical drug

Progabide is an analogue and prodrug of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) used in the treatment of epilepsy. Via conversion into GABA, progabide behaves as an agonist of the GABAA, GABAB, and GABAA-ρ receptors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basal forebrain</span> Brain structures in the forebrain

Part of the human brain, the basal forebrain structures are located in the forebrain to the front of and below the striatum. They include the ventral basal ganglia, nucleus basalis, diagonal band of Broca, substantia innominata, and the medial septal nucleus. These structures are important in the production of acetylcholine, which is then distributed widely throughout the brain. The basal forebrain is considered to be the major cholinergic output of the central nervous system (CNS) centred on the output of the nucleus basalis. The presence of non-cholinergic neurons projecting to the cortex have been found to act with the cholinergic neurons to dynamically modulate activity in the cortex.

Neuromodulation is the physiological process by which a given neuron uses one or more chemicals to regulate diverse populations of neurons. Neuromodulators typically bind to metabotropic, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to initiate a second messenger signaling cascade that induces a broad, long-lasting signal. This modulation can last for hundreds of milliseconds to several minutes. Some of the effects of neuromodulators include: altering intrinsic firing activity, increasing or decreasing voltage-dependent currents, altering synaptic efficacy, increasing bursting activity and reconfigurating synaptic connectivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medium spiny neuron</span> Type of GABAergic neuron in the striatum

Medium spiny neurons (MSNs), also known as spiny projection neurons (SPNs), are a special type of GABAergic inhibitory cell representing 95% of neurons within the human striatum, a basal ganglia structure. Medium spiny neurons have two primary phenotypes : D1-type MSNs of the direct pathway and D2-type MSNs of the indirect pathway. Most striatal MSNs contain only D1-type or D2-type dopamine receptors, but a subpopulation of MSNs exhibit both phenotypes.

Barry John Everitt, is a British neuroscientist and academic. He was Master of Downing College, Cambridge (2003–2013), and Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge (1997–2013). He is now emeritus professor and Director of Research. From 2013 to 2022, he was provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust at Cambridge University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHRNA6</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Cholinergic receptor, nicotinic, alpha 6, also known as nAChRα6, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CHRNA6 gene. The CHRNA6 gene codes for the α6 nicotinic receptor subunit that is found in certain types of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors found primarily in the brain. Neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors containing α6 subunits are expressed on dopamine-releasing neurons in the midbrain, and dopamine release following activation of these neurons is thought to be involved in the addictive properties of nicotine. Due to their selective localisation on dopaminergic neurons, α6-containing nACh receptors have also been suggested as a possible therapeutic target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. In addition to nicotine, research in animals has implicated alpha-6-containing nAChRs in the abusive and addictive properties of ethanol, with mecamylamine demonstrating a potent ability to block these properties.

D. James "Jim" Surmeier, an American neuroscientist and physiologist of note, is the Nathan Smith Davis Professor and Chair in the Department of Physiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. His research is focused on the cellular physiology and circuit properties of the basal ganglia in health and disease, primarily Parkinson's and Huntington's disease as well as pain.

Ilana B. Witten is an American neuroscientist and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University. Witten studies the mesolimbic pathway, with a focus on the striatal neural circuit mechanisms driving reward learning and decision making.

References

  1. ↑ "Recognition of Distinction: Successful applicants 2014" Archived 16 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine , The University of Oxford Gazette, no. 5076, 6 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Professor Stephanie Cragg | Christ Church, University of Oxford". www.chch.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Stephanie Cragg". www.dpag.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Helmreich, Dana L. (July 2018). "Profiles of Women in Science: Prof. Stephanie Cragg of the University of Oxford, Oxford, UK". European Journal of Neuroscience. pp. 1723–1727. doi:10.1111/ejn.14058 . Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  5. ↑ Roberts, Bradley M.; Doig, Natalie M.; Brimblecombe, Katherine R.; Lopes, Emanuel F.; Siddorn, Ruth E.; Threlfell, Sarah; Connor-Robson, Natalie; Bengoa-Vergniory, Nora; Pasternack, Nicholas; Wade-Martins, Richard; Magill, Peter J.; Cragg, Stephanie J. (2 October 2020). "GABA uptake transporters support dopamine release in dorsal striatum with maladaptive downregulation in a parkinsonism model". Nature Communications. 11 (1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-18247-5 .
  6. ↑ Cramb, Kaitlyn M L; Beccano-Kelly, Dayne; Cragg, Stephanie J; Wade-Martins, Richard (1 August 2023). "Impaired dopamine release in Parkinson's disease". Brain. 146 (8): 3117–3132. doi: 10.1093/brain/awad064 . PMC   10393405 .
  7. ↑ Threlfell, Sarah; Lalic, Tatjana; Platt, Nicola J.; Jennings, Katie A.; Deisseroth, Karl; Cragg, Stephanie J. (July 2012). "Striatal Dopamine Release Is Triggered by Synchronized Activity in Cholinergic Interneurons". Neuron. 75 (1): 58–64. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.04.038 .
  8. ↑ Rice, Margaret E; Cragg, Stephanie J (June 2004). "Nicotine amplifies reward-related dopamine signals in striatum". Nature Neuroscience. 7 (6): 583–584. doi:10.1038/nn1244.
  9. ↑ "Addiction Neuroscience | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier". www.sciencedirect.com.
  10. ↑ "Editors & Editorial Board". ACS Publications.
  11. ↑ "npj Parkinson's Disease". Nature. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  12. ↑ "About". MMiN. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Parkinson's UK College of Experts". Parkinson's UK. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "Feature Plenary Lecture, FENS Forum 2018".
  15. ↑ "Speakers". VIDA 2020.
  16. ↑ "Webinar Recordings".
  17. ↑ "Plenary Lectures".
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