Susan O. McGuire, PhD Assistant Professor Neuropathology Research Division Graduate Faculty Neuroscience & Aging Institute Co-Director of Cell Culture Molecular Pathology Core Facility Phone: (708) 216-8269 Fax: (708) 216-6735 smcguire@lumc.edu

• Undergraduate:
  Animal Industries
  Clemson University
  Clemson, South Carolina
  BS, 1977
  
• Graduate School:
  Animal Industries
  The University of Georgia
  Athens, Georgia
  MS, 1982
  
• Doctorate:
  Nutritional Biochemistry
  The University of Missouri
  Columbia, Missouri
  PhD, 1995
• Postdoctoral Fellow:
  Neurochemistry
  The University of Missouri
  Columbia, Missouri
  1996
• NIA Fellow:
  Aging/Neurodegeneration
  Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center
  Chicago, Illinois
  1998

Research Focus

The focus of the research in Dr. McGuire’s laboratory revolves around understanding alterations in neural signaling pathways that, altered during aging, predispose and individual to age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The goal of these investigations is to elucidate aging-related changes within the CNS and use the knowledge to develop new treatments for neural protection and repair.

Special areas of interest

Oxidative stress loads within the CNS increase during normal aging. This may perhaps be due to a general decrease in antioxidant capacity and/or an increase in the basal level of inflammation. During aging, there is also a loss of molecules trophic for neuronal survival with a concomitant increase in expression of proinflammatory cytokine expression. In healthy aging, these increases may be effectively dealt with by compensatory mechanisms. However, predisposing insults may render the body unable to compensate, resulting in neurodegenerative disease.
 

Current areas of investigation in the laboratory ask the questions

1. Do increases in oxidative stress and inflammation during aging affect cAMP-regulated cell signaling pathways, particularly those involved in neuronal survival and regenerative capacity.
2. Do increases in inflammation and oxidative stress alter muscarinic receptor recycling, predisposing an individual to AD.
3. Can neuroactive dietary components such as the polyphenolic compounds found in blueberries provide protection against aging-induced losses in trophic molecules and increases in oxidative stress and inflammation?

Publications

View a partial list of Dr. McGuire's publications through the National Library of Medicine's PubMed online database.