What I Did
The Dopamine receptor genes first interested me because of their involvement in many neurological disorders. Through my research I discovered that they are located in the striatum portion of the brain (responsible for movement) along with three other genes that play a critical role in Parkinson’s disease. The differential expression I found in the striatum led me to infer that Drd2 interacts with other genes in the Dopaminergic synapse to cause Parkinson’s disease.
How You Can Help Me
The most prominent gap of knowledge that the data can’t reveal is how exactly the genes interact with one another to cause Parkinson’s disease. This key piece of information could provide insights about what happens in the dopaminergic synapse that leads to an increased risk of PD. To me, the most exciting part about doing research like this is the investigating aspect and going through the trial and error of finding a gene. It makes finding a gene that excites you more rewarding.