Jennifer Crodelle, PhD, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Middlebury College, received a $237,174 National Science Foundation (NSF) award for her project "EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Building Mechanistic Models for the Interaction of Tau Protein and Neuronal Voltage." The award will help shed light on the relationship between the buildup of tau protein, which occurs during neurodegenerative disease, and neuron activity in the brain.

"The healthy brain contains millions of neurons that rapidly transfer information across different regions," said Dr. Crodelle in discussing her research. "During neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, this communication breaks down. Experimental studies show a relationship between the buildup of a pathological (diseased) protein called tau and neuron activity and communication. The aim of this grant is to develop novel mathematical models to explore the interdependent relationship between neuron activity and pathological tau protein concentration inside the cell. Through this grant, myself and two undergraduate student researchers from Middlebury will have the unique opportunity to spend one summer each year at Duke University, collaborating with their students and faculty and accessing high quality research and training resources.

The award is part of the NSF's Early Career Research Fellows (ERF) program. The funding will help develop mathematical models to explore how buildups of tau protein affect communication through synapses in the brain.

For more information about Dr. Crodelle's ongoing research projects, click here<