Translational Medicine
Open Access

Cara J Westmark

Biography

Dr Cara Westmark is an Associate Scientist at the Waisman Center for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Her current research examines the role of genetic and environmental factors on the expression of amyloid precursor protein APP and betaamyloid A61538. In transgenic mouse models of neurological disorders. She has demonstrated that APP/A61538. levels are altered in Fragile X syndrome and that many FXS phenotypes can be rescued in a mouse model of the disorder by genetically reducing APP/A61538. These data suggest that therapies studied for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease AD may be beneficial in the treatment of FXS .She has also demonstrated a strong association between APP/A61538. overexpression and lower seizure threshold which has important implications for the treatment of seizurerelated disorders such as AD FXS and Down syndrome. Her most recent work has demonstrated a strong association between dietary phytoestrogen consumption elevated A and reduced seizure threshold.

Research Interest

Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulation in Alzheimer’s Disease. Isolation of Novel Early Response Genes from the Central Nervous System in a Mouse Epilepsy Model.The Role of Amyloid Precursor Protein in Neurological Disorders (Alzheimer’s Disease, Fragile X Syndrome and Down Syndrome).