Professor Jenny Morton
University position
Professor
Professor Jenny Morton is pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD students.
Departments
Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience
Research Themes
Interests
Our research is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and on developing strategies to delay or prevent the death of neurones in injured or degenerating brain, particularly in Huntington's disease. We are also interested in the role that changes in synaptic modulators complexin I and complexin II play in neurological illness. We use a number of different models to study HD including excitotoxin and 3-nitropropionic acid models. However, most of our studies use transgenic mouse models of HD. We use fragment (R6/2) and full length models, both of which have an adult-onset progressive phenotype resembling HD. We take a multidiciplinary approach and our work includes behavioural studies, post mortem tissue analysis and pharmacological studies approaches to developing a treatment for HD. We also use tissue culture (primary organotypic cultures, neurospheres and neuronal cell lines) for experiments aimed at understanding the molecular basis of neurodegeneration.
Research Focus
KeywordsHuntington's disease behaviour inclusions neuropathology sheep |
Clinical conditionsHuntington's disease |
Equipment
Behavioural analysis
Cell culture
Microscopy
Pharmacological studies
Postmortem tissue analysis
Collaborators
CambridgeElizabeth Maywood | United KingdomGill Bates Web: http://rg.kcl.ac.uk/staffpr... Lesley Jones Web: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/medicin... InternationalRichard Faull Web: http://www.health.auckland.ac.nz/anatomy... |
Key publications
Cuesta M, Aungier J, Morton AJ (2012), “The methamphetamine-sensitive circadian oscillator is dysfunctional in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Neurobiol Dis 45(1):145-55 Details
Kielar C, Sawiak SJ, Navarro Negredo P, Tse DH, Morton AJ (2012), “Tensor-based morphometry and stereology reveal brain pathology in the complexin1 knockout mouse.” PLoS One 7(2):e32636 Details
Goodman AO, Rogers L, Pilsworth S, McAllister CJ, Shneerson JM, Morton AJ, Barker RA (2011), “Asymptomatic sleep abnormalities are a common early feature in patients with Huntington's disease.” Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 11(2):211-7 Details
Morton AJ, Avanzo L (2011), “Executive decision-making in the domestic sheep.” PLoS One 6(1):e15752 Details
Maywood ES, Fraenkel E, McAllister CJ, Wood N, Reddy AB, Hastings MH, Morton AJ (2010), “Disruption of peripheral circadian timekeeping in a mouse model of Huntington's disease and its restoration by temporally scheduled feeding.” J Neurosci 30(30):10199-204 Details
Morton AJ, Glynn D, Leavens W, Zheng Z, Faull RL, Skepper JN, Wight JM (2009), “Paradoxical delay in the onset of disease caused by super-long CAG repeat expansions in R6/2 mice.” Neurobiol Dis 33(3):331-41 Details
Glynn D, Sizemore RJ, Morton AJ (2007), “Early motor development is abnormal in complexin 1 knockout mice” Neurobiol Dis 25(3):483-95 Details
Morton AJ, Skillings E, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM (2006), “Measuring cognitive deficits in disabled mice using an automated interactive touchscreen system” Nat Methods 3(10):767 Details
Morton AJ, Wood NI, Hastings MH, Hurelbrink C, Barker RA, Maywood ES (2005), “Disintegration of the sleep-wake cycle and circadian timing in Huntington's disease” J Neurosci 25(15):3994 Details
Publications
2013
Wood NI, McAllister CJ, Cuesta M, Aungier J, Fraenkel E, Morton AJ (2013), “Adaptation to Experimental Jet-Lag in R6/2 Mice despite Circadian Dysrhythmia.” PLoS One 8(2):e55036 Details
2012
Gong B, Kielar C, Morton AJ (2012), “Temporal separation of aggregation and ubiquitination during early inclusion formation in transgenic mice carrying the Huntington's disease mutation.” PLoS One 7(7):e41450 Details
Hobbs-Chell H, King AJ, Sharratt H, Haddadi H, Rudiger SR, Hailes S, Morton AJ, Wilson AM (2012), “Data-loggers carried on a harness do not adversely affect sheep locomotion.” Res Vet Sci 93(1):549-52 Details
