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Health Sciences staff profiles

Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie

PositionProfessor
DepartmentDepartment of Anatomy
QualificationsBPhEd MSc PhD(Otago)
Research summaryBrain changes associated with Parkinson's disease and chronic pain
Teaching

Current:

  • ANAT335 Neurobiology
  • NEUR452 Neurodegenerative disorders

Previous:

  • HUBS191 (musculoskeletal)
  • ANAT241 (musculoskeletal)
  • ELM2 (musculoskeletal)
Memberships
  • Director Māori, Ageing Well National Science Challenge
  • Māori Advisory Board for Brain Research New Zealand – Roro Rangahau Aotearoa Centre of Research Excellence
  • Secretary of the International Basal Ganglia Society Council

Research

Professor Parr-Brownlie has internationally recognised expertise in understanding how activity in the motor thalamus, motor cortex and basal ganglia control normal movements and is altered in Parkinson's disease. Her team use a combination of optogenetic stimulation, electrophysiological recordings, electron and confocal microscopy to investigate brain function and structure. They have applied optogenetic stimulation to determine if there are better places and ways to stimulate the brain to improve movements in models of Parkinson's disease.

She has been an invited speaker at prestigious conferences in the United States, such as Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Janelia) and Gordon Research Conferences. Professor Parr-Brownlie has extended her research programme to (1) examine anatomical and physiological changes in the brain associated with chronic pain and (2) investigate Māori community perspectives of neurosurgical approaches to treat neurological disorders and traumatic brain injury.

Current staff in the laboratory are Dr Elodie Kip (ARF), Conor Underwood (PRF) and Mariana Te Pou (ARF). Current postgraduate students are Alexander Woolrych (PhD) and Lily Bentall (Hons).

Parr-Brownlie lab team photo

Additional details

Dr Parr-Brownlie is Ngāti Maniapoto and Te Arawa.

Current funding includes Health Research Council of New Zealand, Brain Research New Zealand, and Marsden Fund. Other previous funding includes Neurological Foundation of New Zealand.

Lab staff alumni are:

  • Dr Clementine Bosch-Bouju, postdoctoral fellow
  • Dr Lisa Smith, postdoctoral fellow
  • Dr Rachel Sizemore, postdoctoral fellow
  • Dr Sonja Seeger-Armbruster, postdoctoral fellow
  • Julia Prier, ARF
  • Roseanna Smither, ARF
  • Stella Cameron, ARF
  • Niamh Cameron, ARF

Lab postgraduate alumni are:

  • Dr Sophie Barnett (PhD)
  • Dr Ashik Banstola (PhD)
  • Dr Stella Cameron (PhD)
  • Nikki Guy (MMedSc)
  • James Miller (MSc and Hons)
  • Shane Little (MSc and PGDipSc)
  • Abby Johnson (Hons)
  • Niamh Cameron (PGDipSc)

Publications

Kip, E., & Parr-Brownlie, L. (2023). Healthy lifestyles and wellbeing reduce neuroinflammation and prevent neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders [Review]. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17, 1092537. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1092537

Goins, R. T., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Radford, K. (2022). Indigenous aging. Frontiers in Public Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1111672

Kip, E., Bentall, L., Underwood, C. F. U., Hughes, S. M., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2022). Patterned stimulation of the Chrimson opsin in glutamatergic motor thalamus neurons improves forelimb akinesia in parkinsonian rats. Neuroscience. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.10.026

Banstola, A., Young, C. K., Parr-Brownlie, L., & McNaughton, N. (2022). Dynamic interaction between hippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex, and subthalamic nucleus during goal conflict in the stop signal task in rats. Neuroscience Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.06.006

Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Itoga, C. A., Walters, J. R., & Underwood, C. F. (2022). Oscillatory waveform sharpness asymmetry changes in motor thalamus and motor cortex in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Experimental Neurology, 354, 114089. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114089

Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Reynolds, J. N. J. (2015). Basal ganglia. In K. Rogers (Ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica. (Online ed.) Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com

Chapter in Book - Research

Walters, J. R., Hu, D., Itoga, C. A., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Bergstrom, D. A. (2005). Do local field potentials reflect synchronized spiking activity of neuronal populations in the basal ganglia? Studies in a rodent model of Parkinson's disease. In J. P. Bolam, C. A. Ingham & P. J. Magill (Eds.), The basal ganglia VIII. (pp. 37-46). New York, NY: Springer Science+Business Media.

