Elizabeth A Thomas
Researcher, Neurobiology and Behavior
School of Biological Sciences
School of Biological Sciences
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 1994, Pharmacology
B.A., UC Berkeley, 1989, Biochemistry
B.A., UC Berkeley, 1989, Biochemistry
Email: e.thomas@uci.edu
University of California, Irvine
1412 Biological Sciences III
Mail Code: 3957
Irvine, CA 92697
1412 Biological Sciences III
Mail Code: 3957
Irvine, CA 92697
Research Interests
Biomarkers, epigenetics, psychiatric disorders, neurodegenerative conditions
Research Abstract
My current research program seeks to identify and characterize biochemical, molecular and epigenetic biomarkers in human populations with neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder. These studies utilize a variety of human biospecimens, including post-mortem brain tissue, whole blood, saliva and serum, with techniques ranging from immunoassays to DNA methylation studies. Areas of focus include DNA methylation, oxidative stress, inflammation and neurotrophic factors. Overall, the goals of my discovery and translational research studies are to improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of patients with these devastating disorders.
Publications
(Past 5 years)
Robinson, D.M., Edwards, K., Willoughby, M.T., Hamilton, K.R., Blair, C.B., Granger, D.A., Thomas, E.A. Increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adolescents with high salivary levels of copper, manganese, and zinc. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, In press
Parkin, G.M., Thomas, E.A. and Corey-Bloom, J. Plasma NFL as a prognostic biomarker for enriching HD-ISS stage 1 categorization: A Cross-Sectional Study. eBioMedicine, 93:104646 (2023).
Granger, D.A.. Parkin, G.P., Buspavanich, P., Findeisen, P., Rietschel, M., McCarthy, M.J., Thomas, E.A. Rapid detection of lithium concentrations in oral fluid. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, 45:813-816 (2023)
Gatzke-Kopp, L.M., Riis, J., Piccerillo, H., Ahmadi, H., Granger, D.A., Blair, C.B., Thomas, E.A. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure is associated with increased levels of metals in children’s saliva. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 33:903-910 (2023)
Parkin, G.M, Corey-Bloom, J., Snell, C., Smith, H., Laurenza, A., Daldin, M., Bresciani, A., Thomas, E.A. Salivary Huntingtin protein is uniquely associated with clinical features of Huntington’s Disease. Scientific Reports, Scientific Reports, 13:1034 (2023).
Parkin, G.M. and Thomas, E. A. Provider Perspectives on the Current Use of Lithium Medications and Lithium Monitoring Practices for Psychiatric Conditions. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 18:2083-2093 (2022).
Parkin, G.M., Kim, S., Mikhail, A., Malhas, R., McMillan, L., Hollearn, M., Granger, D.A., Mapstone, M., Yassa, M.A., Thomas, E.A. Associations between saliva and plasma cytokines and YKL-40 in cognitively-normal, older adults. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. doi: 10.1007/s40520-022-02292-9 (2022).
Parkin, G.M., Corey-Bloom, J., Long, J.D., Snell, C., Smith, H. Thomas, E.A. Associations between prognostic index scores and plasma neurofilament light in Huntington's disease. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 97:25-28 (2022).
Monroe, D.C., Thomas, E.A., Cecchi, N.J., Granger, D.A., Hicks, J.W., Small, S.L. Salivary S100 Calcium-Binding Protein Beta (S100B) and Neurofilament Light (NfL) after Acute Exposure to Repeated Head Impacts in Collegiate Water Polo Players. Scientific Reports, 12:3439 (2022).
Parkin, G.M., McCarthy, M.J., Thein, S.H. Piccerillo, H.L., Warikoo, N., Granger, D.A, Thomas, E.A. Saliva testing as a means to monitor therapeutic lithium levels in patients with psychiatric disorders: identification of clinical and environmental covariates, and their incorporation into a prediction model. Bipolar Disorders, 23:679-688 (2021).