King AJ, Wilson AM, Wilshin SD, Lowe J, Haddadi H, Hailes S, Morton AJ (2012), “Selfish-herd behaviour of sheep under threat.” Curr Biol 22(14):R561-2 Details
Morton AJ (2012), “Circadian and sleep disorder in Huntington's disease.” Exp Neurol Details
Sawiak SJ, Wood NI, Carpenter TA, Morton AJ (2012), “Huntington's disease mouse models online: high-resolution MRI images with stereotaxic templates for computational neuroanatomy.” PLoS One 7(12):e53361 Details
Wishart TM, Rooney TM, Lamont DJ, Wright AK, Morton AJ, Jackson M, Freeman MR, Gillingwater TH (2012), “Combining comparative proteomics and molecular genetics uncovers regulators of synaptic and axonal stability and degeneration in vivo.” PLoS Genet 8(8):e1002936 Details
2011
Duzdevich D, Li J, Whang J, Takahashi H, Takeyasu K, Dryden DT, Morton AJ, Edwardson JM (2011), “Unusual structures are present in DNA fragments containing super-long Huntingtin CAG repeats.” PLoS One 6(2):e17119 Details
Williams RH, Morton AJ, Burdakov D (2011), “Paradoxical function of orexin/hypocretin circuits in a mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Neurobiol Dis 42(3):438-45 Details
Wood NI, Glynn D, Morton AJ (2011), “"Brain training" improves cognitive performance and survival in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Neurobiol Dis 42(3):427-37 Details
2010
Glynn D, Gibson HE, Harte MK, Reim K, Jones S, Reynolds GP, Morton AJ (2010), “Clorgyline-mediated reversal of neurological deficits in a Complexin 2 knockout mouse.” Hum Mol Genet 19(17):3402-12 Details
Goodman AO, Morton AJ, Barker RA (2010), “Identifying sleep disturbances in Huntington's disease using a simple disease-focused questionnaire.” PLoS Curr 2:RRN1189 Details
Wood NI, Carta V, Milde S, Skillings EA, McAllister CJ, Ang YL, Duguid A, Wijesuriya N, Afzal SM, Fernandes JX, Leong TW, Morton AJ (2010), “Responses to environmental enrichment differ with sex and genotype in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.” PLoS One 5(2):e9077 Details
2009
Ciamei A, Morton AJ (2009), “Progressive imbalance in the interaction between spatial and procedural memory systems in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Neurobiol Learn Mem 92(3):417-28 Details
Menalled L, El-Khodor BF, Patry M, Suárez-Fariñas M, Orenstein SJ, Zahasky B, Leahy C, Wheeler V, Yang XW, MacDonald M, Morton AJ, Bates G, Leeds J, Park L, Howland D, Signer E, Tobin A, Brunner D (2009), “Systematic behavioral evaluation of Huntington's disease transgenic and knock-in mouse models.” Neurobiol Dis 35(3):319-36 Details
Pallier PN, Drew CJ, Morton AJ (2009), “The detection and measurement of locomotor deficits in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease are task- and protocol-dependent: influence of non-motor factors on locomotor function.” Brain Res Bull 78(6):347-55 Details
Pallier PN, Morton AJ (2009), “Management of sleep/wake cycles improves cognitive function in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Brain Res 1279:90-8 Details
Sawiak SJ, Wood NI, Williams GB, Morton AJ, Carpenter TA (2009), “Voxel-based morphometry in the R6/2 transgenic mouse reveals differences between genotypes not seen with manual 2D morphometry.” Neurobiol Dis 33(1):20-7 Details
Sawiak SJ, Wood NI, Williams GB, Morton AJ, Carpenter TA (2009), “Use of magnetic resonance imaging for anatomical phenotyping of the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Neurobiol Dis 33(1):12-9 Details
2008
Bussey TJ, Padain TL, Skillings EA, Winters BD, Morton AJ, Saksida LM (2008), “The touchscreen cognitive testing method for rodents: how to get the best out of your rat.” Learn Mem 15(7):516-23 Details
Ciamei A, Morton AJ (2008), “Rigidity in social and emotional memory in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Neurobiol Learn Mem 89(4):533-44 Details
Court FA, Gillingwater TH, Melrose S, Sherman DL, Greenshields KN, Morton AJ, Harris JB, Willison HJ, Ribchester RR (2008), “Identity, developmental restriction and reactivity of extralaminar cells capping mammalian neuromuscular junctions.” J Cell Sci 121(Pt 23):3901-11 Details
Gong B, Lim MC, Wanderer J, Wyttenbach A, Morton AJ (2008), “Time-lapse analysis of aggregate formation in an inducible PC12 cell model of Huntington's disease reveals time-dependent aggregate formation that transiently delays cell death.” Brain Res Bull 75(1):146-57 Details
