Research in the O’Donnell lab takes diverse approaches to understanding homeostatic mechanisms in dopamine synthesis, transport and signaling in the genetic model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. We study networks of genes functioning in dopaminergic neurons and other dopamine-expressing cells, and in cells responding to dopamine dysregulation, as models of human diseases and developmental disorders. Current research areas in the lab include the following projects:
- Gene-environment interactions in a Parkinson’s disease model
- Neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative conditions
- Molecular mechanisms in autism
- Protein interactions in dopamine regulation
