Associate Professor Ailsa McGregor

Position	Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacology
Qualifications	BSc(Hons)(Aberd) PhD(Glas)
Research summary	Neuropharmacology, neurodegeneration and repair
Teaching	Basic and Clinical Pharmacology
Memberships	Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
Clinical	A randomized trial of varenicline for the treatment of cognitive and effective symptoms in Huntington’s Disease (VCAS-HD), funded by The New Zealand Pharmacy Education and Research Fund and The Oakley Mental Health Foundation.

Research

My area of interest is neurodegenerative diseases, neuroprotection and repair, in particular the development of disease models with clinically relevant endpoints as a basis for investigating potential therapies.

My research focuses on pharmacological enhancement of motor recovery after stroke and cholinergic dysfunction in Huntington's Disease and vascular dementia.

Publications

Chen, S., Bennet, L., & McGregor, A. L. (2022). Delayed citalopram administration reduces brain inflammation and enhances skilled motor function after ischaemic stroke in 'MacGreen' mice. European Journal of Neuroscience, 55, 1344-1355. doi: 10.1111/ejn.15601

McGregor, A. L., Hoque, M. R., Nickel, S., Smith, A. J., & Atiquzzaman, M. (2022). Anti-epileptic medication exposure influences functional status in New Zealand stroke patients: A retrospective population-level study. Drugs: Real World Outcomes, 9, 165-173. doi: 10.1007/s40801-021-00280-5

Nair, S., Chen, S., Gupta, D., Smith, A. J., & McGregor, A. L. (2021). Higher BMI confers a long-term functional status advantage in elderly New Zealand European stroke patients. Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases, 30(5), 105711. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.105711

Narayan, P., Reid, S., Scotter, E. L., McGregor, A. L., Mehrabi, N. F., Singh-Bains, M. K., Glass, M., … Dragunow, M. (2020). Inconsistencies in histone acetylation patterns among different HD model systems and HD post-mortem brains. Neurobiology of Disease, 146, 105092. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.105092

Shome, A., McGregor, A., Cavadino, A., & Mountjoy, K. G. (2020). Central administration of β-MSH reduces body weight in obese male Pomc^tm1/tm1 mice. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta: General Subjects, 1864, 129673. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129673

Journal - Research Article

Thakkar, P. C., McGregor, A. L., Barber, P. A., Paton, J. F. R., Barrett, C. J., & McBryde, F. D. (2020). Therapeutic relevance of elevated blood pressure after ischemic stroke in the hypertensive rats. Hypertension, 75, 740-747. doi: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.14219

Journal - Research Article

Hubbard, K., Shome, A., Sun, B., Pontré, B., McGregor, A., & Mountjoy, K. G. (2019). Chronic high-fat diet exacerbates sexually-dimorphic Pomc^tm1/tm1 mouse obesity. Endocrinology, 160(5), 1081-1096. doi: 10.1210/en.2018-00924

Journal - Research Article

Thakkar, P., McGregor, A., Barber, P. A., Paton, J. F. R., Barrett, C., & McBryde, F. (2019). Hypertensive response to ischemic stroke in the normotensive Wistar rat: Mechanisms and therapeutic relevance. Stroke, 50, 2522-2530. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.026459

Journal - Research Article

Mountjoy, K. G., Caron, A., Hubbard, K., Shome, A., Grey, A. C., Sun, B., … McGregor, A., … Elmquist, J. K. (2018). Desacetyl-α-melanocyte stimulating hormone and α-melanocyte stimulating hormone are required to regulate energy balance. Molecular Metabolism, 9, 207-216. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2017.11.008

Journal - Research Article

Chen, S., Bennet, L., & McGregor, A. L. (2017). Delayed varenicline administration reduces inflammation and improves forelimb use following experimental stroke. Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases, 26(12), 2778-2787. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2017.06.051

Journal - Research Article

Kang, W., Svirskis, D., Sarojini, V., McGregor, A. L., Bevitt, J., & Wu, Z. (2017). Cyclic-RGDyC functionalized liposomes for dual-targeting of tumor vasculature and cancer cells in glioblastoma: An in vitro boron neutron capture therapy study. Oncotarget, 8(22), 36614-36627. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.16625

Journal - Research Article

McGregor, A. L., D'Souza, G., Kim, D., & Tingle, M. D. (2017). Varenicline improves motor and cognitive deficits and decreases depressive-like behaviour in late-stage YAC128 mice. Neuropharmacology, 116, 233-246. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.12.021

Journal - Research Article

McGregor, A. L., Dysart, J., Tingle, M. D., Russell, B. R., Kydd, R. R., & Finucane, G. (2016). Varenicline improves motor and cognitive symptoms in early Huntington’s disease. Neuropsychiatric Disease & Treatment, 12, 2381-2386. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S111083

Journal - Research Article

Chen, S., Bennet, L., & McGregor, A. L. (2015). MacGreen mice: A novel tool to investigate inflammation following experimental stroke. Journal of Experimental Stroke & Translational Medicine, 8, 1-10.

