Anastazja Gorecki

BSc (Hons)
Lecturer

Email: anastazja.gorecki@nd.edu.au
Phone: 9433 0906

  • Biography

    Anastazja is a PhD candidate investigating the gut in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis at the University of Western Australia and the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science. She majored in Neuroscience and Human Biology & Anatomy in her undergraduate studies at UWA. Anastazja has experience in clinical and pre-clinical research, and recently returned from a Fulbright Scholarship at Johns Hopkins University where she learned how to grow and study intestinal organoids. Her research interests include the gut-brain axis, nutrition, the effect of modifiable lifestyle factors on physical and mental health, and the intersection between human health and environmental sustainability.

  • Teaching Areas

    • Neuroscience
    • Neurological and Neurodegenerative Diseases
    • Human Anatomy and Physiology
    • Gastroneuroenterology
    • Academic Research and Writing

  • Research Expertise and Supervision

    Research Expertise:

    • Parkinson's disease
    • Gut-brain axis
    • Protein aggregation

    Research Supervision: Anastazja has current research students in neurodegenerative diseases, gut-brain axis and gut health.

    Past students:

    • 2021 Honours (First Class): Sophie Massy - The Involvement of Enteroendocrine Cells and Alpha-Synuclein Transmission in the Initiation of Parkinson's Disease

  • Journal Articles and Proceedings

    • Gorecki, A.M., Dunlop, S.A., Rodger, J. and Anderton, R.S., 2020. The gut-brain axis and gut inflammation in Parkinson’s disease: stopping neurodegeneration at the toll gate. Expert opinion on therapeutic targets, 24(7), pp.601-604.
    • Gorecki, A.M., Bakeberg, M.C., Theunissen, F., Kenna, J.E., Hoes, M.E., Pfaff, A.L., Akkari, P.A., Dunlop, S.A., Kõks, S., Mastaglia, F.L. and Anderton, R.S., 2020. Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with gut homeostasis influence risk and age-at-onset of Parkinson's disease. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 12, p.404.
    • Gorecki, A.M., Anyaegbu, C.C. and Anderton, R.S., 2021. TLR2 and TLR4 in Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis: the environment takes a toll on the gut. Translational Neurodegeneration, 10(1), pp.1-19.
    • Gorecki, A.M., Preskey, L., Bakeberg, M.C., Kenna, J.E., Gildenhuys, C., MacDougall, G., Dunlop, S.A., Mastaglia, F.L., Akkari, P.A., Koengten, F. and Anderton, R.S., 2019. Altered gut microbiome in Parkinson’s disease and the influence of lipopolysaccharide in a human α-synuclein over-expressing mouse model. Frontiers in neuroscience, p.839.
    • Bakeberg, M.C., Gorecki, A.M., Kenna, J.E., Jefferson, A., Byrnes, M., Ghosh, S., Horne, M.K., McGregor, S., Stell, R., Walters, S. and Chivers, P., 2021. Differential effects of sex on longitudinal patterns of cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of neurology, 268(5), pp.1903-1912.
    • Bakeberg, M.C., Gorecki, A.M., Pfaff, A.L., Hoes, M.E., Kõks, S., Akkari, P.A., Mastaglia, F.L. and Anderton, R.S., 2021. TOMM40 ‘523’poly-T repeat length is a determinant of longitudinal cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease. npj Parkinson's Disease, 7(1), pp.1-9.
    • Bakeberg, M.C., Gorecki, A.M., Kenna, J.E., Jefferson, A., Byrnes, M., Ghosh, S., Horne, M.K., McGregor, S., Stell, R., Walters, S. and Mastaglia, F.L., 2021. Elevated HDL levels linked to poorer cognitive ability in females with Parkinson’s disease. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 13, p.287.
    • Seewoo, B.J., Chua, E.G., Arena-Foster, Y., Hennessy, L.A., Gorecki, A.M., Anderton, R. and Rodger, J., 2022. Changes in the rodent gut microbiome following chronic restraint stress and low-intensity rTMS. Neurobiology of stress, 17, p.100430.
    • Kenna, J.E., Bakeberg, M.C., Gorecki, A.M., Chin Yen Tay, A., Winter, S., Mastaglia, F.L. and Anderton, R.S., 2021. Characterization of gastrointestinal symptom type and severity in Parkinson's disease: a case–control study in an Australian cohort. Movement disorders clinical practice, 8(2), pp.245-253.
    • Bakeberg, M.C., Hoes, M.E., Gorecki, A.M., Theunissen, F., Pfaff, A.L., Kenna, J.E., Plunkett, K., Kõks, S., Akkari, P.A., Mastaglia, F.L. and Anderton, R.S., 2021. The TOMM40 ‘523’polymorphism in disease risk and age of symptom onset in two independent cohorts of Parkinson’s disease. Scientific reports, 11(1), pp.1-9.
    • Kenna, J. E., Chua, E. G., Bakeberg, M., Tay, A., McGregor, S., Gorecki, A., Horne, M., Marshall, B., Mastaglia, F. L., & Anderton, R. S. (2021). Changes in the Gut Microbiome and Predicted Functional Metabolic Effects in an Australian Parkinson's Disease Cohort. Front Neurosci, 15, 756951. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.756951

