Positions

Overview

  • Dr. Amara graduated from the Medical College of Georgia with MD and PhD, with distinction. She then completed neurology residency as well as fellowship training in Movement Disorders and Sleep Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She is currently as Associate Professor at UAB.

    • Selected Publications

    Academic Article

    Year Title Altmetric
    2021 The TCR repertoire of α-synuclein-specific T cells in Parkinson’s disease is surprisingly diverse.  Scientific Reports.  11. 2021
    2021 Fat mass loss correlates with faster disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: Exploring the utility of dual-energy xray absorptiometry in a prospective study.  PLoS ONE.  16. 2021
    2021 The effects of exercise on sleep quality in persons with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review with meta-analysis.  Sleep Medicine Reviews.  55. 2021
    2021 Dopamine transporter imaging predicts clinically-defined α-synucleinopathy in REM sleep behavior disorder.  Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.  8:201-212. 2021
    2021 Slow Wave Sleep and EEG Delta Spectral Power are Associated with Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease.  Journal of Parkinson's Disease.  11:703-714. 2021
    2020 α-Synuclein-specific T cell reactivity is associated with preclinical and early Parkinson’s disease.  Nature Communications.  11. 2020
    2020 Sleep and cognition in Parkinson's disease.  Sleep Medicine.  73:179-180. 2020
    2020 Effects of exercise on sleep in neurodegenerative disease.  Neurobiology of Disease.  140. 2020
    2020 Reply to: Exercise for “Sleep Rehabilitation” in Parkinson's Disease.  Movement Disorders.  35:1286. 2020
    2020 Randomized, Controlled Trial of Exercise on Objective and Subjective Sleep in Parkinson's Disease.  Movement Disorders.  35:947-958. 2020
    2020 Does restless legs syndrome impact cognitive function via sleep quality in adults with Parkinson’s disease?.  International Journal of Neuroscience.  130:322-329. 2020
    2020 Practical Evaluation and Management of Insomnia in Parkinson's Disease: A Review.  Movement Disorders Clinical Practice.  7:250-266. 2020
    2019 Basic clinical features do not predict dopamine transporter binding in idiopathic REM behavior disorder.  npj Parkinson's Disease.  5. 2019
    2019 Feasibility and utility of a clinician dashboard from wearable and mobile application Parkinson’s disease data.  npj Digital Medicine.  2. 2019
    2019 Motor phenotype classification in moderate to advanced PD in BioFIND study.  Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.  65:178-183. 2019
    2019 Self-reported physical activity levels and clinical progression in early Parkinson's disease.  Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.  61:118-125. 2019
    2019 Widespread tau-specific CD4 T cell reactivity in the general population.  Journal of Immunology.  203:84-92. 2019
    2018 The Parkinson's progression markers initiative (PPMI) – establishing a PD biomarker cohort.  Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.  5:1460-1477. 2018
    2018 Deep brain stimulation and sleep-wake disturbances in parkinson disease: A review.  Frontiers in Neurology.  9. 2018
    2018 Transform with no Parameters Based on Extrema Points for Non-stationary Signal Analysis 2018
    2018 Cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, and saliva in the BioFIND study: Relationships among biomarkers and Parkinson's disease Features.  Movement Disorders.  33:282-288. 2018
    2018 A feasibility study of combined intermittent theta burst stimulation and modified constraint-induced aphasia therapy in chronic post-stroke aphasia.  Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience.  36:503-518. 2018
