Anastazja Gorecki

BSc (Hons, PhD)
Lecturer

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

  • Biography

    Dr Anastazja Gorecki is a Teaching and Research Scholar in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle. She completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) and PhD at the University of Western Australia, where her research focused on the gut–brain axis in Parkinson’s disease. As a Fulbright Scholar, she also undertook research training at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, expanding her expertise in neuroscience and gut health.

    At Notre Dame, she teaches across the Biomedical Sciences program, coordinating courses such as Academic Research and Writing, Microbiology, and Neuroscience. She is passionate about making her classes engaging and supportive, encouraging students to think critically and connect theory with real-world applications.

    Her research continues to explore the links between the gut and brain, including the emerging effects of microplastics on health. She enjoys mentoring students in research projects and sharing the excitement of discovery in the classroom and laboratory.

  • Teaching Areas

    • Biomedical sciences
    • Neuroscience
    • Microbiology
    • Academic Research and Writing

  • Research Expertise and Supervision

    • Gut-Brain Axis
    • Microplastics
    • Neurogenerative Conditions
    • Parkinson’s disease
    • Alpha-synuclein
    • Cell culture

  • Journal Articles and Proceedings

    • Sofield, C. E., Anderton, R. S., & Gorecki, A. M. (2024). Mind over microplastics: Exploring microplastic-induced gut disruption and gut–brain-axis consequences. Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 46(5), 4186–4202.
    • Sofield, C. E., Anderton, R. S., Anyaegbu, C. C., Chiu, L. S., Fuller, K. A., & Gorecki, A. M. (2025). Digestion of microplastics with simulated gastrointestinal conditions mitigates uptake by intestinal epithelial cells: Quantified by imaging flow cytometry. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 139816.
    • Gorecki, A. M., Preskey, L., Bakeberg, M. C., Kenna, J. E., Gildenhuys, C., MacDougall, G., ... & 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, 13, 839.
    • Gorecki, A. M., Dunlop, S. A., Rodger, J., & 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), 601–604.
    • Gorecki, A. M., Bakeberg, M. C., Theunissen, F., Kenna, J. E., Hoes, M. E., Pfaff, A. L., ... & Anderton, R. S. (2020). Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with gut homeostasis influence risk and age-at-onset of PD. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 12, 603849.
    • Gorecki, A. M., Anyaegbu, C. C., & Anderton, R. S. (2021). TLR2 and TLR4 in PD pathogenesis: The environment takes a toll on the gut. Translational Neurodegeneration, 10(1), 1–19.
    • Gorecki, A. M., Spencer, H., Meloni, B. P., & Anderton, R. S. (2023). The Poly-Arginine Peptide R18D interferes with the internalisation of α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils in STC-1 enteroendocrine cells. Biomedicines, 11(8), 2089.
    • Gorecki, A. M., Anyaegbu, C. C., Fitzgerald, M., Fuller, K. A., & Anderton, R. S. (2025). Imaging flow cytometry reveals LPS-induced changes to intracellular intensity and distribution of α-synuclein in a TLR4-dependent manner in STC-1 cells. Methods, 234, 93–111.
    • Gorecki, A. M., Slosberg, J., Hong, S. M., Seika, P., Puttapaka, S. N., Migden, B., ... & Kulkarni, S. (2025). Detection of mitotic neuroblasts provides additional evidence of steady-state neurogenesis in the adult small intestinal myenteric plexus. eNeuro, 12(3).
    • 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. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 15, 756951.
    • Kenna, J. E., Bakeberg, M. C., Gorecki, A. M., Chin Yen Tay, A., Winter, S., Mastaglia, F. L., & 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), 245–253.
    • Bakeberg, M. C., Gorecki, A. M., Kenna, J. E., Jefferson, A., Byrnes, M., Ghosh, S., ... & Anderton, R. S. (2021). Differential effects of sex on longitudinal patterns of cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurology, 268, 1903–1912.
    • Bakeberg, M. C., Gorecki, A. M., Pfaff, A. L., Hoes, M. E., Kõks, S., Akkari, P. A., ... & 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), 56.
    • Bakeberg, M. C., Hoes, M. E., Gorecki, A. M., Theunissen, F., Pfaff, A. L., Kenna, J. E., ... & 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), 6363.
    • Bakeberg, M. C., Gorecki, A. M., Kenna, J. E., Jefferson, A., Byrnes, M., Ghosh, S., ... & Anderton, R. S. (2021). Elevated HDL levels linked to poorer cognitive ability in females with Parkinson’s disease. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 13, 656623.
    • Seewoo, B. J., Chua, E. G., Arena-Foster, Y., Hennessy, L. A., Gorecki, A. M., Anderton, R., & Rodger, J. (2022). Changes in the rodent gut microbiome following chronic restraint stress and low-intensity rTMS. Neurobiology of Stress, 17, 100430.
    • Spencer, H., Gorecki, A., Foley, H., Phillips, L., Abonnel, M. Y., Meloni, B. P., & Anderton, R. S. (2023). Poly-Arginine R18 peptide inhibits heat-induced lysozyme protein aggregation: Implications for a possible therapeutic role in Parkinson’s disease. Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology, 59(1), 33–40.
    • Robinson, E. C., Gorecki, A. M., Pesce, S. R., Bagda, V., Anderton, R. S., & Meloni, B. P. (2025). Novel Poly-Arginine Peptide R18D reduces α-synuclein aggregation and uptake of α-synuclein seeds in cortical neurons. Biomedicines, 13(1), 122.

