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Profile – Dr Silvia Anderle

Dr Silvia Anderle Profile Picture

Dr Silvia Anderle

Name:

Dr Silvia Anderle

Job title:

Postdoctoral Researcher

Place of work / study:

University College London

Area of Research:

My area of research is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). I use two photon microscopy [1] to investigate how different APOE alleles affect neurovascular coupling in targeted replacement APOE mice. I am interested in seeing if the vascular impairment associated with the APOE4 genotype can be reversed by exercise. Therefore, I provide some of my mice with an exercise wheel, whereas others do not have access to exercise. Finally, I will look at the effect of exercise and genotype on Aβ deposition and plaque accumulation around cortical blood vessels.

How is your work funded:

I am on a fully funded scholarship from the School of Psychology, University of Sussex.

Tell us a little about yourself:

I have a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of Sussex and an MSc in Dementia from the Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL. I have now finished my PhD and am working as a Postdoc in the Attwell lab at UCL. I am also a Doctoral Tutor and a Student Rep for Postgraduate Researchers in the School of Psychology.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself:

During Covid-19 lockdown I opened an Instagram page for my house plants, which has now more than 1,000 followers.

Why did you choose to work in dementia?

Growing up with a relative affected by Alzheimer’s makes you understand the impact that the disease has on the lives of so many people. While I was in high school, I did a summer internship in a laboratory, which convinced me that I wanted to become a researcher and investigate the causes of Alzheimer’s disease neurodegeneration. During my studies, I became even more passionate about the subject and decided to do a PhD. I hope that my research will have a role in reducing the number of people living with dementia.

Can we find you on Twitter?

Follow @AnderleSilviar [2]