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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine

headshot of Janna Jernigan Posey


Janna Jernigan Posey, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow


Bio

Janna Jernigan Posey, PhD, joined the Tansey Lab at the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2025. She is a postdoctoral research fellow and T32 training grant appointee in the Training Grant on Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias at the Stark Neuroscience Research Institute. Dr. Jernigan Posey’s research focuses on investigating chronic systemin inflammation and the central-peripheral inflammatory axis in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Jernigan Posey received her bachelor's degree in biology and psychology from the University of Georgia and then completed her PhD at the University of Florida. Across these institutions, her research centered on understanding how metabolic and chronic inflammatory stressors impact central and peripheral immune responses pertinent to the development of downstream neuropathology. Moreover, Dr. Jernigan Posey’s work examined how changes in relevant immunoregulatory proteins, such as RGS10, influenced the development of potential disease relevant immunophenotypes. 

Year Degree   Institution
 2025  Postdoctoral Fellowship  Indiana University School of Medicine 
 2024  PhD  University of Florida
 2020  BS  University of Georgia

Kline, E.M., Jernigan, J.E., Scharer, C.D., Maurer, J., Hicks, S.L., Herrick, M.K., Wallings, R.L., Kelly, S.D., Chang, J., Menees, K.B., Mcfarland, N.R., Boss, J.M., Tansey, M.G., Joers, V., 2025. MHCII reduction is insufficient to protect mice from alpha-synuclein-induced degeneration and the Parkinson’s HLA locus exhibits epigenetic regulation. Scientific Reports 15..https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95679-3

Jernigan, J.E., Staley, H.A., Baty, Z., Bolen, M.L., Gomes, B.N., Holt, J., Cole, C.L., Neighbarger, N.K., Dheeravath, K., Merchak, A.R., Menees, K.B., Coombes, S.A., Tansey, M.G., 2025. RGS10 attenuates systemic immune dysregulation induced by chronic inflammatory stress. Journal of Neuroinflammation 22.. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-024-03322-1

Bolen, M.L., Gome,s B.N., Gill, B., Menees, K.B., Staley, H., Jernigan, J.E., McFarland, N.R., Zimmerman, E.M., Forsmark., C.E., Tansey, M.G., 2024.. Peripheral blood immune cells from individuals with Parkinson's disease or inflammatory bowel disease share deficits in iron storage and transport that are modulated by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Neurobiol Dis. Apr 2025;207:106794. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106794

Staley, H., Jernigan, J., Bolen, M., Titus, A., Neighbarger, N., Cole, C., Menees, K. B., Wallings, R. L., Tansey, M. Alzheimer’s disease-associated protective variant PLCG2-P522R modulates peripheral macrophage function in a sex-dimorphic manner and confers functional advantage in female mice. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 2024

Chung, J., Jernigan, J.E., Menees, K.B., Lee, J., RGS10 mitigates high glucose induced microglial inflammation via reactive oxidative stress pathway and enhances synuclein clearance in microglia. Frontiers Cellular Neuroscience, 2024

Boles, J.S., Kruger, M.E., Jernigan, J.E., Cole, C.L., Neighbarger, N.K., Huarte, O.U., Tansey, M.G., A leaky gut dysregulates gene networks in the brain associated with immune activation, oxidative stress, and myelination in a mouse model of colitis. Brain Behav Immun, 2024. 117: p. 473-492.

Menees, K.B.,Earls, R.H., Chung, J., Jernigan, J.E., Filipov, N.M., Carpenter, J.M., Lee, J., Sex- and age‐dependent alterations of splenic immune cell profile and NK cell phenotypes and function in C57BL/6J mice. Immunity & Ageing, 2021. 18(1): p. 3.

Rangaraju, S. Gao,T. Jernigan. J. Syed, A. R. Dammer, E. B. Xiao, H. Seyfried, N. T. Levey, A. L. (2019). Transcriptional regulation of homeostatic and disease associated-microglial genes by IRF1, LXRβ, and CEBPα. GLIA

 

Full List of Publications