Stephanie J. Cragg is a British physiologist who is Professor of Neuroscience at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
. She holds a joint appointment
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
.
Education and awards
Cragg studied Natural Sciences
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
at Clare College
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
, University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, followed by a DPhil in neuropharmacology at the University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
Department of Pharmacology.[ Her graduate supervisors were Baroness Professor ]Susan Greenfield
Susan Adele Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield, (born 1 October 1950) is an English scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords (since 2001). Her research has focused on the treatment of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's dise ...
(Oxford) and Dr Margaret Rice (New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
). She received postdoctoral awards of an E.P. Abraham Junior Research Fellowship at St. Cross College, an E.P. Abraham Research Fellowship at Keble College
Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to th ...
, a Beit Memorial Fellowship
The Beit Memorial Medical Fellowships were one of the most prestigious and competitive fellowships for post-doctoral or medical degree research in medicine in the United Kingdom. The Fellowships were founded in 1909 by Sir Otto Beit, a German-bor ...
and then a Paton Research Fellowship.[
]
Research
Her work focusses on understanding the functioning in health and disease of the brain circuits and cell types that are dysregulated in Parkinson's disease, addictions and other neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.dopamine
Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic compound, organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine const ...
release in the striatum
The striatum, or corpus striatum (also called the striate nucleus), is a nucleus (a cluster of neurons) in the subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain. The striatum is a critical component of the motor and reward systems; receives glutamate ...
is regulated by other neuronal pathways and neuromodulators, including the neurotransmitters acetylcholine
Acetylcholine (ACh) is an organic chemical that functions in the brain and body of many types of animals (including humans) as a neurotransmitter. Its name is derived from its chemical structure: it is an ester of acetic acid and choline. Part ...
, GABA, adenosine
Adenosine ( symbol A) is an organic compound that occurs widely in nature in the form of diverse derivatives. The molecule consists of an adenine attached to a ribose via a β-N9-glycosidic bond. Adenosine is one of the four nucleoside building ...
, and dysregulation in Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
. Her most cited work relates to the axonal regulation of dopamine transmission by acetylcholine, cholinergic interneurons
Interneurons (also called internuncial neurons, relay neurons, association neurons, connector neurons, intermediate neurons or local circuit neurons) are neurons that connect two brain regions, i.e. not direct motor neurons or sensory neurons. In ...
and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotinic receptors also respond to drugs such as the agonist nicotine. They are found in the central and peripheral n ...
(nAChRs).
Scientific leadership
Scientific journals
*Addiction Neuroscience
*ACS Chemical Neuroscience
*npj Parkinson's Disease
Societies
Engagement with scientific societies include:
* President-Elect of the International Society for Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience (2022-2024)
* College of Experts for Parkinson's UK
Keynote lectures
*EJN Special Feature Plenary Lecture, FENS Forum 2018, Berlin, Germany
*Keynote Speaker, ViDA 2020 - Virtual Dopamine Conference
*Swedish Basal Ganglia Society 2022
*Plenary Lecture, Dopamine 2022, Montreal, Canada
References
External links
Pubmed reference list
Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford
British physiologists
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
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