Biography:Jenny Morton

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Jenny Morton

FRSB
Born
Anne Jennifer Morton

Kaikohe, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
Alma mater
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsNewnham College, Cambridge

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.

Early life and education

Morton 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

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

Morton'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

Morton is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB).[3]

Selected works

  • 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. 
  • 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): 767–767. doi:10.1038/nmeth1006-767. 
  • 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. 
  • Morton, A. J.; Avanzo, L.; Chapouthier, G. (31 January 2011). "Executive Decision-Making in the Domestic Sheep". PLoS ONE 6 (1): e15752. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015752. 
  • 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. 
  • Morton, A. J.; Rudiger, S. R.; Wood, N. I.; Sawiak, S. J.; Brown, G. C.; Mclaughlan, C. J.; Kuchel, T. R.; Snell, R. G. et al. (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. 

References

  1. ↑ Pellegrino, Nicky (22 October 2015). "Raising the Baa". Noted (Auckland). http://www.noted.co.nz/health/health/raising-the-baa/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Cambridge Professor Jenny Morton visits our Centre". The University of Auckland. 28 September 2015. https://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/en/faculty/cbr/news-and-events/news/cbr-news-2015/meet-visiting-seelye-fellow-professor-jenny-morton-.html. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Professor Jenny Morton". Newnham College. http://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/person/professor-jenny-morton/. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  4. ↑ "A Jennifer Morton". https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/369/bio. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  5. ↑ "Graces". Cambridge University Reporter CXXXIX (21). 18 February 2009. https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2008-09/weekly/6141/13.html. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Professor Jenny Morton". University of Cambridge. https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/directory/jenny-morton. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  7. ↑ "Appointments". Cambridge University Reporter CXXXVI (5). 2 November 2005. https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2005-06/weekly/6014/5.html. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  8. ↑ "OFFICERS IN INSTITUTIONS PLACED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE GENERAL BOARD – PROFESSORS". Cambridge University Reporter CXLVII (Special No 4): 11. 23 December 2016. https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2016-17/special/04/section3.shtml. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  9. ↑ "Visiting Seelye Fellow Professor Jenny Morton Public Lecture:An incredible journey – From Kaikohe to Cambridge". University of Auckland. 16 September 2015. https://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/en/faculty/about/news-and-events/events/2015/9/16/public_lecture.html. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Jenny Morton". https://royalsociety.org/people/jenny-morton-7717/. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Jenny Morton: brains and sheep". 19 September 2015. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201771312/jenny-morton-brains-and-sheep. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  12. ↑ "Professor Jenny Morton". University of Cambridge. http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/directory/profile.php?ajm41. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  13. ↑ "Sheep are able to recognise human faces from photographs". University of Cambridge. 8 November 2017. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/sheep-are-able-to-recognise-human-faces-from-photographs. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 
  14. ↑ Rincon, Paul (8 November 2017). "Sheep 'can recognise human faces'". BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41905652. Retrieved 8 November 2017. 




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