Dr. McDonald received a BA and MA in Psychology from Arizona State University and New York University, respectively. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1994, majoring in Cognitive and Biological Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience. First at the National Institute for Mental Health and then at Vanderbilt University, he has been studying complex behaviors in psychiatric and neurological disorders. His current focus is on the role of complex gangliosides in neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Current projects involve examination of the behavioral and neuroprotective effects of ganglioside redistribution in mouse models of neurodegenerative disorders.