Chapter in Book - Research

Kip, E., & Parr-Brownlie, L. (2023). Healthy lifestyles and wellbeing reduce neuroinflammation and prevent neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders [Review]. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17, 1092537. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1092537

Journal - Research Article

Banstola, A., Young, C. K., Parr-Brownlie, L., & McNaughton, N. (2022). Dynamic interaction between hippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex, and subthalamic nucleus during goal conflict in the stop signal task in rats. Neuroscience Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.06.006

Journal - Research Article

Kip, E. C., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2022). Reducing neuroinflammation via therapeutic compounds and lifestyle to prevent or delay progression of Parkinson's disease. Ageing Research Reviews. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2022.101618

Journal - Research Article

Kip, E., Bentall, L., Underwood, C. F. U., Hughes, S. M., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2022). Patterned stimulation of the Chrimson opsin in glutamatergic motor thalamus neurons improves forelimb akinesia in parkinsonian rats. Neuroscience. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.10.026

Journal - Research Article

Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Itoga, C. A., Walters, J. R., & Underwood, C. F. (2022). Oscillatory waveform sharpness asymmetry changes in motor thalamus and motor cortex in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Experimental Neurology, 354, 114089. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114089

Journal - Research Article

Barnett, S. C., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Perry, B. A. L., Young, C. K., Wicky, H. E., Hughes, S. M., McNaughton, N., & Dalrymple-Alford, J. C. (2021). Anterior thalamic nuclei neurons sustain memory. Current Research in Neurobiology, 2, 100022. doi: 10.1016/j.crneur.2021.100022

Journal - Research Article

Seo, S., Sizemore, R. J., Reader, K. L., Smither, R. A., Wicky, H. E., Hughes, S. M., Bilkey, D. K., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Oorschot, D. E. (2021). A schizophrenia risk factor induces marked anatomical deficits at GABAergic-dopaminergic synapses in the rat ventral tegmental area: Essential evidence for new targeted therapies. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 529, 3946-3973. doi: 10.1002/cne.25225

Journal - Research Article

Woolrych, A., Vautrelle, N., Reynolds, J. N. J., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2021). Throwing open the doors of perception: The role of dopamine in visual processing. European Journal of Neuroscience, 54, 6135-6146. doi: 10.1111/ejn.15408

Journal - Research Article

Jackson, A.-M., Rewi, T., Hakopa, H., Phillips, C., Russell, P., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Hulbe, C., Leoni, G., Mita, N., Hepburn, C., Wikaira, J., … Elder, H. (2020). Towards building an Indigenous Science Tertiary Curriculum (Part 2). New Zealand Science Review, 76(1-2), 25-31.

Journal - Research Article

Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Waters, D. L., Neville, S., Neha, T., & Muramatsu, N. (2020). Aging in New Zealand: Ka haere ki te ao pakeketanga. Gerontologist, 60(5), 812-820. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnaa032

Journal - Research Article

Hyland, B. I., Seeger-Armbruster, S., Smither, R. A., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2019). Altered recruitment of motor cortex neuronal activity during the grasping phase of skilled reaching in a chronic rat model of unilateral Parkinsonism. Journal of Neuroscience, 39(48), 9660-9672. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.0720-19.2019

Journal - Research Article

Jackson, A.-M., Hakopa, H., Phillips, C., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Russell, P., Hulbe, C., Rewi, T., Leoni, G., Mita, N., Jackson, S., Poa, D., Hepburn, C., Wikaira, J., … Elder, H. (2019). Towards building an Indigenous Science Tertiary Curriculum. New Zealand Science Review, 75(4), 69-73.

Journal - Research Article

Sizemore, R. J., Seeger-Armbruster, S., Hughes, S. M., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2016). Viral vector-based tools advance knowledge of basal ganglia anatomy and physiology. Journal of Neurophysiology, 115, 2124-2146. doi: 10.1152/jn.01131.2015

Journal - Research Article

Sizemore, R. J., Zhang, R., Lin, N., Goddard, L., Wastney, T., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Reynolds, J. N. J., & Oorschot, D. E. (2016). Marked differences in the number and type of synapses innervating the somata and primary dendrites of midbrain dopaminergic neurons, striatal cholinergic interneurons and striatal spiny projection neurons in the rat. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 524(5), 1062-1080. doi: 10.1002/cne.23891

Journal - Research Article

Smith, L. M., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Duncan, E. J., Black, M. A., Gemmell, N. J., Dearden, P. K., & Reynolds, J. N. J. (2016). Striatal mRNA expression patterns underlying peak dose L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in the 6-OHDA hemiparkinsonian rat. Neuroscience, 324, 238-251. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.03.012

