Carol Anne Colton, Ph.D.

Professor in Medicine

Department:
Medicine

Division:
Neurology

Email:
carolcoltondukeedu

Mailing Address:
Neurology Box 2900, DUMC
Durham, NC 27710

Telephone:
919-668-2758

Training:
Ph.D., Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

Research Interests:
Dr. Colton's research has centered on the study of chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.  These diseases have a neuroinflammatory component involving the innate immune system in the CNS.  Dr. Colton was among the first scientists to demonstrate that microglia are CNS macrophages and, like other tissue macrophages, respond to injury in the CNS by "killing" invading organisms.  Microglia then help to orchestrate the "repair" process after injury.  Recent research has focused on the regulation of microglial reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species production as well as other cytoactive macrophage products that are made during the classical and alternative activation states associated with chronic neurodegeneration.  Knowledge gained from the basic research program has been translated to the development of novel and extremely useful mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.  These new tools for study of AD have already advanced the field by proving for the first time that the amyloid cascade is a viable hypothesis for the induction of AD tau pathology and neuronal loss. These models are currently being used for the development of useful therapies for AD.