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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 8821
Email
joanna.williams@otago.ac.nz
Position
Associate Professor
Department
Department of Anatomy
Qualifications
BSc MSc PhD (Otago)
Research summary
Molecular Neurobiology

Research

Our research covers three main areas:

Memory mechanisms: Using modern molecular biological, bioinformatics and proteomic techniques we have built up a portfolio of studies focused on the regulation of key glutamate receptors involved in memory processes as well as how gene and microRNA expressions are altered in response to memory events. Understanding how memories are formed will lead to a greater understanding of the molecular pathology underlying aging-related memory loss and diseases of the brain.

Amyloid precursor protein: The lab is intensively researching a protein called sAPPα. Unlike amyloid-?, the pathological agent in Alzheimer's Disease, sAPPα, has neuroprotective and memory enhancing functions and the group aims to uncover both molecular mechanisms underlying these positive functions and the specific regions within sAPPα which confer these properties as these may have therapeutic potential.

Biomarkers Discovery: We have added a new dimension to our research portfolio which aims to identify biomarkers within plasma which may be predictive of neurological diseases. Currently this work focuses on Alzheimer's Disease, Schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

Joanna's research expertise includes molecular profiling - Western blotting, qPCR, qPCR arrays, microarrays, epigenetics assay, bioinformatics, human and animal models of Alzheimer's disease.

For more details:
Neuroscience Research Group

Publications

Potemkin, N., Cawood, S. M. F., Guévremont, D., Mockett, B., Treece, J., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Williams, J. M. (2025). Whole transcriptome RNA-Seq reveals drivers of pathological dysfunction in a transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease. Molecular Neurobiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s12035-025-04878-6 Journal - Research Article

Cawood, S. M. F., Williams, J. M., Ryan, M. M., Harrison, O. K., & Russell, B. R. (2024, August-September). Preliminary findings that Ketamine increases GABA levels in the amygdala two hours post infusion in people with treatment resistant anxiety. Verbal presentation at the Queenstown Research Week (QRW) Mental Health Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Cawood, S. M. F., Russell, B. R., Harrison, O. K., Williams, J. M., & Ryan, M. M. (2024). Plasma-derived microRNAs are altered with ketamine intervention for treatment-resistant generalised or social anxiety disorders. In K.-L. Horne (Ed.), Proceedings of the 40th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research (AWCBR). (pp. 63). Retrieved from https://www.awcbr.org Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Cawood, S., Williams, J., Ryan, M., Russell, B., & Harrison, O. (2023, August). The neurobiology of anxiety, depression, and breathing-related catastrophising. Poster session presented at the Brain Health Research Centre (BHRC) Annual Conference, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Guévremont, D., Roy, J., Cutfield, N. J., & Williams, J. M. (2023). MicroRNAs in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 16272. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-43096-9 Journal - Research Article

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