Associate Professor Johanna Montgomery
PhD (Physiology), University of Otago
Biography
Associate Professor Johanna Montgomery completed her PhD in Physiology at the University of Otago. She then performed her postdoctoral research at Stanford University USA, where her research focus was the plasticity of synapses in the hippocampus. She returned to New Zealand where she is Principal Investigator of the Synaptic Function Research Group in the Department of Physiology at the University of Auckland. Her research team focusses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie the physiology of synapses in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Her laboratory combines electrophysiology, molecular biology and imaging techniques to investigate how changes in synapse function could underlie developmental disorders such as Autism, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's Disease. Recently, her research has expanded to examine how neuronal, synapse and myocyte plasticity may contribute to normal and abnormal heart rhythm.
Lab webpage: Synaptic Function Research Group
Lab members
- Postdoctoral Fellows and Research Fellows: Dr Juliette Cheyne, Dr Annika Winbo, Dr Jesse Ashton, Dr Kevin Lee, Dr Yewon Jung, Dr Liam Argent, Dr Angelo Tedoldi
- PhD students: Yuktiben Vyas, Joscelin Smith, Giselle Wong
- Honours students: Fluer Fernandez, Hamish Skelton-Kyd
Teaching | Current
Course Director, Medsci 206: Introduction to Neuroscience
Course Director, Medsci 733: Advanced Methods in Cell Physiology
Currently teaching in:
Medsci 206: Introduction to Neuroscience
Medsci 317: Integrative Neuroscience
Medsci 727: Advanced Neuroscience
Medsci 733: Advanced Methods in Cell Physiology
Distinctions/Honours
2018: Physiological Society of New Zealand Excellence in Research Award
2016: Royal Society London Colin Pillinger International Exchanges Award
2015: Kellaway Medical Research Fellowship
2015: DAAD Research Stay Award, Germany
2010: Rand Research Award, Colwin Research Award, Marine Biological Laboratory, USA.
2007: University of Auckland Early Career Research Excellence Award
2005: Eppendorf and Science International Prize for Neurobiology, Finalist Award
2005: Fulbright New Zealand Award
2001: Servier Distinguished Young Investigator Award, presented by the International Union of Physiological Scientists
2000: Kathryn MacCormack Scholarship (Stanford University)
1998: Goddard Prize, Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research
Areas of expertise
Electrophysiology (whole cell patch clamp) and cell biology.
Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)
- Vyas, Y., Lee, K., Jung, Y., & Montgomery, J. M. (2020). Influence of maternal zinc supplementation on the development of autism-associated behavioural and synaptic deficits in offspring Shank3-knockout mice. Molecular brain, 13 (1)10.1186/s13041-020-00650-0
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Yukti Vyas, Kevin Lee - Sigalas, C., Cremer, M., Winbo, A., Bose, S. J., Ashton, J. L., Bub, G., ... Burton, R. A. B. (2020). Combining tissue engineering and optical imaging approaches to explore interactions along the neuro-cardiac axis. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE, 7 (6)10.1098/rsos.200265
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Annika Winbo, Jesse Ashton - Sigalas, C., Cremer, M., Winbo, A., Bose, S. J., Ashton, J. L., Bub, G., ... Burton, R. A. B. (2020). Combining tissue engineering and optical imaging approaches to explore interactions along the neuro-cardiac axis: Neuro-cardiac research. Royal Society Open Science, 7 (6).10.1098/rsos.200265rsos200265
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jesse Ashton, Annika Winbo - Cheyne, J. E., & Montgomery, J. M. (2020). The cellular and molecular basis of in vivo synaptic plasticity in rodents. American journal of physiology. Cell physiology, 318 (6), C1264-C1283. 10.1152/ajpcell.00416.2019
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Juliette Cheyne - Ashton, J. L., Argent, L., Smith, J. E. G., Jin, S., Sands, G. B., Smaill, B. H., & Montgomery, J. M. (2020). Evidence of structural and functional plasticity occurring within the intracardiac nervous system of spontaneously hypertensive rats. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 318 (6), H1387-H1400. 10.1152/ajpheart.00020.2020
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jesse Ashton, Liam Argent, Gregory Sands, Bruce Smaill - Winbo, A., Ashton, J. L., & Montgomery, J. M. (2020). Neuroscience in the heart: Recent advances in neurocardiac communication and its role in cardiac arrhythmias. The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology, 12210.1016/j.biocel.2020.105737
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jesse Ashton, Annika Winbo - Vyas, Y., Montgomery, J. M., & Cheyne, J. E. (2020). Hippocampal Deficits in Amyloid-beta-Related Rodent Models of Alzheimer's Disease. FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE, 1410.3389/fnins.2020.00266
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Yukti Vyas, Juliette Cheyne - Lee, K., Park, T. I.-H., Heppner, P., Schweder, P., Mee, E. W., Dragunow, M., & Montgomery, J. M. (2020). Human in vitro systems for examining synaptic function and plasticity in the brain. Journal of neurophysiology, 123 (3), 945-965. 10.1152/jn.00411.2019
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Thomas Park, Kevin Lee, Michael Dragunow
Contact details
- +64 9 923 9828
- +64.9.923.9828
- jm.montgomery@auckland.ac.nz
- Media Contact
Primary office location
M&HS BUILDING 502 - Bldg 502
Level 4, Room 403
85 PARK RD
GRAFTON
AUCKLAND 1023
New Zealand