We aim to understand the molecular basis for locomotor impairment in aging and Parkinson's disease.  Our immediate and long-term goals are to discover molecular, pharmacological, and non-invasive (exercise, calorie restriction) approaches that can target proteins associated with motor impairment, which can reduce or eliminate locomotor impairment.



Latest News:
May 2, 2025
Featuring Punching Out Parkinson's!
Check out the dance moves of PoP's member, Tina Hargrove, leading her dance class!
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1839310666866664
Always keep moving...music always does the trick!

April 24, 2025
Interview on The TogetherForSharon Podcast
I was honored to interview with Dr. George Ackerman, who leads a Parkinson's disease outreach center, Together for Sharon.  He started this after his mother, Sharon, passed away after her battle with PD.  Here, I speak about my entry into the field, the areas of research we cover, and the motivators for why I do this research.  It was a fantastic experience and this organization is truly a force in the battle against Parkinson's.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6eGxwlJ9alCQgz9tNwXDAW?si=4U3UJ4f9SiKnf-a_Xa98Ew&nd=1&dlsi=6025d5affa6947ba

March 27, 2025
We're delighted to announce the latest publication.  In collaboration with lead investigators, Drs. Anthony Ryals and Kirby Doshier, the study entitled "Eye Movements During the Iowa Gambling Task in Parkinson's Disease: A Brief Report" will soon be published in Frontiers in Psychology, in the special issue "Translational research advancements utilizing the Iowa Gambling Task in preclinical and clinical studies: 30 years of the IGT".  Our study has shown that in addition to evidence that Parkinson's affected executive and motor function, we found that eye blink rate was drastically reduced in early-stage patients.


December 8, 2024
In collaboration with the Department of Psychology at the University of North Texas, a preprint was published on medRxiv reporting the possibility that certain components of eye movements may be associated with specific deficits in executive function in PD patients.  This study was led by doctoral candidate Kirby Doshier in the laboratory of Dr. Anthony Ryals.

"Eye Movements During the Iowa Gambling Task in Parkinson’s Disease: A Brief Report"

October 22, 2024
Good story on role of pesticides and other toxins as causes of Parkinson's disease and why exercise holds promise to stall progression
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7mYEqUrx6dQ

August 24, 2024
Announcing the Parkinson Discovery Institute 
Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and their caregivers and families will soon have a new place to find group exercise programs, caregiver respite, and educational updates on PD treatment and management, and the latest in PD research.   The PDI was established as a non-profit organization earlier this year.  We will have a table at the upcoming Fight Night event sponsored by the Punching Out Parkinson's Program here in Fort Worth https://punchingoutparkinsons.org/ if you want to learn more about us.  Some of our published exercise research will be available in a limited number of reprints.


August 21, 2024
New publication in Experimental Neurology
We are pleased to report our latest publication that features our studies of the effect of aerobic exercise in Parkinson's disease (PD).  Using a well-established rat model of PD, we began treadmill exercise in rats that already had established motor impairment; thus reflecting the human condition at PD diagnosis.  This motor impairment was associated with the severe loss of dopamine that is seen in striatum in patients.  Over the next 3 weeks, the rats exercised 3 times/week at moderate intensity (60-70% of maximum heart rate).  We found that the aerobic exercise promoted recovery of the established motor impairment but did not require any recovery of dopamine in the striatum.  We further found evidence that biomarkers of PD severity were reduced in these exercised rats compared to their non-exercised cohorts.   A link o the article is here and is freely available
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014488624002012?via%3Dihub=


May 16, 2024
New publication in Frontiers in Neuroscience

Dr. Isabel Soto is first author on the latest publication from our lab looking at the rat genetic PD model, Pink1 knockout, to characterize cognitive deficits in a methodology more aligned with human-based assessments.  Her findings show that Pink1 knockout rats have impairment in maze navigation.  This indicates the model may serve as a basis for determining the neurobiological basis of executive function impairment.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1390215/full?field&journalName=Frontiers_in_Neuroscience&id=1390215

May 6, 2024
Congratulations, Dr. Isabel Soto
Doctoral candidate, Isabel Soto, is now Dr. Isabel Soto, Ph.D..  She passed her dissertation defense today with distinction, excelling in all 3 major categories following her public seminar and defense of her dissertation entitled "EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF AEROBIC EXERCISE ON COGNITION, MOBILITY, AND
BIOMARKERS IN EARLY-STAGE PARKINSON'S DISEASE: A TRANSLATIONAL STUDY
USING THE PINK1 KNOCK-OUT RAT MODEL".