Dr. Thong Ma

Biography

Thong C. Ma is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Department of Neuroscience. His research focuses on neurodegenerative movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA), which are characterized by the abnormal accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein. In PD, alpha-synuclein mainly accumulates in neurons, contributing to the dysfunction and death of dopamine-producing neurons, which leads to the hallmark symptoms of the disease. Although the primary treatment for PD has been levodopa, a drug that replenishes dopamine, it can cause significant side effects known as levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). Dr. Ma investigates how changes in brain circuitry due to dopamine loss contribute to PD symptoms, and how specific neuron manipulation may prevent or reverse LID. His work on MSA examines the role of oligodendrocytes, supportive non-neuronal cells in the brain that also accumulate alpha-synuclein, leading to neuron death and subsequent MSA symptoms. He utilizes single nucleus RNA sequencing to uncover the cellular physiology of dysregulated MSA brain cells and to measure the differences in their characteristics.

Research Interests