Dr Emma Brock

Interests

My research is focused on creating a map of alpha-synuclein oligomers in the human brain with the aim of improve understanding of the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Large alpha-synuclein aggregates are commonly used as an indicator for Parkinson's disease, however previous quantification of small aggregate numbers and spatial distributions is limited. I primarily use confocal spinning disk microscopy combined with immunohistochemistry techniques to image these small alpha-synuclein aggregates within human brain tissue. This includes the both the macro-scale distribution of oligomers in different brain regions and their relative position compared to different brain cell types. I work within a highly disciplinary and collaborative team that makes this interesting work possible. The project is part of and funded by the the Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) scheme.

Research Focus

Equipment

Confocal microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy

Immunohistochemistry

Microscopy

Spinning disk confocal microscopy