Alejandra Lorenzo

Alejandra Lorenzo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, awarded cum laude from Mount Holyoke College, where she also earned a Five College Certificate in Cognitive Neuroscience. Her primary focus is on investigating potential therapeutic strategies for Parkinson’s disease (PD) by targeting key proteins such as the retromer complex and alpha-synuclein (α-syn).

Currently, Alejandra’s work explores the therapeutic potential of pharmacological stabilization of the retromer complex to reduce α-syn pathology and slow disease progression. Alejandra also mentors undergraduate students in laboratory techniques and data analysis, fostering a collaborative and educational lab environment.

Her undergraduate honors thesis at Mount Holyoke College examined high-level text comprehension in bilinguals using EEG techniques, and she has presented findings at national conferences, including the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting. During her time at the Couperus Attention, Brain, and Behavior Lab, Alejandra also led independent projects investigating the impact of socioeconomic status on cognitive processing using EEG/ERP methodology.

Alejandra has co-authored a peer-reviewed publication and is preparing additional manuscripts related to PD pathology and intervention strategies. Committed to fostering scientific literacy, she has presented research findings to diverse audiences through community outreach events and academic symposia. Additionally, she has actively volunteered within her church and local community, organizing family-oriented programs and contributing to food distribution efforts. Passionate about blending rigorous research with community engagement, Alejandra aims to advance understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases while inspiring others to pursue impactful research careers.