Dr Simon Parson

Dr Simon Parson
Senior Lecturer
Medical School
Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG

Tel: 44 131 650 3552
Fax: 44 131 650 3713
Email: s.h.parson@ed.ac.uk

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Personal Profile


  • BSc in Zoology, University of Durham (1987)
  • PhD in Developmental Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh (1991)
  • Post-doctoral research in developmental neuroscience, Departments of Physiology and Anatomy, University of Edinburgh (1992-1995)
  • Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds (1995-2006)
  • Senior lecturer in Anatomy, University of Edinburgh (2006-)

Simon is a frequent participant in car rally events around the world and is usually easily noticed in his 'yellow peril' Austin Healey Sprite. Simon is using these unique opportunities to run a long-term fundraising campaign for the Euan MacDonald Centre and to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease. For more information please visit: https://edinburghuni.workwithus.org/Fundraising/Donate.aspx?page=5882

Research

Synapse stability and retraction

Synaptic communication is essential for both voluntary and automatic actions, yet we know surprisingly little about what factors determine the long-term stability of synapses. My group is using a model synapse to investigate the interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on synaptic stability. Currently we are using the mammalian neuromuscular junction to determine morphological and functional responses to acute tissue ischaemia. In tandem we are probing the cytosketal proteins and molecular motors which provide the intracellular framework for nerve terminal retraction.

Loss of synapses is a key event in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and motor neurone diseases. A greater understanding of the mechanisms of synapse loss will increase our ability to understand and therefore treat these diseases.
Mammalian neuromuscular junctions
Two motor endplates (red), each innervated by a single motor nerve terminal (green). Note that one of the endplates has a small area which is not occupied by a nerve terminal bouton. This suggests the initiation of nerve terminal retraction.

Funding

The Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Team Members

Becki Baxter: PhD student

Collaborations

Professor Jim Deuchars: University of Leeds
Professor Peter Chantler: Royal Veterinary College, London
Professor Richard Ribchester: University of Edinburgh
Dr Tom Gillingwater: University of Edinburgh

Recent Publications


2009

Pre-symptomatic development of lower motor neuron connectivity in a mouse model of severe spinal muscular atrophy.  Murray LM, Lee S, Bäumer D, Parson SH, Talbot K, Gillingwater TH.  Hum Mol Genet. 2009 Nov 2. [Epub ahead of print]

2008

Baxter B, Gillingwater TH, Parson SH (2008) Rapid loss of motor nerve terminals following hypoxia-reperfusion injury occurs via mechanisms distinct from classic Wallerian degeneration. Journal of Anatomy 212(6):827-835

2007

Bettini NL, Moores TS, Baxter B, Deuchars J, Parson SH (2007) Dynamic remodelling of synapses can occur in the absence of the parent cell body. BMC Neurosci Sep 26; 8:79

2006

Brooke RE, Atkinson L, Edwards I, Parson SH, Deuchars J (2006) Immunohistochemical localisation of the voltage gated potassium ion channel subunit Kv3.3 in the rat medulla oblongata and thoracic spinal cord. Brain Res 1070:101-115

Wishart TM, Parson SH, Gillingwater TH (2006) Synaptic vulnerability in neurodegnerative disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 65:733-739

2005

Baxter RL, Deuchars J, Parson SH (2005) A2A Adenosine Receptors are Located on Presynaptic Motor Nerve Terminals in the Mouse. Synapse 57:229-234

Dobrzynski H, Li J, Tellez J, Greener ID, Nikolski VP, Wright SE, Parson SH, Jones SA, Lancaster MK, Yamamoto M, Honjo H, Takagishi Y, Kodama I, Efimof IR, Billeter R, Boyett MR (2005) Three-dimensional model of the sinoatrial node including distribution of different cell types and a specialised exit pathway. Circulation 22:846-854

Moores TS, Hasdemir B, Vega-Riveroll LJ, Deuchars J, Parson SH (2005) Properties of presynaptic P2X7-like receptors at the neuromuscular junction. Brain Research 1034:40-50

Parson SH, Ribchester RR (2005) Prenatal development of the musculoskeletal system in the human. In: The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Child Development (Hopkins B, ed). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Vega-Riveroll LJ, Wylie SR, Loughna PT, Parson SH, Chantler PD (2005) Non-muscle myosins IIa and IIb are present in adult motor nerve terminals. Neuroreport 16:1143-1146

2004

Brooke RE, Moores TS, Morris NP, Parson SH, Deuchars J (2004) Kv3 voltage gated potassium channels regulate neurotransmitter release from motor nerve terminals. European Journal of Neuroscience 20:3313-3321

Parson SH, Ribchester RR, Davie N, Gandhi NP, Malik RQ, Gillingwater TH, Thomson D (2004) Axotomy-dependent and -independent synapse elimination in organ cultures of Wld(s) mutant mouse skeletal muscle. J Neurosci Res 76:64-75