Journal - Research Article

Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Bosch-Bouju, C., Schoderboeck, L., Sizemore, R. J., Abraham, W. C., & Hughes, S. M. (2015). Lentiviral vectors as tools to understand central nervous system biology in mammalian model organisms. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 8, 14. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2015.00014

Journal - Research Article

Seeger-Armbruster, S., Bosch-Bouju, C., Little, S. T. C., Smither, R. A., Hughes, S. M., Hyland, B. I., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2015). Patterned, but not tonic, optogenetic stimulation in motor thalamus improves reaching in acute drug-induced Parkinsonian rats. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(3), 1211-1216. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.3277-14.2015

Journal - Research Article

Bosch-Bouju, C., Smither, R. A., Hyland, B. I., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2014). Reduced reach-related modulation of motor thalamus neural activity in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(48), 15836-15850. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.0893-14.2014

Journal - Research Article

Bosch-Bouju, C., Hyland, B. I., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2013). Motor thalamus integration of cortical, cerebellar and basal ganglia information: Implications for normal and Parkinsonian conditions. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 7, 163. doi: 10.3389/fncom.2013.00163

Journal - Research Article

Avila, I., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Brazhnik, E., Castañeda, E., Bergstrom, D. A., & Walters, J. R. (2010). Beta frequency synchronization in basal ganglia output during rest and walk in a hemiparkinsonian rat. Experimental Neurology, 221(2), 307-319. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.11.016

Journal - Research Article

Parr-Brownlie, L., Poloskey, S. L., Bergstrom, D. A., & Walters, J. R. (2009). Parafascicular thalamic nucleus activity in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Experimental Neurology, 217(2), 269-281. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.02.010

Journal - Research Article

Aravamuthan, B. R., Bergstrom, D. A., French, R. A., Taylor, J. J., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Walters, J. R. (2008). Altered neuronal activity relationships between the pedunculopontine nucleus and motor cortex in a rodent model of Parkinson's disease. Experimental Neurology, 213, 268-280. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2008.05.023

Journal - Research Article

Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Poloskey, S. L., Flanagan, K. K., Eisenhofer, G., Bergstrom, D. A., & Walters, J. R. (2007). Dopamine lesion-induced change in subthalamic nucleus activity are not associated with alterations in firing rate or pattern in layer V neurons of the anterior cingulate cortex in anesthetized rats. European Journal of Neuroscience, 26, 1925-1939.

Journal - Research Article

Walters, J. R., Hu, D., Itoga, C. A., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Bergstrom, D. A. (2007). Phase relationships support a role for coordinated activity in the indirect pathway in organizing slow oscillations in basal ganglia output after loss of dopamine. Neuroscience, 144, 762-776.

Journal - Research Article

Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Hyland, B. I. (2005). Bradykinesia induced by dopamine D2 receptor blockade is associated with reduced motor cortex activity in the rat. Journal of Neuroscience, 25(24), 5700-5709.

Journal - Research Article

Mohagheghi, A. A., Anson, J. G., Hyland, B. I., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Wickens, J. (1998). Foreperiod length, but not memory, affects human reaction time in a precued, delayed response. Motor Control, 2, 133-141.

Journal - Research Article

Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Wickens, J., Anson, J. G., & Hyland, B. I. (1998). Does having to remember the position of a target improve reaction time? Motor Control, 2, 142-147.

Journal - Research Article

Goins, R. T., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Radford, K. (2022). Indigenous aging. Frontiers in Public Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1111672

Journal - Research Other

Marie, A., Darricau, M., Touyarot, K., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., & Bosch-Bouju, C. (2021). Role and mechanism of vitamin A metabolism in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. Journal of Parkinson's Disease, 11, 949-970. doi: 10.3233/jpd-212671

Journal - Research Other

Underwood, C. F., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2021). Primary motor cortex in Parkinson’s disease: Functional changes and opportunities for neurostimulation. Neurobiology of Disease, 147, 105159. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.105159

Journal - Research Other

Smith, L. M., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2019). A neuroscience perspective of the gut theory of Parkinson's disease. European Journal of Neuroscience, 49(6), 817-823. doi: 10.1111/ejn.13869

Journal - Research Other

Barnett, S. C., Perry, B. A. L., Dalrymple-Alford, J. C., & Parr-Brownlie, L. C. (2018). Optogenetic stimulation: Understanding memory and treating deficits. Hippocampus, 28(7), 457-470. doi: 10.1002/hipo.22960

Journal - Research Other

Swain, N., Parr-Brownlie, L. C., Lennox Thompson, B., Darlow, B., Mani, R., & Baxter, D. (2018). Six things you need to know about pain. New Zealand Medical Journal, 131(1486), 5-8. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Journal - Research Other

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