Ron Tjalkens

Professor, Toxicology Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences

About Ron

Research projects focus on neuroinflammatory mechanisms in neurodegenerative disorders, particularly disorders of the basal ganglia such as manganism and Parkinson’s disease. Specific areas of interest include inflammatory activation of microglia and astrocytes, astrocyte biology and calcium signaling, mitochondrial dysfunction, and molecular regulation of neuro-inflammatory genes. Approaches emphasize multi-dimensional fluorescence imaging, transgenic models, and molecular approaches to modulate gene expression in neural cells.

Education

Ph.D. - Toxicology, The University of Colorado School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1993B.S. - Toxicology/Biochemistry, The University of California, San Diego, 1992