Parkin, G.M., Corey-Bloom, J., Snell, C., Castleton, J., Thomas, E.A. Plasma neurofilament light in Huntington's disease: a marker for disease onset, but not symptom progression. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 87:32-38 (2021).
Corey-Bloom, J., Fischer, R.S., Kim, A., Snell, C., Parkin, G.M., Granger, D.A., Granger, S.W. Thomas, E.A. Levels of interleukin-6 in saliva, but not plasma, correlate with clinical metrics in Huntington’s disease patients and healthy control subjects. International Journal of Molecular Science, 21:6363 (2020).
Corey-Bloom, J., Haque, A., Aboufadel, S., Snell, C., Fischer, R., Granger, S.W., Granger, D.A. Thomas, E.A. Uric acid as a potential peripheral biomarker for disease features in Huntington’s patients. Frontiers in Neuroscience 14:73 (2020).
Gutierrez, A. Corey-Bloom, J., Desplats, P., Thomas, E.A. Evaluation of biochemical and epigenetic measures of peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a biomarker in Huntington’s disease patients. Frontiers in Mol. Neurosci. 12:335 (2020).
Ekholm-Reed, S. Baker, R.W., Campos, A.R., Stouffer, D., Henze1, M., Wolf, D.A., Loring, J.F. Thomas, E.A., Reed, S.I. Reducing Mcl-1 gene dosage induces dopaminergic neuronal loss and motor impairments in Park2 knockout mice. Communications Biology, 2:125 (2019).
Corey-Bloom, J., Haque, A.S., Park, S., Nathan, A.S., Baker, R.W., Thomas, E.A. Salivary levels of total huntingtin are elevated in Huntington's disease patients. Sci Rep. 8:7371 (2018).
Thomas, E.A., D’Mello, S. Complex neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects of histone deacetylases. J. Neurochem. 145:96-110 (2018).
Dean, B., Gibbons, A., Gogos, A., Udawela, M., Thomas, E.A. and Scarr, E. Studies on prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1: Lower levels in schizophrenia and after treatment with antipsychotic drugs in conjunction with aspirin. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 21:216-225 (2018).
Robinson, D.M., Edwards, K., Willoughby, M.T., Hamilton, K.R., Blair, C.B., Granger, D.A., Thomas, E.A. Increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adolescents with high salivary levels of copper, manganese, and zinc. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, In press
Parkin, G.M., Thomas, E.A. and Corey-Bloom, J. Plasma NFL as a prognostic biomarker for enriching HD-ISS stage 1 categorization: A Cross-Sectional Study. eBioMedicine, 93:104646 (2023).
Granger, D.A.. Parkin, G.P., Buspavanich, P., Findeisen, P., Rietschel, M., McCarthy, M.J., Thomas, E.A. Rapid detection of lithium concentrations in oral fluid. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, 45:813-816 (2023)
Gatzke-Kopp, L.M., Riis, J., Piccerillo, H., Ahmadi, H., Granger, D.A., Blair, C.B., Thomas, E.A. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure is associated with increased levels of metals in children’s saliva. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 33:903-910 (2023)
Parkin, G.M, Corey-Bloom, J., Snell, C., Smith, H., Laurenza, A., Daldin, M., Bresciani, A., Thomas, E.A. Salivary Huntingtin protein is uniquely associated with clinical features of Huntington’s Disease. Scientific Reports, Scientific Reports, 13:1034 (2023).
Parkin, G.M. and Thomas, E. A. Provider Perspectives on the Current Use of Lithium Medications and Lithium Monitoring Practices for Psychiatric Conditions. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 18:2083-2093 (2022).
Parkin, G.M., Kim, S., Mikhail, A., Malhas, R., McMillan, L., Hollearn, M., Granger, D.A., Mapstone, M., Yassa, M.A., Thomas, E.A. Associations between saliva and plasma cytokines and YKL-40 in cognitively-normal, older adults. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. doi: 10.1007/s40520-022-02292-9 (2022).
Parkin, G.M., Corey-Bloom, J., Long, J.D., Snell, C., Smith, H. Thomas, E.A. Associations between prognostic index scores and plasma neurofilament light in Huntington's disease. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 97:25-28 (2022).
