Susan Ackerman (neuroscientist) facts for kids

Susan L. Ackerman is an American scientist who studies the brain and genes. She is a neuroscientist and a geneticist. Her work helps us understand how our central nervous system (our brain and spinal cord) develops. She also studies why brain cells can get sick as people get older. This is called neurodegeneration.

Dr. Ackerman's research aims to find out what causes different types of brain cell damage in mammals. This kind of research could help scientists find cures for serious brain diseases. She is a professor at the University of California, San Diego. Before that, she was a professor at the Jackson Laboratory and Tufts University. She also teaches at the University of Maine, Orono.

Education

For her first college degrees, Dr. Ackerman went to California State University, Chico. She earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees: one in Chemistry and one in Biology. After that, she went to UCLA for her advanced studies. She earned a Doctorate degree in Biology there.

Career and research

Since 2005, Dr. Ackerman has been a researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. A big part of her work there involves studying special mice from the Jackson Laboratory. These mice, called Jax mice, have many different changes in their genes. These gene changes can cause the mice to look or act differently.

Dr. Ackerman observes these mice to see how gene changes lead to problems. She then studies what these genes do and how they affect the brain's development and health. In April 2019, she was chosen to be a member of two very important science groups: the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Unc5c gene

Much of Dr. Ackerman's research has focused on a gene called Unc5c. This gene makes a protein, also called Unc5c protein. This protein is important for brain cells. Her research showed that the Unc5c protein is key for the development of the corpus callosum. The corpus callosum is a part of the brain that connects the two halves of the brain. It helps them communicate.

If there is a change (mutation) in the Unc5c gene, along with other mutated genes, it can cause the corpus callosum to break down. However, if only the Unc5c gene is changed, the corpus callosum might look normal. This is because the Unc5c protein is mainly important for a small group of brain cells that form early in the corpus callosum.

Harlequin mice and brain damage

Dr. Ackerman has also studied gene changes that make brain cells more likely to be damaged by something called oxidative stress. This damage can cause brain cells to die. Her research looks at special mice called Harlequin mice. These mice have a change in a gene called AIF.

The AIF protein, which this gene makes, helps protect cells from oxidative damage. It acts like a "free radical scavenger," cleaning up harmful substances. In Harlequin mice, the change in the AIF gene means they make 80% less of this important protein. This causes their brain cells to suffer from oxidative damage as they get older.

Other research projects

Dr. Ackerman has worked on other projects too. These include studying how a change in a molecule called U2 snRNA is linked to brain cell damage. She also researched how a problem with a protein called tRNA synthetase can cause other proteins to fold incorrectly, leading to neurodegeneration. Another project looked at how changes in tRNA can cause ribosomes (cell parts that make proteins) to stop working, which also leads to neurodegeneration.