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Professor Jenny Morton

University Position
Professor

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.

Key Publications

Publications

Clorgyline-mediated reversal of neurological deficits in a Complexin 2 knockout mouse.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddq252
Journal: Hum Mol Genet
E-pub date: 1 Sep 2010
Authors: D Glynn, HE Gibson, MK Harte, K Reim, S Jones, GP Reynolds, AJ Morton

Paradoxical delay in the onset of disease caused by super-long CAG repeat expansions in R6/2 mice.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2008.11.015
Journal: Neurobiol Dis
E-pub date: 1 Mar 2009
Authors: AJ Morton, D Glynn, W Leavens, Z Zheng, RLM Faull, JN Skepper, JM Wight

Early motor development is abnormal in complexin 1 knockout mice.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2006.10.011
Journal: Neurobiol Dis
E-pub date: 1 Mar 2007
Authors: D Glynn, RJ Sizemore, AJ Morton

Profound ataxia in complexin I knockout mice masks a complex phenotype that includes exploratory and habituation deficits.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddi239
Journal: Hum Mol Genet
E-pub date: 15 Aug 2005
Authors: D Glynn, CJ Drew, K Reim, N Brose, AJ Morton

Complexin II is essential for normal neurological function in mice.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddg249
Journal: Hum Mol Genet
E-pub date: 1 Oct 2003
Authors: D Glynn, RA Bortnick, AJ Morton