Monroe, D.C., Thomas, E.A., Cecchi, N.J., Granger, D.A., Hicks, J.W., Small, S.L. Salivary S100 Calcium-Binding Protein Beta (S100B) and Neurofilament Light (NfL) after Acute Exposure to Repeated Head Impacts in Collegiate Water Polo Players. Scientific Reports, 12:3439 (2022).
Parkin, G.M., McCarthy, M.J., Thein, S.H. Piccerillo, H.L., Warikoo, N., Granger, D.A, Thomas, E.A. Saliva testing as a means to monitor therapeutic lithium levels in patients with psychiatric disorders: identification of clinical and environmental covariates, and their incorporation into a prediction model. Bipolar Disorders, 23:679-688 (2021).
Parkin, G.M., Corey-Bloom, J., Snell, C., Castleton, J., Thomas, E.A. Plasma neurofilament light in Huntington's disease: a marker for disease onset, but not symptom progression. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 87:32-38 (2021).
Corey-Bloom, J., Fischer, R.S., Kim, A., Snell, C., Parkin, G.M., Granger, D.A., Granger, S.W. Thomas, E.A. Levels of interleukin-6 in saliva, but not plasma, correlate with clinical metrics in Huntington’s disease patients and healthy control subjects. International Journal of Molecular Science, 21:6363 (2020).
Corey-Bloom, J., Haque, A., Aboufadel, S., Snell, C., Fischer, R., Granger, S.W., Granger, D.A. Thomas, E.A. Uric acid as a potential peripheral biomarker for disease features in Huntington’s patients. Frontiers in Neuroscience 14:73 (2020).
Gutierrez, A. Corey-Bloom, J., Desplats, P., Thomas, E.A. Evaluation of biochemical and epigenetic measures of peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a biomarker in Huntington’s disease patients. Frontiers in Mol. Neurosci. 12:335 (2020).
Ekholm-Reed, S. Baker, R.W., Campos, A.R., Stouffer, D., Henze1, M., Wolf, D.A., Loring, J.F. Thomas, E.A., Reed, S.I. Reducing Mcl-1 gene dosage induces dopaminergic neuronal loss and motor impairments in Park2 knockout mice. Communications Biology, 2:125 (2019).
Corey-Bloom, J., Haque, A.S., Park, S., Nathan, A.S., Baker, R.W., Thomas, E.A. Salivary levels of total huntingtin are elevated in Huntington's disease patients. Sci Rep. 8:7371 (2018).
Thomas, E.A., D’Mello, S. Complex neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects of histone deacetylases. J. Neurochem. 145:96-110 (2018).
Dean, B., Gibbons, A., Gogos, A., Udawela, M., Thomas, E.A. and Scarr, E. Studies on prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1: Lower levels in schizophrenia and after treatment with antipsychotic drugs in conjunction with aspirin. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 21:216-225 (2018).
Grants
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) 2022-2023 “Salivary neurofilament light and YKL-40 as prognostic biomarkers of cognitive decline”.
Role: PI.
Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation 2019-2024
“Saliva lithium monitoring in patients with psychiatric disorders”
Role: PI.
National Institutes of Health, 4UH3OD023332-03; PI: Blair 2019-2023
“Early Life Stress and the Environmental Origins of Disease: a population-based
Prospective Longitudinal Study of Children in Rural Poverty (ECHO)”
Role: Co-I.
UCI Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS)/ 2023-2024
National Institutes of Health
“Assessment of relationships among sleep quality, memory, and salivary biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, glial activation, and neurodegeneration biomarkers”
Role: co-I; PI: Mander.
UCI Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS)/ 2022-2023
National Institutes of Health
“Salivary cytokines as indicators of early cognitive decline”
Role: PI.
Other Experience
Associate Professor, Adjunct
The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute
Research Centers
Interdisciplinary Institute of Salivary Bioscience Research
Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=6887
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=6887
Last updated
02/03/2024
02/03/2024