Rate My Professor Ping Liu

Professor Ping Liu is a professor in the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, at the University of Otago. She holds an MB from Anhui Medical University and a PhD from the University of Otago. Prior to her academic career in New Zealand, Liu worked as a geriatric physician in China for eight years. Her research investigates the neurobiological basis and interventions for age-related cognitive decline, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, and psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. Central to her work is the examination of altered arginine metabolism in brain aging and disease pathogenesis. Using multidisciplinary approaches encompassing behavioral testing, in vivo microdialysis, neurochemical analysis, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, and electrophysiology, her laboratory explores central and peripheral arginine metabolism. Specific foci include the functional role of agmatine, a decarboxylated arginine metabolite and putative novel neurotransmitter, in learning and memory, along with its therapeutic potential for cognitive decline, and the identification of arginine-centered biomarkers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid for diagnosis and prognosis of Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.