Goodman AO, Murgatroyd PR, Medina-Gomez G, Wood NI, Finer N, Vidal-Puig AJ, Morton AJ, Barker RA (2008), “The metabolic profile of early Huntington's disease--a combined human and transgenic mouse study.” Exp Neurol 210(2):691-8 Details
Michell AW, Goodman AO, Silva AH, Lazic SE, Morton AJ, Barker RA (2008), “Hand tapping: a simple, reproducible, objective marker of motor dysfunction in Huntington's disease.” J Neurol 255(8):1145-52 Details
van der Burg JM, Bacos K, Wood NI, Lindqvist A, Wierup N, Woodman B, Wamsteeker JI, Smith R, Deierborg T, Kuhar MJ, Bates GP, Mulder H, Erlanson-Albertsson C, Morton AJ, Brundin P, Petersén A, Björkqvist M (2008), “Increased metabolism in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Neurobiol Dis 29(1):41-51 Details
Wade A, Jacobs P, Morton AJ (2008), “Atrophy and degeneration in sciatic nerve of presymptomatic mice carrying the Huntington's disease mutation.” Brain Res 1188:61-8 Details
Wood NI, Goodman AO, van der Burg JM, Gazeau V, Brundin P, Björkqvist M, Petersén A, Tabrizi SJ, Barker RA, Morton AJ (2008), “Increased thirst and drinking in Huntington's disease and the R6/2 mouse.” Brain Res Bull 76(1-2):70-9 Details
2007
Drew CJ, Kyd RJ, Morton AJ (2007), “Complexin 1 knockout mice exhibit marked deficits in social behaviours but appear to be cognitively normal.” Hum Mol Genet 16(19):2288-305 Details
Glynn D, Reim K, Brose N, Morton AJ (2007), “Depletion of Complexin II does not affect disease progression in a mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD); support for role for complexin II in behavioural pathology in a mouse model of HD.” Brain Res Bull 72(2-3):108-20 Details
Kung VW, Hassam R, Morton AJ, Jones S (2007), “Dopamine-dependent long term potentiation in the dorsal striatum is reduced in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Neuroscience 146(4):1571-80 Details
Lazic SE, Goodman AO, Grote HE, Blakemore C, Morton AJ, Hannan AJ, van Dellen A, Barker RA (2007), “Olfactory abnormalities in Huntington's disease: decreased plasticity in the primary olfactory cortex of R6/1 transgenic mice and reduced olfactory discrimination in patients.” Brain Res 1151:219-26 Details
Pallier PN, Maywood ES, Zheng Z, Chesham JE, Inyushkin AN, Dyball R, Hastings MH, Morton AJ (2007), “Pharmacological imposition of sleep slows cognitive decline and reverses dysregulation of circadian gene expression in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.” J Neurosci 27(29):7869-78 Details
Wanderer J, Morton AJ (2007), “Differential morphology and composition of inclusions in the R6/2 mouse and PC12 cell models of Huntington's disease.” Histochem Cell Biol 127(5):473-84 Details
Wood NI, Pallier PN, Wanderer J, Morton AJ (2007), “Systemic administration of Congo red does not improve motor or cognitive function in R6/2 mice.” Neurobiol Dis 25(2):342-53 Details
2006
Hernández-Espinosa D, Morton AJ (2006), “Calcineurin inhibitors cause an acceleration of the neurological phenotype in a mouse transgenic for the human Huntington's disease mutation.” Brain Res Bull 69(6):669-79 Details
2005
Gibson HE, Reim K, Brose N, Morton AJ, Jones S (2005), “A similar impairment in CA3 mossy fibre LTP in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease and in the complexin II knockout mouse.” Eur J Neurosci 22(7):1701-12 Details
Glynn D, Drew CJ, Reim K, Brose N, Morton AJ (2005), “Profound ataxia in complexin I knockout mice masks a complex phenotype that includes exploratory and habituation deficits.” Hum Mol Genet 14(16):2369-85 Details
Hunt MJ, Morton AJ (2005), “Atypical diabetes associated with inclusion formation in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease is not improved by treatment with hypoglycaemic agents.” Exp Brain Res 166(2):220-9 Details
Morton AJ, Campbell NB, Gayle JM, Redding WR, Blikslager AT (2005), “Preferential and non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitors reduce inflammation during lipopolysaccharide-induced synovitis.” Res Vet Sci 78(2):189-92 Details
Morton AJ, Hunt MJ, Hodges AK, Lewis PD, Redfern AJ, Dunnett SB, Jones L (2005), “A combination drug therapy improves cognition and reverses gene expression changes in a mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Eur J Neurosci 21(4):855-70 Details
