Phyllis Paterson

Associate Professor
College of Pharmacy and Nutrition
Ph.D. (1987) University of Guelph

Dr. Paterson is studying the influence of nutrition on the function of the central nervous system. Her laboratory is investigating nutritional influences on antioxidant defense as a mechanism for reducing disability associated with stroke, a reduction in blood flow to a region of the brain. The reduced-glutathione concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity of brain tissue are central to this defense.
In one study, the regulation of glutathione in brain by dietary sulfur amino acids and protein status is being investigated in an animal model. Compounds that deliver the amino acid, cysteine, to the cell are being studied to determine whether they replete or enhance glutathione levels in brain and reduce the extent of brain injury that accompanies stroke.

In another project, the influence of iron deficiency anemia and selenium on expression of the enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, is being studied in brain.

A third ongoing study is documenting the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in elderly patients with acute stroke, with the long-term goal of determining whether iron deficiency is a risk factor for stroke.

Other studies in this laboratory are examining how deficiencies of zinc and taurine interfere with the normal structure and function of the retina of the eye. The long-term goal of the latter studies is to identify the role of nutrients in preventing birth defects involving the eye and common eye diseases of the elderly such as age-related macular degeneration.