Jenni

Biography

Jenni Harvey obtained a BSc honours degree in Pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh (1990) before receiving a Ph.D. in 1993 for work on metabotropic glutamate receptors and synaptic transmission under the supervision of Graham Collingridge (University of Birmingham). She then undertook postdoctoral research positions with Dr Mike Lacey (University of Birmingham) and Prof Mike Ashford (University of Aberdeen) before moving to Dundee to set up her own laboratory after being awarded a Wellcome Research Career Development Fellowship (2001).  In 2005, she was awarded a Wellcome University Award to continue her studies into the role of leptin in hippocampal synaptic function. Jenni Harvey’s research group has a long standing interest in neuronal synaptic mechanisms and in particular the cellular basis for activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the CNS. Her research is focused on understanding how the molecular processes of synaptic plasticity are influenced by hormonal systems in health and disease. Recent studies by the group have highlighted a potential cognitive enhancing role for leptin as it regulates diverse aspects of synaptic function including glutamate receptor trafficking, neuronal morphology and activity dependent synaptic plasticity. A major focus of her current research is in determining the cellular and molecular processes underlying leptin’s effects in the brain and also how dysfunctions in the leptin system impact on brain function. Her group are utilizing a range of techniques including electrophysiology, digital epifluorescence imaging, transgenic mouse technologies, molecular biology and confocal microscopy to determine the neuronal function of the hormone leptin.

Research Interest

It is well established that the anti-obesity hormone, leptin circulates in the plasma and regulates food intake and body weight by signalling nutritional status to specific hypothalamic nuclei. However numerous studies indicate that leptin plays a more fundamental role in the CNS, as leptin and its receptors are widely expressed in many extra-hypothalamic brain regions, including hippocampus, cerebellum and amygdala. Furthermore leptin-deficient or -insensitive rodents (ob/ob & db/db mice; fa/fa rats) display abnormalities that cannot be attributed to the hypothalamic actions of leptin. For instance, leptin-insensitive rodents display impairments in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD) as well as deficits in spatial memory tasks, indicating that leptin plays a key role in the cellular events underlying learning and memory. Leptin is also implicated in neuronal developmental processes as ob/ob and db/db mice show abnormal brain development, and leptin is reported to have neurotrophic actions in many brain regions.   Recent evidence indicates that leptin plays a role in CNS-driven disease. Indeed, several studies indicate that leptin may be a novel antidepressant as low levels of leptin have been linked to mood disorders in humans and leptin has anti-depressant properties in pharmacological studies. Aberrant leptin function is also associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis as low levels of leptin have been linked to an increased incidence of AD. Thus a key focus of our work is to characterise the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying leptin’s role in CNS-driven disease. This in turn may facilitate the development of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.   We are currently utilizing a range of experimental approaches (including electrophysiology, digital epifluorescence imaging, transgenic mouse technologies, molecular biology and real time confocal microscopy) to determine in detail the neuronal function of the hormone leptin. Current Research Areas include: Leptin regulation of hippocampal excitatory synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in health and disease. Leptin and the aging brain. Leptin: a potential therapy in neurodegenerative disorders. The role of leptin in neuropsychiatric disorders. Estrogen and its role as a cognitive enhancer