Sanders-Brown Faculty

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Elizabeth Head, M.A., Ph.D

Associate Professor

Departmental Affiliation(s):

Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging

 

Research Focus:

Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

In the lab:

Amy Dowling (Research Associate) Susan Wang (Research Analyst)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research Interests:

The goals of our research are to identify interventions that may prevent the onset and/or progression of Alzheimer disease and thus promote healthy brain aging.  To do this our lab tests hypotheses using a canine model of human brain aging with a focus on testing combination treatment approaches, each approach targeting different pathological pathways associated with aging or Alzheimer disease.  Canines naturally develop learning and memory impairments with age as well as similar types of brain pathology.  Our studies are multidisciplinary and extend from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to testing cognitive function (learning and memory) and neurobiological studies (anatomical, genomics and proteomics).  We currently have two studies in progress: (1) to identify gene expression changes in the brains of aged animals treated either with a diet high in antioxidants/mitochondrial co-factors, or with behavioral enrichment or treated with a combination of both diet and enrichment; (2) to test the hypothesis that vaccination with beta-amyloid peptide when combined with behavioral enrichment will lead to significant improvements in cognition and reductions in neuropathology in aged canines.

Recent Publications:

Head, E., H. Callahan, B.A. Muggenberg, and C.W. Cotman and Milgram, N.W. (1998)  Visual Discrimination Learning Ability and Beta-amyloid Accumulation in the Dog. Neurobiology of Aging, 19:  415-425.

Head, E., McCleary, R., Hahn, F.F, Milgram, N.W. and Cotman, C.W. (2000)  Region-specific age at onset of b-amyloid in dogs. Neurobiology of Aging, 21(1): 89-96.

     Head, E., Liu, J., Hagen, T.M., Muggenburg, B.A., Milgram, N.W., Ames, B.N., and Cotman, C.W. (2002) Oxidative damage increases with age in a canine model of human brain aging. Journal of Neurochemistry, 82: 375-381.

     Tapp, P.D., Siwak, C.T., Gao, F.Q., Choui, J.Y., Black, S.E., Head, E., Muggenburg, B.A., Cotman, C.W., Milgram, N.W., Su, M.-Y. 2004).  Frontal lobe volume, function and Ab Pathology in a canine model of aging.  Journal of Neuroscience, 24(38): 8205-8213.

     Milgram, N.W., Head, E., Zicker, SC., Ikeda-Douglas, C.J., Murphey, H. Muggenburg, B. Siwak, C., Tapp, D, Cotman, CW  (2005).  Learning ability in aged beagle dogs is preserved by behavioral enrichment and dietary fortification:  A two-year longitudinal study.  Neurobiology of Aging. 26:77-90.

     Tapp, D.T., Head, K., Head, E., Milgram, N.W., Muggenburg, B.A., Su, M.-Y. 2006). Application of an Automated Voxel-based Morphometry Technique to Assess Regional Gray and White Matter Brain Atrophy in a Canine Model of Aging.  NeuroImage, 29(1): 234-244.

     E. Head, E.G. Barrett, M. P. Murphy, P. Das, M. Nistor, F. Sarsoza, C. Glabe, R. Kayed, S. Milton, V. Vasilevko, N. W. Milgram, M. G. Agadjanyan , D. H. Cribbs, C. W. Cotman (2006).  Immunization with fibrillar Ab_1-42 in young and aged canines:  Antibody Generation and Characteristics, and effects on CSF and Brain Ab. Vaccine, 24: 2824-2834.

Milgram, N.W., Siwak-Tapp, C.T., Araujo, J., Head, E. (2006).  Neuroprotective effects of cognitive enrichment.  Ageing Research Reviews, 5: 354-369.

Siwak-Tapp, C.T., Head, E., Muggenburg, B.A., Milgram, N.W., and Cotman, C.W. (2007)  Neurogenesis Decreases with Age in the Canine Hippocampus and Correlates with Cognitive Function. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 88(2): 249-259.

Opii,W.O., Joshi , G., Head, E., Milgram, N.W., Muggenburg, B.A., Klein, J.B., Pierce, W.M., Cotman, C.W., Butterfield, D.A.. (2008). Proteomic Identification of Brain Proteins in the Canine Model of Human Aging Following a Long-Term Treatment with Antioxidants and a Program of Behavioral Enrichment: Relevance to Alzheimer’s Disease. Neurobiology of Aging, 29(1): 51-70. 

Siwak-Tapp, C.T., Head, E.,  Muggenburg, B.A.,  Milgram, N.W.,  and Cotman, C.W. (2008) Region specific neuron loss in the aged canine hippocampus is reduced by enrichment.  Neurobiology of Aging, 88: 249-259.

Elizabeth Head, Viorela Pop, Vitaly Vasilevko, MaryAnn Hill , Tommy Saing, Floyd Sarsoza, Michaela Nistor, Lori-Ann Christie,  Saskia Milton, Charles Glabe, Edward Barrett, David Cribbs. (2008)  A 2-Year Study with Fibrillar Ab Immunization in Aged Canines: Effects on Cognitive Function and Brain Ab.  Journal of Neuroscience, 28: 3555-3566.     

Head, E. (2008). Oxidative Damage and Cognitive Dysfunction: Antioxidant Treatments to Promote Healthy Brain Aging. Neurochemical Research, August 6: Epub.   

     Cotman, CW, Head, E. (2008).  The canine (dog) model of human aging and disease: dietary, environmental and immunotherapy approaches.  J. Alzheimers Dis. 15(4): 685-707.