researchers affiliated with the University of Washington Alzheimer's Disease Center; insulin; healthy aging; pathology of Alzheimer's disease
UW ADRC Researchers
Faculty Researchers
Thomas D. Bird, MD
Professor, Department of Neurology & Medical Genetics, University of Washington
Research Interests: Genetics of Alzheimer's disease; identifying genes associated with familial neurodegenerative disorders and other hereditary neurologic disorders; phenotype/genotype correlations; isolating chromosomal locations related to particular disorders
Publications
Suzanne Craft, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, University of Washington
Research Interests: Insulin metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease and aging; neuroendocrinology; neuroendocrine abnormalities in the development and expression of Alzheimer’s disease
Christopher (Dirk) Keene, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Washington
Research Interests: The innate immune response in the brain and retina; identification of key genes and pathways involved in neurotoxicity derived from chronic innate immune activation in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and glaucoma
James Leverenz, MD
Professor, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: Clinical and neuropathologic aspects of aging-associated disorders including Alzheiemer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia, Down syndrome
Publications
Gail Li, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease; Vascular risk and protective factors for Alzheimer's disease in a community-based populations; The potential protective effects of simvastatin for Alzheimer's disease in normal control subjects
Thomas Montine, PhD
Professor and Acting Chair, Department of Pathology, University of Washington
Research Interests: The structural and molecular bases of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases; Defining key pathogenic steps and thereby identify new potential therapeutic targets through a combination of epidemiology-related neuropathology, biomarkers for clinical trials, and experimental studies
Elaine Peskind, MD
Friends of Alzheimer's Research Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: Stress hormones in aging and Alzheimer’s disease; Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of aging and neurodegenerative dementing disorders; Treatments for both the cognitive impairment and noncognitive behavioral problems of Alzheimer’s disease; Use of prazosin for combat trauma posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); Clinical phenomenology and neuroimaging and CSF biomarkers of neurodegeneration in combat blast concussion mild traumatic brain injury
Murray Raskind, MD
Professor and Vice-Chairman, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: Alzheimer's disease, aging, noncognitive behavioral problems in dementia, and PTSD in combat veterans and civilians; The use of prazosin for the treatment of combat-related trauma nightmares and sleep disturbances
Jeannine Skinner, PhD
Senior Fellow, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: the effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on insulin sensitivity, cognition, and biomarkers of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease in older African Americans
Publications; UW & VA Memory Wellness Program
Joshua Sonnen, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Washington
Research Interests: Neuropathology, brain autopsy and pathology of muscles, nerves and eyes; changes in the human brain as it ages and the impact of these changes on cognitive function; mid-to-late lifestyle factors and common medications which might prevent age-related brain injury
Debby Tsuang, MD
Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: Clinical-neuropathology of dementing disorders; psychosis in dementia genetics; endophenotypes of schizophrenia
Lucy Wang, MD
Acting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: The use prazosin to reduce disruptive behaviors and agitation in Alzheimer's; the role of hormones and the nervous system in agitation and dementia
Ellen Wijsman, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine and Biostatistics, Division of Medical Genetics
Research Interests: The development and application of quantitative methods for analysis of human genetic data, including statistical techniques of gene mapping, modelling modes of inheritance, and identifying regions of identity-by-descent
Chang-En Yu, PhD
Research Associate Professor, Division of Genrontology & Geriatric Medicine, University of Washington
Research Interests: Molecular genetics of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, which include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), schizophrenia, and autism
Affiliated Researchers
Eric Petrie, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: The development of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiotracers to better characterize the neurobiology giving rise to psychiatric symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); Characterizing potential neuroimaging biomarkers of mild traumatic brain injury in blast-exposed military personnel and in civilian athletes
Charles Wilkinson, PhD
Research Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Research Interests: Pituitary gland damage as a result of concussion (mild traumatic brain injury), which may lead to chronic fatigue, depression, sleep disturbance, cognitive deficiencies, sexual dysfunction, increased cardiovascular morbidity, and diminished quality of life
Cyrus P. Zabetian, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Division of Neurogenetics, University of Washington
Research Interests: Identification of genes that alter risk or modify clinical characteristics in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson's disease; developing intermediate phenotypes in complex neurological diseases; genotype phenotype correlation in genes related to noradrenergic signaling