# ALZHEIMER'S FOCUSED SUPPLEMENT: UNDERSTANDING THE CELLULAR BASIS OF MOVEMENT DISORDERS

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $379,304

## Abstract

Our lab studies the pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia type 1—a neurodegenerative
disorder caused by a pathogenic polyglutamine expansion in the protein ataxin-1 (ATXN1). This
supplemental application is inspired by novel links between ATXN1 and Alzheimer’s disease
(AD) pathogenesis. Most notably, recent Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have
identified variants in the ATXN1 gene that influence AD risk; moreover, ATXN1 protein—both
wild type and expanded—modulate the levels of beta-secretase 1 (BACE1), a key protease
involved in the cleavage of Amyloid Protein Precursor (APP) that results in the production of the
amyloidogenic peptide A beta. The overarching hypothesis of this application, therefore, is that
there are common pathways in these two otherwise disparate proteinopathies. We envisage
that our experiments testing this hypothesis will lead to novel insights particularly in combating
cognitive decline in both these syndromes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10123406
- **Project number:** 3R01NS082351-07S1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Puneet Opal
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $379,304
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2013-05-15 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10123406

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10123406, ALZHEIMER'S FOCUSED SUPPLEMENT: UNDERSTANDING THE CELLULAR BASIS OF MOVEMENT DISORDERS (3R01NS082351-07S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10123406. Licensed CC0.

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