Donald L. Price

Donald L. Price (born c. 1935) is an American neuropathologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He was born in Stamford, Connecticut. His research involves understanding the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease. His work has uncovered some of the underlying mechanisms of such diseases and has been influential in working toward effective treatments. Price has received a number of awards for his work and served as the President of both the American Association of Neuropathologists and the Society for Neuroscience.

Early Life

He attended Wesleyan University, where he received a Bachelor’s of Arts in English Literature. In 1961, he graduated from Albany Medical College of Union University, where he received a Master’s Degree. He and his wife have three children, who all currently practice medicine.

Career

Defects in the Brain due to Alzheimer's disease

After graduating from Albany Medical School of Union University, Price received a Postdoctoral Fellowship studying Cellular/Molecular Biology at Harvard University. He later became an assistant professor in the Departments of Neurology and Pathology at Harvard Medical School in 1970. A year later, he became an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University where he continues to research and teach. In 1990, he served as the President of American Association of Neuropathologists. From 2000-2001, he served as the President of the Society for Neuroscience.

He has mentored several prominent physicians and investigators at the Johns Hopkins University’s Neuropathology Division to become important leaders in the field of neurobiology of diseases. Some notable physicians and investigators include Carlos Porteria-Cailliau, Naomi E. Rance, Charles White III, David R. Borchet, and Lee J. Martin.

Research

In his early research years, Price focused on the biology of motor neurons, but later in his life, he expanded in his research interests and became more known for researching neurobiology and the mechanisms of the brain. Throughout his life, Price explored different experiments and studies, mainly including the study of animal models in order to “allow a more direct insight into pathogenesis” rather than using human models. Price’s research interests involve “age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, particularly [Alzheimer’s Disease]”. He has received support from numerous foundations on his research for Alzheimer’s disease. In 1985, he became the Principal Investigator of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Alzheimer's disease

Price’s research has a focus on treatment for neurodegenerative conditions. His work with transgenic mice seeks to experimentally test new treatment mechanisms before they reach human subjects. These studies have identified specific genes that are often risk factors, particularly amyloid-prone genes, and attempted to correlate them to particular behaviors associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. For example, his research has concluded that mutations to amyloid precursor proteins are linked to memory loss. Studies like these ultimately aim to identify new targets for the treatment of the disease.

Price took part in the publication of the Basic Neurochemistry: Principles of Molecular, Cellular, and Medical Neurobiology text. Within the text, he worked with colleagues such as Philip C. Wong and Tong Li to write a chapter that focuses on Alzheimer’s disease and how it leads to major defects within the brain. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of Price’s most researched topics. The disease causes people to have progressive memory loss and also problems with cognitive development. Price has found that the neuroscience behind AD is characterized by neuronal loss, which means the failure of functioning neurons, or the lack of neurofibrillary tangles within parts of the brain. In the publication, he discussed the neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and how they were most commonly found in the central superior nucleus. He further described that NFTs help determine the duration of the disease as well. Patients who had a longer duration of AD had less NFTs than patients who had a shorter duration of AD. The number of NFTs in the nuclei reflect on how the rate of progression, so if a small number of NFTs are found, then they have a greater chance of becoming better. This disease affects the person’s everyday life due to the decline in cognitive abilities and memory loss. In cases of AD, there are various kinds of techniques used to detect any impairments or defects within the brain. One of the techniques used is a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which are most likely used to detect any evidence of atrophy with relation to the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Another technique is called positron emission tomography (PET) and is used to look within the parietal and temporal lobes to detect any decreased glucose or blood flow. Alzheimer’s Disease, overall, has many symptoms that involve abnormalities within different parts of the brain that are important for memory storage and cognitive development. Price expands his interest and knowledge towards this neurodegenerative disease in most of his research.

Awards and honors

Year	Award/Honor
1989	Metropolitan Life Foundation Award
1990	President of the American Association of Neuropathologists
1992	Potamkin Prize for Alzheimer’s Disease Research
1994	Leadership in Alzheimer’s Disease (LEAD) Award (National Institute of Aging)
2000-2001	President of the Society for Neuroscience
2001	Wartenberg Award
2012	The Award for Meritorious Contributions to Neuropathology
2015	AAIC Lifetime Achievement Awards in Alzheimer’s Disease
N.D.	2 Javits Neuroscience Investigator Merit Awards (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Publications

Price was placed in the top ten authors of high impact papers in Neuroscience from 1990-200 due to writing over 500 publications and over 200 book chapters. The list below are some of his most cited publications :

• Troncoso, Juan C.; Crain, Barbara J.; Sisodia, Sangram S.; Price, Donald L. (2019). "Pathology, Neurobiology, and Animal Models of Alzheimer's Disease". Alzheimer's Disease. pp. 125–144. doi:10.1201/9780429260353-17. ISBN 9780429260353.

• Savonenko, Alena V.; Melnikova, Tatiana; Li, Tong; Price, Donald L.; Wong, Philip C. (2015). "Alzheimer Disease". Neurobiology of Brain Disorders. pp. 321–338. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-398270-4.00021-5. ISBN 9780123982704.

• Wong, Philip C.; Chiang, Po-Min; Martin, Lee J.; Koliatsos, Vassilis; Price, Donald L. (2012). "Motor Neuron Diseases". Basic Neurochemistry. pp. 801–814. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-374947-5.00045-6. ISBN 9780123749475.

• Tsao, William; Jeong, Yun Ha; Lin, Sophie; Ling, Jonathan; Price, Donald L.; Chiang, Po-Min; Wong, Philip C. (2012). "Rodent models of TDP-43: Recent advances". Brain Research. 1462: 26–39. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2012.04.031. PMC 3613131. PMID 22608070.

• Li, Tong; Li, Yue-Ming; Ahn, Kwangwook; Price, Donald L.; Sisodia, Sangram S.; Wong, Philip C. (2011). "Increased Expression of PS1 is Sufficient to Elevate the Level and Activity of γ-Secretase in Vivo". PLOS One. 6 (11): e28179. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...628179L. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028179. PMC 3226664. PMID 22140537.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)

• Farah, M. H.; Pan, B. H.; Hoffman, P. N.; Ferraris, D.; Tsukamoto, T.; Nguyen, T.; Wong, P. C.; Price, D. L.; Slusher, B. S.; Griffin, J. W. (2011). "Reduced BACE1 Activity Enhances Clearance of Myelin Debris and Regeneration of Axons in the Injured Peripheral Nervous System". Journal of Neuroscience. 31 (15): 5744–5754. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6810-10.2011. PMC 3302726. PMID 21490216.

• Borchelt, D. R.; Lee, M. K.; Slunt, H. S.; Guarnieri, M.; Xu, Z. S.; Wong, P. C.; Brown, R. H.; Price, D. L.; Sisodia, S. S.; Cleveland, D. W. (1994). "Superoxide dismutase 1 with mutations linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis possesses significant activity". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 91 (17): 8292–8296. Bibcode:1994PNAS...91.8292B. doi:10.1073/pnas.91.17.8292. PMC 44592. PMID 8058797.