    2018 Effects of Exercise on Non-motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease 2018
    2017 High-intensity exercise acutely increases substantia nigra and prefrontal brain activity in parkinson’s disease 2017
    2017 Pedestrian safety in patients with Parkinson's disease: A case-control study.  Movement Disorders.  32:1748-1755. 2017
    2017 A systematic review of the literature on disorders of sleep and wakefulness in Parkinson's disease from 2005 to 2015.  Sleep Medicine Reviews.  35:33-50. 2017
    2017 Longitudinal assessment of excessive daytime sleepiness in early Parkinson's disease.  Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.  88:653-662. 2017
    2017 Treatment of Sleep Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease.  Current Treatment Options in Neurology.  19. 2017
    2017 The effect of unilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on depression in Parkinson's disease.  Brain Stimulation.  10:651-656. 2017
    2017 Effects of Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation on Objective Sleep Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease.  Movement Disorders Clinical Practice.  4:183-190. 2017
    2016 The BioFIND study: Characteristics of a clinically typical Parkinson's disease biomarker cohort.  Movement Disorders.  31:924-932. 2016
    2016 Refractory status epilepticus and glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies in adults: Presentation, treatment and outcomes 2016
    2016 Longitudinal changes in cognition in early Parkinson's disease patients with REM sleep behavior disorder.  Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.  27:102-106. 2016
    2015 Correlates of excessive daytime sleepiness in de novo Parkinson's disease: A case control study.  Movement Disorders.  30:1371-1381. 2015
    2015 Prevalence and characteristics of tremor in the NARCOMS multiple sclerosis registry: A cross-sectional survey.  BMJ Open.  5. 2015
    2013 The relationship between clinical phenotype and early staged bilateral deep brain stimulation in Parkinson disease: Clinical article.  Journal of Neurosurgery.  119:1530-1536. 2013
    2013 Metabolomics and the search for biomarkers in Parkinson's disease.  Movement Disorders.  28:1620-1621. 2013
    2012 Unilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation improves sleep quality in Parkinson's disease.  Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.  18:63-68. 2012
    2011 Challenges in diagnosis of isolated central nervous system vasculitis.  Brain and Behavior.  1:57-61. 2011
    2011 The effects of deep brain stimulation on sleep in Parkinson’s disease.  Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders.  4:15-24. 2011
    2004 Mutant p53 exerts a dominant negative effect by preventing wild-type p53 from binding to the promoter of its target genes.  Oncogene.  23:2330-2338. 2004
    2003 p73 can suppress the proliferation of cells that express mutant p53.  Oncogene.  22:5481-5495. 2003
    2003 Characterization of p73 functional domains necessary for transactivation and growth suppression.  Oncogene.  22:4333-4347. 2003
    2003 Isolation and characterization of fourteen novel putative and nine known target genes of the p53 family.  Cancer Biology and Therapy.  2:56-63. 2003
    2002 The promise and obstacle of p53 as a cancer therapeutic agent.  Current Molecular Medicine.  2:329-345. 2002
    1999 The biochemical role of glutamine 188 in human galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase.  Journal of Biological Chemistry.  274:6559-6566. 1999

