Samantha Pierson, PhD

Address: 2-400 BSB
Phone: (319) 335-7769
Email: samantha-bral@uiowa.edu

Mentor: Catherine Marcinkiewcz, PhD

PhD Institution: University of Iowa, 2024

Research Description

The interaction between chronic ethanol consumption, tau pathology progression, and cognitive impairment in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are associated with earlier onset of age-related dementias and can lead to other memory disorders such as Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome. The memory impairments induced by AUDs may indicate a role of alcohol use in the acceleration of processes that lead to cognitive dysfunction. Chronic ethanol use can also affect functioning of serotonergic circuitry in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). This circuitry has also been implicated in anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors. Depression is also an early symptom in Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The focus of my work will be examining the intersection of AUDs and AD mechanisms. Specifically, I am working on determining whether chronic alcohol exposure can exacerbate development of tau pathology in dorsal raphe serotonergic neurons in htau mice, leading to depressive-like behaviors and increased rate of tau pathology development in the DRN.

Awards

  • Predoctoral Training Grant in the Pharmacological Sciences (T32 GM067795), 2020-2022
  • Neuroscience Training Program (T32 NS007421), 2019-2020
  • Iowa Neuroscience Institute Summer Scholar, 2017

Publications

  • Pierson SR, Kolling LJ, James TD, Pushpavathi SG, Marcinkiewcz CA. Serotonergic dysfunction may mediate the relationship between alcohol consumption and Alzheimer's disease.  Pharmacol Res. 2024 May;203:107171. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107171. Epub 2024 Apr 9. PMID: 38599469
  • Kolling LJ, Khan K, Wang R, Pierson SR, Hartman BD, Balasubramanian N, Guo DF, Rahmouni K, Marcinkiewcz CA. Interaction of serotonin/GLP-1 circuitry in a dual preclinical model for psychiatric disorders and metabolic dysfunction. Psychiatry Res. 2024 Jul;337:115951. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115951. Epub 2024 May 8. PMID: 38735240
  • Hunter ML, Williamsen HR, Cooper BJ, Pierson SR, Marcinkiewcz CA, Hefti MM, Fiock KL. Basic Science and Pathogenesis.  Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Dec;20 Suppl 1:e091025. doi: 10.1002/alz.091025. PMID: 39751537
  • Cooper BJ, Hunter ML, Pierson SR, Marcinkiewcz CA, Hefti MM, Fiock KL. Basic Science and Pathogenesis.  Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Dec;20 Suppl 1:e091738. doi: 10.1002/alz.091738. PMID: 39750867
  • Khan KM, Balasubramanian N, Gaudencio G, Wang R, Selvakumar GP, Kolling L, Pierson S, Tadinada SM, Abel T, Hefti M, Marcinkiewcz CA. Human tau-overexpressing mice recapitulate brainstem involvement and neuropsychiatric features of early Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2023 Apr 3;11(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s40478-023-01546-5. PMID: 37009893
  • Marcinkiewcz C, Wang R, Khan K, Balasubramanian N, James T, Pushpavathi S, Kim D, Pierson S, Wu Q, Niciu M, Hefti M. Alcohol inhibits sociability via serotonin inputs to the nucleus accumbens. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2023 Jul 5:rs.3.rs-2992781. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2992781/v1. PMID: 37461716
  • Wang R, Khan KM, Balasubramanian N, James T, Pushpavathi SG, Kim D, Pierson S, Wu Q, Niciu MJ, Hefti MM, Marcinkiewcz CA. Alcohol inhibits sociability via serotonin inputs to the nucleus accumbens.  bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 May 30:2023.05.29.542761. doi: 10.1101/2023.05.29.542761. PMID: 37398335
  • Freeman JH, Farley SJ, Pierson SR. Amygdala central nucleus modulation of cerebellar learning in female rats.  Behav Neurosci. 2021 Jun;135(3):343-346. doi: 10.1037/bne0000441. Epub 2021 Feb 25. PMID: 33630616

Research