Alison Todd

Personal Profile

2010-2015: Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours (Neuroscience), Australian National University, Australia

Research

I am investigating the interactions between neurons and astrocytes, and the roles that these cells have in shaping each other’s properties.

Currently I am looking at how astrocytes change the membrane properties of neurons during development and how this can in turn change the activity levels of neurons.

Separately, flowing on from earlier work showing that neurons can increase the expression of astrocytic glutamate transporters, I am investigating the role of cAMP signalling in the expression of these transporters in astrocytes.  

Relevant Publications 

1. Todd AC, Marx M-C, Hulme SR, Bröer S, Billups B (2017) SNAT3-mediated glutamine transport in perisynaptic astrocytes in situ is regulated by intracellular sodium. Glia 65:900-916.

2. Hasel P, Dando O, Jiwaji Z, Baxter P, Todd AC, Heron S, Márkus NM, McQueen J, Hampton DW, Torvell M, Tiwari SS, McKay S, Eraso-Pichot A, Zorzano A, Masgrau R, Galea E, Chandran S, Wyllie DJA, Simpson TI, Hardingham GE (2017) Neurons and neuronal activity control gene expression in astrocytes to regulate their development and metabolism. Nature Communications 8:15132.

3. Dong W, Todd AC, Bröer A, Hulme SR, Bröer S, Billups B (2018) PKC-Mediated Modulation of Astrocyte SNAT3 Glutamine Transporter Function at Synapses in Situ. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 19:924.