Morton J (2005), “Ecstasy: pharmacology and neurotoxicity.” Curr Opin Pharmacol 5(1):79-86 Details
Phillips W, Morton AJ, Barker RA (2005), “Abnormalities of neurogenesis in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease are attributable to the in vivo microenvironment.” J Neurosci 25(50):11564-76 Details
Wäsle B, Turvey M, Larina O, Thorn P, Skepper J, Morton AJ, Edwardson JM (2005), “Syncollin is required for efficient zymogen granule exocytosis.” Biochem J 385(Pt 3):721-7 Details
2004
Freeman W, Morton AJ (2004), “Regional and progressive changes in brain expression of complexin II in a mouse transgenic for the Huntington's disease mutation.” Brain Res Bull 63(1):45-55 Details
Freeman W, Morton AJ (2004), “Differential messenger RNA expression of complexins in mouse brain.” Brain Res Bull 63(1):33-44 Details
Ribchester RR, Thomson D, Wood NI, Hinks T, Gillingwater TH, Wishart TM, Court FA, Morton AJ (2004), “Progressive abnormalities in skeletal muscle and neuromuscular junctions of transgenic mice expressing the Huntington's disease mutation.” Eur J Neurosci 20(11):3092-114 Details
2003
Edwardson JM, Wang CT, Gong B, Wyttenbach A, Bai J, Jackson MB, Chapman ER, Morton AJ (2003), “Expression of mutant huntingtin blocks exocytosis in PC12 cells by depletion of complexin II.” J Biol Chem 278(33):30849-53 Details
Glynn D, Bortnick RA, Morton AJ (2003), “Complexin II is essential for normal neurological function in mice.” Hum Mol Genet 12(19):2431-48 Details
Ma L, Carter RJ, Morton AJ, Nicholson LF (2003), “RAGE is expressed in pyramidal cells of the hippocampus following moderate hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in rats.” Brain Res 966(2):167-74 Details
Ma L, Morton AJ, Nicholson LF (2003), “Microglia density decreases with age in a mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Glia 43(3):274-80 Details
Wood NI, Morton AJ (2003), “Chronic lithium chloride treatment has variable effects on motor behaviour and survival of mice transgenic for the Huntington's disease mutation.” Brain Res Bull 61(4):375-83 Details
2002
Hickey MA, Reynolds GP, Morton AJ (2002), “The role of dopamine in motor symptoms in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.” J Neurochem 81(1):46-59 Details
2001
Carter RJ, Morton J, Dunnett SB (2001), “Motor coordination and balance in rodents.” Curr Protoc Neurosci Chapter 8:Unit 8.12 Details
Morton AJ, Edwardson JM (2001), “Progressive depletion of complexin II in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.” J Neurochem 76(1):166-72 Details
Morton AJ, Faull RL, Edwardson JM (2001), “Abnormalities in the synaptic vesicle fusion machinery in Huntington's disease.” Brain Res Bull 56(2):111-7 Details
Morton AJ, Hickey MA, Dean LC (2001), “Methamphetamine toxicity in mice is potentiated by exposure to loud music.” Neuroreport 12(15):3277-81 Details
2000
Carter RJ, Hunt MJ, Morton AJ (2000), “Environmental stimulation increases survival in mice transgenic for exon 1 of the Huntington's disease gene.” Mov Disord 15(5):925-37 Details
Hickey MA, Morton AJ (2000), “Mice transgenic for the Huntington's disease mutation are resistant to chronic 3-nitropropionic acid-induced striatal toxicity.” J Neurochem 75(5):2163-71 Details
Morton AJ, Lagan MA, Skepper JN, Dunnett SB (2000), “Progressive formation of inclusions in the striatum and hippocampus of mice transgenic for the human Huntington's disease mutation.” J Neurocytol 29(9):679-702 Details
Morton AJ, Leavens W (2000), “Mice transgenic for the human Huntington's disease mutation have reduced sensitivity to kainic acid toxicity.” Brain Res Bull 52(1):51-9 Details
Murphy KP, Carter RJ, Lione LA, Mangiarini L, Mahal A, Bates GP, Dunnett SB, Morton AJ (2000), “Abnormal synaptic plasticity and impaired spatial cognition in mice transgenic for exon 1 of the human Huntington's disease mutation.” J Neurosci 20(13):5115-23 Details
1999
Carter RJ, Lione LA, Humby T, Mangiarini L, Mahal A, Bates GP, Dunnett SB, Morton AJ (1999), “Characterization of progressive motor deficits in mice transgenic for the human Huntington's disease mutation.” J Neurosci 19(8):3248-57 Details
