Meet the Researcher Working to Restore Sleep in Parkinson’s

Beyond the most visible movement-related symptoms, people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) also experience non-movement symptoms. These symptoms can be debilitating and are sometimes more difficult for care partners to recognize.

One common non-movement PD symptom is difficulty sleeping, often in the form of waking up frequently throughout the night. Pamela Marcott, MD, PhD, a recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, is casting a spotlight on the sleep-associated circuits of the brain to understand how exactly PD impacts sleep patterns. By uncovering the mechanisms behind PD-related sleep problems, she hopes to help advance new therapies for such disturbances.

While much of the neuroscience of sleep is still a mystery, researchers do know that staying asleep through the night requires a highly calibrated balance of different signals in the brain. These sleep signals are relayed through brain cells called neurons and can vary in frequency and intensity, depending on their purpose. If these signals become altered and imbalanced, sleep fragmentation occurs with "frequent changes between different sleep and wake states, leading to less consolidated and restful sleep,” said Dr. Marcott.

Under the mentorship of Alexandra Nelson, MD, PhD, and Ying-Hui Fu, PhD, at the University of California, San Francisco, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, Dr. Marcott is investigating how PD changes the behavior of neurons in a specific sleep-regulating region of the brain called the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN). PPN neurons act like telephone operators, relaying important signals across the brain. Using mice with and without PD-like symptoms, she will measure how the disease affects the ability of PPN neurons to transmit their important sleep signals.

 “Results of this study will improve our understanding of the circuit mechanisms that regulate sleep disturbances in PD, which will inform future therapeutic treatments,” said Dr. Marcott.

After learning more about how PD changes the sleep-related neurons’ signaling ability, Dr. Marcott will then monitor the brains of the mice as they sleep. She will keep a close eye on how the PPN neurons activate during sleep phase transitions, as she believes PD causes these neurons to be overactive and lead to fragmented sleep.

Observing in real time how PD alters sleep regulation in the brain will provide a strong foundation for understanding how to treat this symptom and give restful nights back to people with PD.

“I have been both personally and professionally affected by Parkinson's disease and have dedicated my career to improving the lives of patients living with Parkinson's and their families.” - Dr. Marcott

“This award is a powerful acknowledgment not just of the work I've done, but also of the work I hope to do in the future to improve care for patients with Parkinson's disease,” said Dr. Marcott. “As a physician scientist in this space, I am committed to making meaningful discoveries in the laboratory that will benefit my patients, and I am excited to have the opportunity to start this phase of my career with the support of the Parkinson's Foundation.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.