Journal - Research Article

Kamal, T., Green, T. N., Morel-Kopp, M.-C., Ward, C. M., McGregor, A. L., McGlashan, S. R., … Kalev-Zylinska, M. L. (2015). Inhibition of glutamate regulated calcium entry into leukemic megakaryoblasts reduces cell proliferation and supports differentiation. Cellular Signaling, 27, 1860-1872. doi: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2015.05.004

Journal - Research Article

Fourie, C., Kim, E., Waldvogel, H., Wong, J. M., McGregor, A., Faull, R. L. M., & Montgomery, J. M. (2014). Differential changes in postsynaptic density proteins in postmortem Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease human brains. Journal of Neurodegenerative Diseases, 2014, 938530. doi: 10.1155/2014/938530

Journal - Research Article

Yung, R., Seyfoddin, V., Guise, C., Tijono, S., McGregor, A., Connor, B., & Ching, L.-M. (2014). Efficacy against subcutaneous or intracranial murine GL261 gliomas in relation to the concentration of the vascular-disrupting agent, 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA), in the brain and plasma. Cancer Chemotherapy & Pharmacology, 73(3), 639-649. doi: 10.1007/s00280-014-2395-y

Journal - Research Article

Maucksch, C., McGregor, A. L., Yang, M., Gordon, R. J., Yang, M., & Connor, B. (2013). IGF-I redirects doublecortin-positive cell migration in the normal adult rat brain. Neuroscience, 241, 106-115. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.021

Journal - Research Article

Evans, J., Sun, Y., McGregor, A., & Connor, B. (2012). Allopregnanolone regulates neurogenesis and depressive/anxiety-like behaviour in a social isolation rodent model of chronic stress. Neuropharmacology, 63(8), 1315-1326. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.08.012

Journal - Research Article

Gordon, R. J., McGregor, A. L., & Connor, B. (2009). Chemokines direct neural progenitor cell migration following striatal cell loss. Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience, 41(2), 219-232. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2009.03.001

Journal - Research Article

Gordon, R. J., Tattersfield, A. S., Vazey, E. M., Kells, A. P., McGregor, A. L., Hughes, S. M., & Connor, B. (2007). Temporal profile of subventricular zone progenitor cell migration following quinolinic acid–induced striatal cell loss. Neuroscience, 146(4), 1704-1718. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.03.011

Journal - Research Article

McColl, B. W., McGregor, A. L., Wong, A., Harris, J. D., Amalfitano, A., Magnoni, S., … Horsburgh, K. (2007). APOE ε3 gene transfer attenuates brain damage after experimental stroke. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 27(3), 477-487. doi: 10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600361

Journal - Research Article

Milne, S. A., McGregor, A. L., McCulloch, J., & Sharkey, J. (2005). Increased expression of macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) in mouse cortex following middle cerebral artery occlusion. Neuroscience Letters, 383, 58-62. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2005.03.065

Journal - Research Article

Kerr, L. E., McGregor, A. L., Amet, L. E. A., Asada, T., Spratt, C., Allsopp, T. E., … Sharkey, J. (2004). Mice overexpressing human caspase 3 appear phenotypically normal but exhibit increased apoptosis and larger lesion volumes in response to transient focal cerebral ischaemia. Cell Death & Differentiation, 11, 1102-1111. doi: 10.1038/sj.cdd.4401449

Journal - Research Article

Owens, J., Tebbutt, A. A., McGregor, A. L., Kodama, K., Magar, S. S., Perlman, M. E., … McCulloch, J. (2000). Synthesis and binding characteristics of N-(1-naphthyl)-N′-(3-[¹²⁵I]-iodophenyl)-N′-methylguanidine ([¹²⁵I]-CNS 1261): A potential SPECT agent for imaging NMDA receptor activation. Nuclear Medicine & Biology, 27(6), 557-564. doi: 10.1016/S0969-8051(00)00102-5

Journal - Research Article

Wiessner, C., Allegrini, P. R., Rupalla, K., Sauer, D., Oltersdorf, T., McGregor, A. L., … van der Putten, H. (1999). Neuron-specific transgene expression of Bcl-X_L but not Bcl-2 genes reduced lesion size after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice. Neuroscience Letters, 268(3), 119-122. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3940(99)00392-4

Journal - Research Article

MacLeod, M. R., Ramage, L., McGregor, A. L., & Seckl, J. R. (2003). Reduced NMDA-induced apoptosis in neurons lacking ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein. NeuroReport, 14(2), 215-217. doi: 10.1097/00001756-200302100-00011

Journal - Research Other

McCarter, J. F., McGregor, A. L., Jones, P. A., & Sharkey, J. (2001). FK 506 protects brain tissue in animal models of stroke. Transplantation Proceedings, 33, 2390-2392.

Journal - Research Other

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Associate Professor Ailsa McGregor

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