Alexandra Browne Background: Parkinson disease (PD) is one of multiple neurodegenerative diseases that is caused by the pathogenic accumulation of misfolded alpha-synuclein proteins, a disease process collectively referred to as synucleinopathies.1,2,3 PD impacts more than 6 million people today, with the incident rate expected to double by the year 2040.2…

Vishwa Shah  Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a progressive movement disorder caused by neurodegenerative loss of dopaminergic motor neurons in the substantia nigra.1 Alongside motor symptoms, PD patients also present with non-motor symptoms such as masked facies, hormonal dysregulation, and sleep disturbances that are associated with circadian rhythms.1 The body’s…

Ruby Watson Background: Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) results from mutation in a single gene, Fmr1, and is the leading known cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), accounting for 5% of cases.1 Fmr1 mutation prevents the gene from being expressed and results in a lack of fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein.2 Individuals…

Gabriella Porter Background: The global incidence rate of traumatic spinal cord injuries is 10.5 per 100,000 persons and approximately 768,473 new cases per year — with 48.8% requiring surgery1. Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are largely preventable, and many cases carry a lifetime weight of co-morbidities and even mortality. Refining current…