Linda C. Cork

Title
Professor

Department
Comparative Medicine

Research Interests
Motor neuron disease, aging, Alzheimer's disease.

Email
linda.cork@forsythe.stanford.edu

Phone
498-5080

Fax
498-5085

Address
MSOB x347
Mail Code: 5415

Faculty Research Description
Animal models offer a unique opportunity to study the pathogenesis of neurologic diseases afflicting both humans and animals. For example, non-human primates develop many of the same cognitive deficits and neuropathologic changes as occur in humans. Inherited diseases in dogs reliably replicate many hereditary diseases in humans. We can learn much by studying the temporal and spatial evolution of the lesions in the nervous system in spontaneously occurring or induced diseases in animals. The rapid development of the dog genome map brings an important benefit to the study of inherited canine diseases. Comparative gene mapping among human, murine, and canine genomes have the potential to rapidly identify mutations that underlie various disease syndromes. My research focuses on the identification and characterization of animal models of human diseases. These animal models may occur in non-human primates, dogs, cats, goats, mice in which mutations have been induced, or in other less common laboratory species such as bears. By using these diverse species we can ask how the nervous system lesions are related to functional deficits? What is the biological significance of the lesions? How do the lesions begin? How do they evolve? What is the function of the cells early in disease when therapeutic intervention would be most advantageous? By evaluating the pathology and physiologic function or behavior in animals, we can begin to design rational interventional strategies to prevent, treat, or to delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.

Balice-Gordon, RJ, Smith, DB, Goldman, J, Cork, LC, Shirley, A, Cope, TC, Pinter, MJ. Functional motor unit failure precedes neuromuscular degeneration in canine motor neuron disease. Annals of Neurology, 47(5):596-605. 2000

Green, SL, Vulliet, PR, Cork, LC: Alterations in Cyclin-Dependent Protein Kinase 5 (CDK5) Protein Levels, Activity and Immunocytochemistry in Canine Motor Neuron Disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 57(11):1070-1077, 1998.

Walker LC, Cork LC: The Neurobiology of Aging in Nonhuman Primates. In: Alzheimer's Disease, 2nd edition. RD Terry, R Katzman, KL Bick, SS Sisodia, (eds), Philadelphia, Lippincott-Williams & Wilkins, 1999, pp. 233-243.

Blazej RG, Mellersh CS, Cork LC, Ostrander EA: Hereditary canine spinal muscular atrophy is phenotypically similar but molecularly distinct from human spinal muscular atrophy. J of Heredity, 89(6):531-536, 1998.

Sack GH, Taylor EW, Meyers DA, Dragwa CR, Cork LC: Canine genetic linkage study using heterologous DNA probes. J of Heredity 87:15-20, 1996.

Areas of Study
Systems/Behavioral Neuroscience
Molecular Neurobiology
SBRC
Ph.D.