Dean LaFerla gives a presentation on MODEL-AD The Alzheimer’s Disease Parkinson’s Disease (ADPD) 2025 International Conference, held this year in Vienna, Austria, is an annual gathering for scientific experts and industry leaders in neurodegenerative diseases. This conference serves as a platform for sharing the latest scientific breakthroughs, clinical trial results, and innovative treatment strategies. With attendees from over 70 countries giving more than 1,200 poster presentations and 700 oral presentations, ADPD uniquely combines discussions on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related disorders, fostering a deeper understanding of their respective mechanisms and potential therapies. The conference also highlights the importance of global collaboration,…
Read More
Assistant professor in Physiology & Biophysics and UCI MIND faculty co-authored a paper in the journal Nature that reveals a mechanism for memory preservation. To read a summary of the article, visit Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
Read More
Today is World Down Syndrome Day! Did you know that individuals with Down syndrome have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease? UCI MIND and The Center for Aging Research in Down Syndrome (CFAR-DS) are dedicated to understanding and addressing this important issue. The UCI MIND Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Down Syndrome Core, led by Drs. Ira Lott and Elizabeth Head, is a pioneering initiative dedicated to advancing our understanding of Alzheimer’s in individuals with Down syndrome. CFAR-DS is a leading research institute with a mission to improve the lives of individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Dr. Elizabeth Head…
Read More
Casey Vanderlip Casey Vanderlip, MD/PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Craig Stark, has won the 2025 UCI Grad Slam Competition. The competition involves graduate students delivering 3-minute presentations on their research. Casey received $6,500 for his victory in the competition, which is intended to highlight the role of graduate trainees and enhance their public presentation skills.
Read More
On March 13, UCI MIND and the UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Music collaborated to present "Finding Light: Alzheimer's Stories" by Robert S. Cohen. The evening featured a pre-concert panel that included the composer, the conductor of the UC Irvine Chamber Singers & Concert Choir, the Director of UCI MIND, and two research participants who represented the lived experience of individuals living with cognitive impairment. The panel was followed by an incredible two-act performance by the UCI Chamber Singers & Concert Choir. First, the Chamber Singers performed a collection of related and inspiring pieces. After an…
Read More
Message from the Director For many, the new year is a time for fresh starts and resolutions. As we enter 2025, we at UCI MIND are taking the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the mission to conduct research to discover solutions for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. UCI MIND investigators are unwavering in our commitment to this mission. The remainder of this newsletter, as with all of our newsletters, describes the manifold elements of the work of UCI MIND—from conducting fundamental basic science, to running vital clinical trials, to sharing our knowledge with you the community we serve and…
Read More
Research often feels incremental, building slowly on studies of large cohorts of people over long periods of time who enable scientists to answer critical questions with a high degree of precision needed to detect meaningful, if small, differences between groups. But every once in a while, even a single research volunteer can empower science to move faster, changing the way we think about disease mechanisms or opportunities for treatment. Alzheimer’s disease research includes many such cases. They include people with early onset of Alzheimer’s disease that helped us understand genetic causes of the disease, who also taught us much about…
Read More
Dr. Crystal M. Glover of UCI MIND joined the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) Neuroscience Next in Yaoundé, Cameroon during February 24-27, 2025. AAIC Neuroscience Next scientific events took place at 12 global hubs or locations, with Yaoundé representing one site. The co-organizers of AAIC Neuroscience Next – Cameroon Hub were Dr. Alfred K. Njamnshi, Founder of the Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), and Dr. Bernard Fongang of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. These scientific events aimed to showcase research and related efforts focused on brain health in international contexts to facilitate scientific advancements, foster…
Read More
Professor of Pathology at UCI and UCI MIND faculty member, Elizabeth Head, PhD, is featured in Newsweek because of a woman enrolled in her study who defied the odds. The woman did not experience the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease despite having Down syndrome, being of an advanced age, and having the hallmark pathological features of the disease in her brain. To read the full article, click here. To learn more about Dr. Head's research, check out our 2024 Annual Report.
Read More
Marcelo Wood, PhD, professor and Chair of the department of Neurobiology and Behavior was quoted in The Transmitter about the decrease in admissions to PhD programs in Neuroscience fields including at UCI. To read the article, click here
Read More
