EUEmory University · Neuroscience
Dopamine Dynamics Lab
Stella M Papa · Atlanta, Georgia
Research Focus
Dr. Stella M Papa's lab at Emory University focuses on understanding and treating Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurological disorder characterized by the loss of dopamine-producing cells. The lab studies the changes in dopamine signaling and striatal neuron function that occur in PD, with the goal of developing new therapeutic strategies. They utilize advanced animal models and gene therapy techniques to target specific aspects of the disease, hoping to enhance treatment outcomes and improve patients' quality of life.
Parkinson's diseasedopamine signalinggene therapystriatal neuronsneurodegenerationexcitatory signalingphosphodiesterase inhibitorsNMDARtranslational researchmotor symptoms
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate changes in dopamine signaling in advanced Parkinson's disease.
AIM 02Examine the effects of gene therapy targeting striatal neuron dysfunction.
AIM 03Analyze behavioral and physiological outcomes in animal models of Parkinson's disease.
AIM 04Identify molecular targets for new therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease.
AIM 05Evaluate the safety and efficacy of gene therapy in preclinical models.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureanimal modelselectrophysiologyRNA in situ hybridizationoptogeneticsbehavioral assaysgene knockdown techniquesviral vector deliverydata analysismolecular biology techniques
Output against the department
Publications72bottom 20% of dept.536th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.0kbottom 21% of dept.528th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.