  • Conference Papers

    • Gorecki, A., Preskey, L., Bakeberg, M., Kenna, J., Gildenhuys, C., Dunlop, S., . . . Anderton, R. (2019). Gut Feelings about Parkinson's Disease: The Influence of the Gut Microbiota in Patients and a Rodent Model. International Movement Disorders Congress; Nice, France 2019.
    • Kenna, J., McGregor, S., Pazmunoz, E., Bakeberg, M., Horne, M., Tay, A., Gorecki, A. … Anderton, R. Does the truth lie within the gut? Investigating the gut microbiome in an Australian cohort of Parkinson’s disease patients. International Movement Disorders Congress; Nice, France, 2019.
    • Gorecki, A., Bakeberg, M., Hoes, M., Ford, A., Ouliel, E., Kenna, J., . . . Anderton, R. Variation in bacterial sensing peptidoglycan recognition proteins modulates age-of-onset in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Australasian Neuroscience Society Annual Scientific Meeting; Adelaide, Australia, 2019.
    • Gorecki, A., Bakeberg, M., Hoes, M., Ford, A., Ouliel, E., Kenna, J., . . . Anderton, R. Variation in bacterial sensing peptidoglycan recognition proteins modulates age-of-onset in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Symposium of WA Neuroscience; Best Poster Award, Early PhD Category; Perth, Australia, 2019.
    • Gorecki, A., Kenna, E., Gildenhuys, C., Ghosh, S., Bakeberg, M., Mastaglia, F., Anderton, R. Gut Feelings about Parkinson’s Disease: Gut Microbial Diversity and Abundance are related to Motor Symptom Severity in an Australian Cohort. Symposium for West Australian Neuroscience; Perth, Australia, 2019.
    • Kenna, J., Bakeberg, M., Gorecki, A., Ghosh, S., Mastaglia, G., Anderton, R. Gastrointestinal symptom severity is greater and independent of disease course and severity in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Symposium for West Australian Neuroscience; Perth, Australia, 2019.
    • Hoes, M., Akkari, A., Bakeberg, M., Ford, A., Gorecki, A., Anderton, R. Alzheimer’s disease-associated poly-T in TOMM40 is not a significant risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. Symposium of West Australian Neuroscience; Perth, Australia, 2019.
    • Bakeberg, M., Byrnes, M., Ghosh, S., Mastaglia, F., Stell, R., Gorecki, A. … Anderton, R. Cholesterol-related gene is associated with longitudinal cognitive decline in an Australian cohort of Parkinson’s disease patients. Symposium for West Australian Neuroscience; Perth, Australia, 2019.

  • Awards

    • Fulbright Future Scholar 2021, based in the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.