Tara Spires-Jones
Tara Spires-Jones
Prof Spires-Jones' research research focuses on the mechanisms and reversibility of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease, other degenerative brain diseases, and ageing. Working with a vibrant group of researchers, she is trying to understand why some synapses and neurons are resilient while others become dysfunctional and die in these diseases in order to develop effective therapeutic strategies. Her work has shown that soluble forms of the pathological proteins amyloid beta and tau contribute to synapse degeneration, and that lowering levels of these proteins can prevent and reverse phenotypes in model systems. Further, she has pioneered high-resolution imaging techniques in human post-mortem brain and found evidence that these proteins accumulate in synapses in human disease. Her team discovered that tau pathology spreads through brain regions in Alzheimer's disease by jumping through synaptic connections. Tara Spires-Jones has published over 150 peer reviewed papers which have been cited over 25,000 times.
Memory is made possible by the ability of synapses, the connections between neurons in the brain, to change in response to environmental inputs. In dementia, memory declines because synapses and neurons become dysfunctional and die. In fact, loss of synapses is a strong predictor of dementia in people living with Alzheimer's disease. The goal of our research is to understand why synapses and neurons degenerate and whether boosting resilience of synapses can protect the brain. In the long term, we aim to use what we discover to develop effective strategies to prevent and treat Alzheimer's and related brain diseases.