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William
D. Hill, Ph.D.,
Phone: (706) 721-2019
Fax: (706) 721-6839
Room: CB
1116
Research Emphasis:Associate Professor: Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy Research Physiologist: Augusta Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Research and Education Member MCG Alzheimer's Research Center Co-Director MCG Brain Bank
I am interested in understanding the sources of oxidative damage, and the selective vulnerability of neurons, which appear to underlie the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other Lewy body associated disorders as well as stroke. There are several principal interrelated research programs ongoing in the lab centered on oxidative damage and the induction of cell death in neurodegenerative disorders:
1) As an outgrowth of looking for the mechanisms leading to oxidative damage associated with the beta-amyloid peptide we have identified a novel protein interaction between fetal hemoglobin and the beta-amyloid peptide. This may represent a new risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
2) We are focused on the role of cytoskeletal involvement in neurodegenerative disorders in particular in the effect of oxidative damage on the cytoskeleton and the induction of apoptotic or other forms of neuronal death.
3) We are also pursuing the potential role of a set of endogenous MPP+ like compounds, N-methylated beta-carbolines, in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. In particular in how it may mediate oxidative damage and induce neuronal apoptosis.
4) We are interested in the role of oxidative damage and
inflammatory responses in Stroke and how these cerebral vascular pathologies
may be associated with Alzheimer's disease.
We also maintain human and primate
Brain Banks.
Education:
1979 B.A., Psychology,
Wake
Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC.
1982 M.S., Otolaryngology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine,
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC.
1988 Ph.D., Anatomy, Bowman Gray School of Medicine,
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC.
1988-92 Postdoctoral training - Dept. of Pathology, University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Selected Publications:
1. Gearhart, D.A.*, W.D. Hill*, F. Kutlar, A. Kutlar, R.C. Green, E. Zamrini, A. Doetsch. XmnI G-gamma globin polymorphism shows
increased association with alzheimer's disease. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr., 25:835,1999.
2. Hill, W.D.*, K. Spicer, D. Circle, D.A. Gearhart, B.J. Balin. Oxidative damage to neurofilament proteins modifies
antigenicity, Soc. Neurosci. Abstr., 25:2003,1999.
3. Roman, S.B., R.C. Green, and W.D. Hill. Detection of antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae in the serum of Alzheimers patients,
Am. Soc. Microbiol., 1999.
4. Carroll, J.E., D.C. Hess, E.F. Howard and W.D. Hill. Is nuclear factor-kB a suitable theraputic target in cerebral
ischemia/reperfusion injury? Neuroreport 11:R1-4, 2000.
5. Hill, W.D., § D.A. Gearhart, F. Kutlar, A. Kutlar, R.C. Green, E. Zamrini, A. Doetsch, J. Rogers, T. Beach, and A.
Roher. The XmnI G-g-globin polymorphism interacts with the Apoe4 allele and associates with Alzheimer's
disease. Neurobiology of Aging, 21:S206, 2000.
6. Chorsky, R.L., F. Yaghmai, W.D. Hill and E.G. Stopa. Alzheimer's Disease: A review concerning immune response and
microischemia. In Press Medical Hypotheses (2001).
7. Beswick, R.A., H. Zhang, D. Marable, W.D. Hill, J.D. Catravas, and R.C. Webb. Elevated monocyte/macrophage infiltration as a
determinant of renal end organ damage in mineralocorticoid hypertensive rats. In Press, Hypertension (2001).
8. Hill, W.D., D.C. Hess, J.E. Carroll, C.G. Wakade, E.F. Howard, Q. Chen, C. Chang, A. Martin-Studdard, J.L. Waller and
R.A. Beswick. The NFkB inhibitor diethyldithiocarbamate increases cell death in the brain in a transient cerebral ischemia model. In Press
Brain Research Bulletin (2001).
Additional links related to Neurodegenerative diseases sites or to Research Resources