Norris Lab

Welcome to the Norris lab!

We Investigate Astrocytes in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

The Norris lab was established in the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) in 2004. Since then, our primary focus has been on the role of reactive astrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD). While we lean heavily on mouse models, all of our work is strongly rooted in human disease and frequently makes use of human postmortem biospecimens from the world-class brain bank at the SBCoA/UK-ADRC. Once target validity is established across human disease and AD/ADRD animal models, we selectively modulate astrocytes in intact animals using viral-mediated gene-delivery and other transgenic approaches. Brain function is then assessed using a comprehensive set of physiological approaches including intravital two photon microscopy, real time neurochemistry, brain slice electrophysiology, and other approaches. Our overarching goal is to identify and understand astrocyte-based mechanisms for neurodegeneration (and neuroprotection) in order to develop more effective treatments for dementia.

Reactive astrocytes emerge early in disease pathology

3D rendering of a reactive astrocyte in a mouse model of vascular dementia

GFAP/red
Ctyosolic NFAT/green
Nuclear NFAT/teal

Ca2+ dependent NFAT transcription Factors regulate reactive astrocyte phenotypes

Research Support

Our work is supported by multiple NIH R01/RF1 grants, a P01 award, and the Sylvia Mansbach endowment (see Funded Projects).

We also receive generous gifts and donations from truly wonderful people who want to see a world without dementia or Alzheimer’s. Patti Embry-Tautenhan and Jeffrey Tautenhan are two such people — they established the Hazel Embry Research Trust that supports key aspects of our work.

About the Embry Research Trust: According to her family, Hazel Embry was a proud daughter of Kentucky, with deep roots going back generations in the Commonwealth. She loved her home, had a strong faith, showed her love to her family and friends through her wonderful meals, enjoyed UK basketball and was committed to education.

She also suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease as have many members of her family.

To honor her memory in a way that supports finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, her daughter, Patti Embry-Tautenhan and son-in-law, Jeffrey Tautenhan, established the Hazel Embry Research Trust, which supports the work of Dr. Christopher Norris and his team in their research. Patti Embry-Tautenhan said, “Alzheimer’s disease robs a person of themselves and takes them away from those who love them. Supporting the work of dedicated researchers like Dr. Norris is a meaningful and actionable way to acknowledge a loved one and make a difference.”

The Norris lab is honored and humbled to receive this generous support on behalf of the Tautenhans.