معرفی
Margaret E. Rice, PhD is a Professor in both the Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Neuroscience at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She also serves as Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Rice is an investigator in the Neuroscience Institute and a member of the Marlene and Paolo Fresco Institute for Parkinson's and Movement Disorders at NYU Langone. Her laboratory studies the neurochemistry and neurophysiology of the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway with NIH funding.
Dr. Rice's research focuses on factors that regulate dopamine release, which is critical for motor and reward pathways in the brain. Current projects include examining how diet and metabolic hormones (insulin and leptin) modulate dopamine release in the striatum, investigating the influence of exercise on dopamine levels, and studying how Parkinson's-related proteins like alpha-synuclein affect dopamine neuron physiology. Her laboratory employs advanced techniques including fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, optogenetics, patch-clamp recording of basal ganglia neurons, and immunohistochemistry, primarily using ex vivo rodent brain slices.
Analysis of Dr. Rice's recent publications (2016-2025) reveals a consistent focus on dopamine regulation mechanisms, particularly the interplay between metabolic factors and neurotransmission. Her work spans from molecular mechanisms of somatodendritic dopamine release to behavioral implications for understanding motivation and movement disorders. The publications demonstrate an evolution from basic dopamine release mechanisms to increasingly sophisticated investigations of metabolic-neural interactions with direct relevance to Parkinson's disease.
- Her 2015 Nature Communications paper demonstrated that insulin enhances striatal dopamine release by activating cholinergic interneurons, revealing insulin's role as a reward signal
- Her ongoing work on leptin shows it promotes dopamine release in both nigrostriatal and mesolimbic pathways through distinct mechanisms
- Recent studies examine how exercise increases striatal dopamine release through BDNF-dependent mechanisms
Dr. Rice serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Parkinson's Foundation, demonstrating her standing in the field. Her research has significant implications for understanding the neural basis of motivation, reward pathways, and Parkinson's disease pathology.
Dr. Rice has mentored numerous researchers including Jyoti C. Patel (Research Associate Professor), Maria Mancini (Fresco Fellow), Takuya Hikima (Instructor), and Letizia Zanetti (Visiting Fresco Scholar). Her laboratory maintains an active research program with multiple ongoing projects examining the intersection of metabolic regulation and dopamine neurotransmission, with potential applications for understanding obesity, diabetes, and neurological disorders.
