PROLIFIC WAU PROFESSOR PUBLISHES A PAIR OF PAPERS
Takoma Park, MD. (September 20, 2018)—Washington Adventist University Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Samuel D. Perez enjoyed a fruitful Summer co-publishing research papers exploring the links between gene networks and voluntary physical activity, and results from previous research activities exploring the sympathetic neurotransmission in the spleen of a laboratory animal model.
Dr. Perez was the lead author of Sympathetic Neurotransmission in Spleens from Aging Brown-Norway Rats Subjected To Reduced Sympathetic Tone, a recently accepted original research article for the November issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology. He presented results from a chronic study designed to investigate the effects of age on neurotransmission in a lymphoid organ (i.e. spleen), where activation of immune cells takes place. His studies began elucidating the effects of heightened sympathetic activity on immune cells in a rat model for healthy aging. The main insight from this study, Dr. Perez says, is that the increase in sympathetic activity observed in individuals that tend to live longer, may reside in how their immune cells react to neurotransmitter output from the nervous system. He adds that these observations provide an opportunity to explore possible therapeutic strategies designed to tame the age-related increase in the flight or fight response, greatly helping our immune system to be more efficient as we age.
Also this summer, the peer-reviewed open access scientific journal PLOS One published Brain Region-Dependent Gene Networks Associated with Selective Breeding for Increased Voluntary Wheel-Running Behavior by Dr. Perez and a team of renown scientists from the University of Illinois. This study explored mouse gene networks associated with increased motivation for physical activity, and may help science find ways to motivate humans to increased physical activity and fitness. A second notable finding confirms that regular exercise can protect the brain against neurodegenerative conditions. “There is much more to investigate regarding the contribution of exercise to brain health and mental processes, although we are slowly making progress,” Dr. Perez affirms.
“Dr. Perez’s research contributes to the advancement of the health sciences in much the same way that his expertise contributes to the edification of students here in our learning community,” said WAU President, Dr. Weymouth Spence. “His work is a sterling example of the kind of excellence that defines Washington Adventist University.”
“WAU is proud to celebrate this significant and most distinctive accomplishment by Dr. Perez,” added university Provost Dr. Cheryl Kisunzu.
Washington Adventist University is Montgomery County’s only four-year private college. Part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education, Washington Adventist University has been educating college students since 1904 on a 19-acre campus in suburban Takoma Park, close to the nation’s capital. Approximately 1,100 students of all faiths participate in the university’s eight graduate and 42 undergraduate programs. The 2018 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington Adventist University among the best regional colleges in the north.
Media Contact:
Doug Walker, 301-891-4134, dkwalker@wau.edu