DR. AARON BOWMAN

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Neurology and Biochemistry
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

My lab studies toxicological interactions between metals (e.g. manganese and methyl mercury) and genetic factors that contribute to selective neuropathology via neurodevelopmental and neuronal lineage-specific vulnerabilities. A diverse range of model systems are employed including patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), neuronal cultures and mouse models as well as a multifaceted approach including molecular genetics, pharmacology, biochemistry, cell and developmental biology. Our work to date has examined the role of metals as risk factors and modified metal biology in the context of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and other parkinsonisms, Huntington’s disease, and neurodevelopmental and other neurological dysfunction. We aim to define mechanisms of neuronal dysfunction and understand the basis of selective neuropathology, by characterizing the molecular function of disease genes and their interaction with environmental risk factors under both normal and pathological conditions.