Anne Jennifer Morton, FRSB, known as Jenny Morton, is a New Zealand neurobiologist and academic, specialising in neurodegenerative diseases. She has been a Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge, since 1991 and a Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Cambridge since 2009. Her current research is focused on Huntington's disease, and she is using sheep as a large animal model for the disease. This research has led her to discover that sheep can recognise human faces.
Jenny Morton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anne Jennifer Morton Kaikohe, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Alma mater | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | Newnham College, Cambridge |
Early life and education
editMorton was born in Kaikohe, New Zealand,[1] and was raised in the country's Far North District.[2] She undertook doctoral research in physiology at the University of Otago, completing her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1983.[3][4] On 21 February 2009, the University of Cambridge admitted her to Master of Arts (MA Cantab) status.[5] She was awarded a Doctor of Science (ScD) degree by the University of Cambridge in 2014.[3]
Academic career
edit
Having completed her doctorate, Morton moved to England to join the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge as a post-doctoral fellow.[3] In 1991, she was appointed a lecturer at the university and elected a Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge.[3] Since 1995, she has been the director of studies in medicine and veterinary medicine at Newnham College.[3][6] In 2005, she was made a Reader in Experimental Neurobiology in the Department of Pharmacology.[7] In 2009, she was appointed Professor of Neurobiology in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience.[8] She is the first New Zealand woman to be appointed to a professorship at Cambridge.[9] From October 2009 to September 2010, she held a Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship.[10] In 2015, she was the Visiting Seelye Fellow at the University of Auckland.[2][11]
Research
editMorton's current research focuses on "understanding the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and on developing strategies to delay or prevent the death of neurones in injured or degenerating brain".[12] She has specialised in Huntington's disease since 1993.[3][2] Having undertaken research into Huntington's using transgenic mice, she moved into using transgenic sheep as a large animal model of Huntington's disease.[10][11]
Morton's research with sheep has also led to an interest in measuring their learning and memory.[6] Her team have been able to teach sheep to choose a familiar face over unfamiliar one when presented with two photographs, which has led to the discovery that sheep can recognise human faces.[13][14]
Honours
editMorton is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB).[3]
Selected works
edit- Morton, A. J.; Wood, N. I.; Hastings, M. H.; Hurelbrink, C.; Barker, R. A.; Maywood, E. S. (5 January 2005). "Disintegration of the Sleep-Wake Cycle and Circadian Timing in Huntington's Disease". Journal of Neuroscience. 25 (1): 157–163. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3842-04.2005. PMC 6725210. PMID 15634777.
- Morton, A. J.; Skillings, E.; Bussey, T. J.; Saksida, L. M. (October 2006). "Measuring cognitive deficits in disabled mice using an automated interactive touchscreen system". Nature Methods. 3 (10): 767. doi:10.1038/nmeth1006-767. PMID 16990806. S2CID 30073312.
- Morton, A. J.; Glynn, D.; Leavens, W.; Zheng, Z.; Faull, R. L. M.; Skepper, J. N.; Wight, J. M. (March 2009). "Paradoxical delay in the onset of disease caused by super-long CAG repeat expansions in R6/2 mice". Neurobiology of Disease. 33 (3): 331–341. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2008.11.015. PMID 19130884. S2CID 25607303.
- Morton, A. J.; Avanzo, L.; Chapouthier, G. (31 January 2011). "Executive Decision-Making in the Domestic Sheep". PLoS ONE. 6 (1): e15752. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...615752M. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.293.5141. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015752. PMC 3031539. PMID 21305061.
- Goodman, A. O. G.; Rogers, L.; Pilsworth, S.; McAllister, C. J.; Shneerson, J. M.; Morton, A. J.; Barker, R. A. (20 November 2010). "Asymptomatic Sleep Abnormalities Are a Common Early Feature in Patients with Huntington's Disease". Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. 11 (2): 211–217. doi:10.1007/s11910-010-0163-x. PMID 21103960. S2CID 207333918.
- Morton, A. J.; Rudiger, S. R.; Wood, N. I.; Sawiak, S. J.; Brown, G. C.; Mclaughlan, C. J.; Kuchel, T. R.; Snell, R. G.; Faull, R. L. M.; Bawden, C. S. (31 January 2014). "Early and progressive circadian abnormalities in Huntington's disease sheep are unmasked by social environment". Human Molecular Genetics. 23 (13): 3375–3383. doi:10.1093/hmg/ddu047. PMID 24488771.
References
edit- ^ Pellegrino, Nicky (22 October 2015). "Raising the Baa". Noted. Auckland. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
- ^ a b c "Cambridge Professor Jenny Morton visits our Centre". Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. The University of Auckland. 28 September 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Professor Jenny Morton". Newnham College. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ "A Jennifer Morton". Loop. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ "Graces". Cambridge University Reporter. CXXXIX (21). 18 February 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Professor Jenny Morton". Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience. University of Cambridge. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ "Appointments". Cambridge University Reporter. CXXXVI (5). 2 November 2005. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ "OFFICERS IN INSTITUTIONS PLACED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE GENERAL BOARD – PROFESSORS". Cambridge University Reporter. CXLVII (Special No 4): 11. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ "Visiting Seelye Fellow Professor Jenny Morton Public Lecture:An incredible journey – From Kaikohe to Cambridge". Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. University of Auckland. 16 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Jenny Morton". The Royal Society. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Jenny Morton: brains and sheep". Radio New Zealand. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ "Professor Jenny Morton". Cambridge Neuroscience. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ "Sheep are able to recognise human faces from photographs". University of Cambridge. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ Rincon, Paul (8 November 2017). "Sheep 'can recognise human faces'". BBC News. Retrieved 8 November 2017.