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Honors and Awards - Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society, 1968
- Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society, 1967
- NIH Biomedical Science Research Award, 1972
- Graduate School Research Award (Duke University), 1972
-
NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1974
- University of Kentucky Research Foundation Faculty Research Award, 1979
- Awarded University of Kentucky Research Professorship, 1980 81
- Appointed to Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry Study Section A
of the National Institutes of Health (NIGMS), Spring 1980 Meeting
- Appointed to National Institute of Health Site Visit Study Section, Summer 1980
- Invited Speaker, Gordon Research Conference on Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicin
e, 1980
- Consultant, National Institute on Aging, NIH Site Visit, "Alzheimer's Disease Center," May, 1987
-
Consultant, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, NIH Site Visit,
"Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Center," May, 1987
- S
pecial Faculty Grant, 1988 1990
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Membrane Science, 1989 present
- Finalist, College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professorship, 1990, 1991
- Dow Chemical Distinguished Lectureship, University of D
etroit, 1995
- The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, 1995
- Consultant, National Institute on Aging, NIH Reverse Site Visit on "b-Amyloid Program Project," 1996
- Recipient, Distinguished University Scientis
t Award from the Kentucky Academy of Science, 1996
- Consultant, National Science Foundation, Small Business Investigative Research Panel, 1996
- Consultant, national Aeronautics and Space Administration, Shuttle Experiment Panel, 1997
- Recipient, William B. Sturgill Award for Graduate Education, 1997
- Recipient, Southern Chemist Award from the American Chemical Society, Memphis Section, 1997
-
Recipient, Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics
and Engineering Mentoring, Presented by President Clinton in the White
House
, 1998.
- Recipient, Honorary Doctor of Science Degree, University of Maine, Commencement, 2002
- Permanent Member, Neural Oxidative and Metabolic Death Study Section for the National Institute of Health, 2008-2012.
 Professor Butterfield's Membrane Science Activities
Free radical oxidative stress is a hallmark of aging and
age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease
(AD). Such oxidative stress is manifested in neurons by protein
oxidation, lipid peroxidation, reactive ox
ygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial dysfunction, and
functional impairment of key transmembrane transport proteins, among
many others. Our laboratory studies these and other aspects of
oxidative stress in brain membranes using a va
riety of techniques, including magnetic resonance (both EPR and NMR),
fluorescence, chemiluminescence, Western blotting, HPLC analysis,
enzyme kinetics, etc. Our group has described how oxidative stress
associated with amyloid b-peptide (A<
FONT face="symbol">b), a 42-amino acid peptide deposited in AD
brains, leads to neurotoxicity and how various antioxidants can
modulate or prevent this oxidative stress and neuronal death. For
example, the figure, illustrating result
s from confocal laser fluorescence microscopy, shows how Ab
leads to ROS formation in neurons, but the free radical antioxidant
vitamin E markedly inhibits this oxidation. Insight into the molecular
basis for and potential therapeutic interventions in aging and
age-related neurodegenerative disorders is envisaged from our research.
Our laboratory is the first to use proteomics to identify
oxidatively modified brain proteins in subjects with AD and, arguably,
its earliest form, mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Proteins identified
have provided new insights into molecular processes involved in
mechanisms of neuronal death in and progression of AD.
Ab(1-42) Added to Neurons Induces ROS That Are Blocked by Vitamin E |