    Chapter

    Year Title Altmetric
    2021 Clinical Trials for Sleep Disorders and Daytime Somnolence in Parkinson’s Disease.  271-291. 2021
    2015 Impact of surgical therapies on sleep and alertness in Parkinson’s disease.  195-207. 2015

    Research Overview

  • My major research interests include investigation of the impact of exercise on sleep, cognition, motor outcomes, and functional connectivity in patients with Parkinson’s disease. I have also investigated the influence of deep brain stimulation and other therapies on sleep in these patients. My lab also studies the effects of cognitive training (speed of processing training) on pedestrian safety, cognition, and visual processing in patients with Parkinson’s disease and healthy older adults. In addition, I am site investigator for multi-site studies evaluating biomarkers and investigational therapies in patients with Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

    • Principal Investigator On

  • A Dose Selection Trial of Light Therapy for Impaired Sleep in Parkinson's Disease  awarded by MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
  • Adaptive Immunity in the Etiology and Progression of Parkinson’s disease  awarded by LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY
  • Clinician-input Study: How the Fox Wearable Companion Mobile Application can Influence Treatment and Care (CIS-PD)  awarded by Fox (Michael J.) Foundation for Parkinson's Research
  • Development of T Cell-Based Biomarkers for Autoimmunity in Parkinson's Disease  awarded by LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY
  • Development of T Cell-Based Biomarkers for Autoimmunity in Parkinson's Disease  awarded by LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY
  • Fox Investigation for New Discovery of Biomarkers (BioFIND)  awarded by Fox (Michael J.) Foundation for Parkinson's Research
  • Impact of a Novel Exercise Intervention on Executive Function and Sleep in Patients with Parkinson's Disease  awarded by Parkinson's Disease Foundation
  • Private Grant  awarded by AXOVANT SCIENCES, INC. - NEW
  • Private Grant  awarded by AXOVANT SCIENCES, INC. - NEW
  • Private Grant  awarded by JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
  • Private Grant  awarded by LILLY USA, LLC
  • Slow Wave Sleep as a Biomarker of Rehabilitation-Induced Cognitive Improvement in Parkinson's Disease  awarded by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/NIH/DHHS
  • The Effect of Low Frequency STN DBS on Sleep and Vigilance in PD Patients  awarded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/NIH/DHHS
  • The Effects of Lower and High Frequency Unilateral STN DBS on Sleep in Parkinson's Disease  awarded by American Sleep Medicine Foundation
  • The Heart-brain Connection, Neuroinflammation, and Cognitive Dysfunction in Older Adults  awarded by MCKNIGHT BRAIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION
  • The Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) 2.0 Clinical - Establishing a Deeply Phenotyped PD Cohort  awarded by Fox (Michael J.) Foundation for Parkinson's Research
  • The Systemic Synuclein Sampling Study (S4)  awarded by Fox (Michael J.) Foundation for Parkinson's Research
  • Web-Based Automated Imaging Differentiation of Parkinsonism  awarded by University of Florida

    • Investigator On

  • A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase IIa, Parallel Group, Two-Cohort Study to Define the Safety, Tolerability, Clinical and Exploratory Biological Activity of the Chronic Administration of Nilotinib in Participants with Parkinson’s Disease (PD)  awarded by Northwestern University
  • Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility  awarded by National Institute on Aging/NIH/DHHS
  • Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility - Core B: Pilot Core  awarded by National Institute on Aging/NIH/DHHS
  • Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Parkinson Disease  awarded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/NIH/DHHS
  • Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Parkinson Disease - Core B: Clinical Research Core  awarded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/NIH/DHHS
  • Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Parkinson Disease - Project 5: Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Lewy Body Dementia  awarded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/NIH/DHHS
  • Interactions of Gut Microbiome, Genetic Susceptibility and Environmental Factors in Parkinson's Disease  awarded by DOD - Department of Defense
  • Mechanisms of Refractory Hypertension  awarded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/NIH/DHHS
  • Phase 3 Trial of Inosine for Parkinson's Disease CCC  awarded by MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
  • Post-Stroke Aphasia and rTMS Treatment (PART) Study  awarded by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/NIH/DHHS
  • Private Grant  awarded by Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  • Private Grant  awarded by IMPAX LABORATORIES, INC.
  • Private Grant  awarded by ABBVIE INC
  • Private Grant  awarded by PHARMA TWO B. LTD
  • Private Grant  awarded by SERINA THERAPEUTICS ^
  • Private Grant  awarded by F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
  • Private Grant  awarded by BIOGEN IDEC, INC.
  • Private Grant  awarded by FUSION HEALTH LLC
  • Private Grant  awarded by F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
  • Restless Legs Syndrome and Physical Activity in Adults With Multiple Sclerosis  awarded by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/NIH/DHHS
  • SYN120 a Dual 5-HT6/5-HT2A Antagonist Proof of Concept Study to Evaluate its Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy in Parkinson's Disease Dementia (SYNAPSE)  awarded by MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
  • Sleep and Circadian Research Core (SCRC)  awarded by UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA HEALTH SERVICES FOUNDATION
  • Sleep for Stroke Management and Recovery Trial (Sleep SMART) Stroke Trial  awarded by University of Cincinnati
  • The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at the Parkinson Disease Foundation  awarded by National Parkinson Foundation, Inc.
  • The Parkinson's Progression Marker's Initiative (PPMI)  awarded by Fox (Michael J.) Foundation for Parkinson's Research
  • UAB Research and Education Program in Neuroscience  awarded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/NIH/DHHS

    • Education And Training

  • UAB Hospital, Internship
  • UAB Hospital, Residency
  • UAB Hospital, Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • UAB Hospital, Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • University of Alabama at Birmingham, Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Doctor of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia 2005
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Medical College of Georgia 2003
  • Bachelor's Degree in Medicine, Agnes Scott College 1998

    • Full Name

  • Amy Amara