Lione LA, Carter RJ, Hunt MJ, Bates GP, Morton AJ, Dunnett SB (1999), “Selective discrimination learning impairments in mice expressing the human Huntington's disease mutation.” J Neurosci 19(23):10428-37 Details
1998
Dunnett SB, Carter RJ, Watts C, Torres EM, Mahal A, Mangiarini L, Bates G, Morton AJ (1998), “Striatal transplantation in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.” Exp Neurol 154(1):31-40 Details
Reynolds DS, Carter RJ, Morton AJ (1998), “Dopamine modulates the susceptibility of striatal neurons to 3-nitropropionic acid in the rat model of Huntington's disease.” J Neurosci 18(23):10116-27 Details
Reynolds DS, Morton AJ (1998), “Changes in blood-brain barrier permeability following neurotoxic lesions of rat brain can be visualised with trypan blue.” J Neurosci Methods 79(1):115-21 Details
1996
Sullivan AM, Morton AJ (1996), “Endothelins induce Fos expression in neurons and glia in organotypic cultures of rat cerebellum.” J Neurochem 67(4):1409-18 Details
Sullivan AM, Reynolds DS, Thomas KL, Morton AJ (1996), “Cortical induction of c-fos by intrastriatal endothelin-1 is mediated via NMDA receptors.” Neuroreport 8(1):211-6 Details
1995
Morton AJ, Williams MN, Emson PC, Faull RL (1995), “The morphology of human neuroblastoma cell grafts in the kainic acid-lesioned basal ganglia of the rat.” J Neurocytol 24(8):568-84 Details
Page GK, Morton AJ (1995), “Correlation of neuronal loss with increased expression of NADPH diaphorase in cultured rat cerebellum and cerebral cortex.” Brain Res 697(1-2):157-68 Details
Tucker LM, Morton AJ (1995), “A simple method for quantifying changes in neuronal populations in primary cultures of dissociated rat brain.” J Neurosci Methods 59(2):217-23 Details
1994
Allanson J, Bond AB, Morton J, Hunt SP (1994), “Transfection of proto oncogene c-jun into a mouse neuroblastoma cell line potentiates differentiation.” Gene Ther 1 Suppl 1:S58 Details
1993
Morton AJ, Nicholson LF, Faull RL (1993), “Compartmental loss of NADPH diaphorase in the neuropil of the human striatum in Huntington's disease.” Neuroscience 53(1):159-68 Details
1992
Lledo PM, Somasundaram B, Morton AJ, Emson PC, Mason WT (1992), “Stable transfection of calbindin-D28k into the GH3 cell line alters calcium currents and intracellular calcium homeostasis.” Neuron 9(5):943-54 Details
Morton AJ, Buss TN (1992), “Accelerated Differentiation in Response to Retinoic Acid After Retrovirally Mediated Gene Transfer of GAP-43 into Mouse Neuroblastoma Cells.” Eur J Neurosci 4(10):910-916 Details
Morton AJ, Davenport AP (1992), “Cerebellar neurons and glia respond differentially to endothelins and sarafotoxin S6b.” Brain Res 581(2):299-306 Details
Morton AJ, Hammond C, Mason WT, Henderson G (1992), “Characterisation of the L- and N-type calcium channels in differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells: calcium imaging and single channel recording.” Brain Res Mol Brain Res 13(1-2):53-61 Details
1991
Davenport AP, Morton AJ (1991), “Binding sites for 125I ET-1, ET-2, ET-3 and vasoactive intestinal contractor are present in adult rat brain and neurone-enriched primary cultures of embryonic brain cells.” Brain Res 554(1-2):278-85 Details
Davenport AP, Morton AJ, Brown MJ (1991), “Localization of endothelin-1 (ET-1), ET-2, and ET-3, mouse VIC, and sarafotoxin S6b binding sites in mammalian heart and kidney.” J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 17 Suppl 7:S152-5 Details
1990
Morton AJ, Emson PC (1990), “Expression of calbindin D-28K-like immunoreactivity in human SK-N-SH and SH-SY-5Y neuroblastoma cells.” Brain Res 533(1):161-4 Details
1987
Morton AJ (1987), “A role for corticosterone in the in vivo regulation of the extraneuronal uptake of [3H]-isoprenaline into rat atria.” Br J Pharmacol 91(2):347-53 Details
Morton AJ (1987), “An investigation of the role of adrenergic innervation in the regulation of the extraneuronal uptake of [3H]-isoprenaline into rat vasa deferentia and atria.” Br J Pharmacol 91(2):333-46 Details
1985
Morton AJ (1985), “The effect of reserpine treatment on the extraneuronal uptake of [3H]-isoprenaline into rat atria.” Br J Pharmacol 86(1):287-95 Details
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