Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay PhD

Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., from the University of Texas at Austin, is working to understand the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to parkinsonism, which causes Parkinson’s disease-like movement problems. By providing important insights into the biological processes involved in the condition, Mukhopadhyay’s research might one day inform the development of new drugs that help people with parkinsonism. One of the environmental factors linked to parkinsonism is exposure to high levels of heavy metal manganese. Although the body needs some manganese, when levels get too high, the heavy metal becomes neurotoxic and leads to parkinsonism.