Haydeh Payami
Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley, 1985
Professor, Neurology
Professor, Cell & Developmental Biology
A major challenge facing geneticists today is to understand the genetic component of common human diseases. Age related neurodegenerative disorders--Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease--are of particular public health concern because their incidence increases with advancing age and the elderly are the fastest growing segment of the population. The long term goal of our research is to delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders beyond the human life span. To achieve that goal, we try to understand the causes of these disorders, as well as the factors that modulate their expression. We use the tools of genetic epidemiology to integrate clinical and basic science. Our working hypothesis is that neurodegenrative disorders arise from a two-step mechanism: an initial insult that causes damage to neurons, and the body's response mechanism to repair the damage. The initial cause may be a genetic mutation, an environmental toxin, or "normal" wear and tear that accumulates with age. The response mechanism is under genetic control, and the polymorphisms that determine the efficacy of repair may affect age at onset, severity, and progression of the disease. By identifying and understanding the mechanism of action of genes that either cause or modulate the expression of the disease, it may be possible to devise effective strategies to prevent or delay the onset of these disorders.
- Payami H, Lee N, Zareparsi S, Gonzales McNeal M, Bird T, Camicioli R, Bird T, Sexton G, Gancher S, Kaye J, Calhoon D, Swanson PD, Nutt J. Parkinson's disease, CYP2D6 polymorphisms, and age. Neurology 56:1363-1370, 2001.
- Payami H, Montee K, Kaye J, Bird T, Yu C, Wijsman E, Schellenberg G. Alzheimer disease, Apolipoprotein E4, and Gender. JAMA 271:1316-1317, 1994.
- Gonzales McNeal M, Zareparsi S, Camicioli R, Dame A, Howeison D, Quinn J, Ball M, Kaye J, Payami H. Predictors of healthy brain aging. J Gerontol 56A:B294-B301, 2001.