Allyson C. Potter
Papers
1
Total Citations
72
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1
About
Allyson C. Potter is a geneticist whose work bridges developmental biology and neurodegeneration, with a primary focus on understanding the genetic underpinnings of movement disorders and sensory deficits. Her most cited study, a landmark 2003 paper on the "robotic" mouse mutant, has garnered 72 citations and remains a foundational reference in cerebellar research. In this work, Potter identified a mutation in the *Af4* gene as the cause of a striking phenotype: an ataxic, jerky gait accompanied by adult-onset Purkinje cell loss in a region-specific pattern, as well as cataracts. By combining genetic and physical mapping with a large-scale chemical mutagenesis screen, she demonstrated how a single gene defect can produce both neurological and ocular pathology. This contribution not only provided a valuable mouse model for studying cerebellar degeneration and ataxia but also highlighted the pleiotropic roles of *Af4* in neural development and lens integrity. Potter’s research exemplifies how forward genetic approaches in mice can uncover disease mechanisms relevant to human conditions, making her work essential reading for students and researchers investigating inherited ataxias, neurodegeneration, and gene-environment interactions in the nervous system.
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