The UCLA Center for the Study of Parkinson’s Disease, directed by Marie Françoise Chesselet,  uses an integrated multidisciplinary approach to elucidate the effects of nigrostraital lesions and treatment of Parkinson’s disease on the molecular and cellular characteristics of the subthalamic nucleus. This region of the basal ganglia has recently emerged as an important focus for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the disease. The goal of the Center is to identify new molecular targets of non-invasive pharmacological treatments of Parkinson’s disease.

Interactions between the Center and clinical investigators in the Movement Disorders Program at UCLA provide an ideal conduit for the rapid translation of research findings into clinical applications. The Center provides a dynamic training environment that expands the research capabilities of scientists at all career levels and also their trainees.  The Center facilitates the participation of new investigators across the UCLA campus in research on Parkinson’s disease and reinforces the existing interactions between basic and clinical research on Parkinson’s disease at UCLA.