  • Conference Papers

    2024

    • Poster (First author): Investigating gut–microbe interactions and epithelial α-synuclein through human enteroid monolayers and imaging flow cytometry of enteroendocrine cells in vitro. Federation of European Neuroscience Societies Meeting, Vienna.Data Blitz (First author): From human genetics to epithelial α-synuclein: the gut–brain axis in Parkinson’s disease. Australasian Neuroscience Society (ANS) 2024.
    • Poster (Senior author): Plastic Perils: Investigating Microplastic Exposure in the Gut–brain Axis. Australasian Neuroscience Society (ANS) 2024.
    • Invited Talk (Senior author): Plastic Perils: Investigating Microplastic Exposure in the Gut–brain Axis. Health Research Symposium, University of Notre Dame.
    • Invited Talk (Senior author): Plastic Perils: Investigating Microplastic Exposure in the Gut–brain Axis. ASMR 2024, Perth. Best Early PhD Award.
    • Poster (First author): α-Synuclein is present in epithelial cells of the gut. Symposium of WA Neuroscience / Science on the Swan, Perth / UNDA Health Research Symposium.

    2023

    • Poster (First author): α-Synuclein protein expression in intestinal epithelial (IEC-6) and enteroendocrine (STC-1) cells and inhibition of cell internalisation of pre-formed fibrils by the poly-arginine peptide R18D. Symposium of WA Neuroscience. Best Late PhD Award.
    • Poster (First author): Science on the Swan, Perth.

    2021

    • Data Blitz (First author): The use of imaging flow cytometry to quantify LPS-induced changes to alpha-synuclein in enteroendocrine cells. Symposium of WA Neuroscience Virtual Meeting.
    • Talk (First author): The gut: a starting point for Parkinson’s disease. Perron Institute Annual Symposium, Perth.

    2020

    • Talk (First author): Exploring the gut and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Neurotechnology X Australia Online Panel Event.
    • Three-Minute Thesis (First author): The gut–brain highway in Parkinson’s disease: Stopping disease at the tollgate. Australasian Neuroscience Society Symposium / Perron Institute 3MT Competition, Perth. 3rd Place.
    • Talk (First author): Enteroendocrine cells express high levels of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein: a possible starting point for Parkinson’s disease. Symposium of WA Neuroscience Virtual Meeting.
    • Talk (First author): The gut as a starting point for Parkinson’s disease. UWA PGSA Research Week Symposium, Perth.

    2019

    • Poster (First author): Variation in bacterial sensing peptidoglycan recognition proteins modulates age-of-onset in patients with idiopathic
    • Parkinson’s disease. Symposium of WA Neuroscience, Perth. 1st Place, Early PhD Award.
    • Poster (First author): Altered gut microbiome in an Australian cohort of Parkinson’s disease, and the influence of bacterial endotoxin in an α-synuclein over-expressing mouse model. Australasian Neuroscience Society Scientific Meeting, Adelaide. Neurotrauma Research Program Student Travel Grant.
    • Poster (First author): Gut Feelings about Parkinson's Disease: The Influence of the Gut Microbiota in Patients and a Rodent Model. International Movement Disorders Congress, Nice.
    • Talk (First author): Gut Feelings about Parkinson’s Disease. Perron Institute Symposium, Perth.

    2018

    • Talk (First author): Gut Microbial Diversity and Abundance are related to Motor Symptom Severity in an Australian Cohort. Combined Biological Sciences Meeting, Perth.
    • Poster (First author): Symposium of WA Neuroscience, Perth. 1st Place, Honours Award.

  • Awards

    Anastazja has received a number of awards for her research, including a prestigious Fulbright Future Scholarship to train at Johns Hopkins University. Her work has also been supported by competitive grants and prizes that fund new projects and recognise her contributions at national and international conferences.