Kendall Eby ’26, Braeden Shields ’26, Sarah Morley ’25, and Isabella DelNegro ’25
Investigating Changes in Activity and Circadian Rhythm in a Drosophila Model of Frontotemporal Dementia
Kendall Eby ’26, Biology major
Braeden Shields ’26, Biology and Health Policy and Management major
Sarah Morley ’25, Biology major
Isabella DelNegro ’25, Biology major
Faculty mentor: Dr. Marla Tipping, Biology
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects behavior, personality, motor activity, speech, cognition, and sleeping patterns. This disease has many molecular etiologies, but the most common is the C9orf72 hexanucleotide expanded repeat. In FTD patients carrying this mutation, disruptions of circadian rhythm have been observed. We are investigating the cause of these disruptions by studying the expression of clock genes (per and tim). To this end, we are examining whether the disruptions observed in FTD patients also occur in a Drosophila model of the disease. Our research is focused on understanding if the disruptions are caused by irregular expression of the clock genes or by other factors. We conducted quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses of clock gene expression in Drosophila to assess the impact of the disruptions at various time points to identify patterns corresponding to sleep-wake cycle changes. We compared this data with our behavioral analyses of Drosophila activity during a normal daylight cycle, as well as when free running (in complete darkness). This research is essential for understanding broader mechanisms of circadian dysregulation in neurodegeneration. It could provide a foundation for exploring clock genes as therapeutic targets to mitigate activity, sleep, and circadian rhythm disturbances in FTD patients.
Poster Presentation: Wednesday, April 23, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 – 3 p.m.
