Dr. Wilkinson is a neuroendocrinologist who investigates the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.  The HPA system is a neural and hormonal system that regulates responses to stress.  Dr. Wilkinson’s previous work has shown that HPA stress responses are prolonged in normal aging and that stress responses are not terminated appropriately.  This dysfunction of the HPA axis is further accentuated in Alzheimer’s disease, and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol have been found to lead to memory impairment.  Dr. Wilkinson is attempting to characterize the mechanisms by which HPA function is altered in aging and Alzheimer’s disease with the goal of facilitating the development of therapeutic approaches to prevent the harmful consequences of these alterations.  His work is also directed toward elucidating the potential role of cortisol in stimulating inflammatory processes in the brain that contribute to senile plaque formation.  Dr. Wilkinson also collaborates with other investigators in studying sympathoadrenal and HPA function in diabetes, interactions between cortisol and insulin in Alzheimer’s disease, HPA involvement in the regulation of energy balance and the development of obesity, and the role of HPA dysfunction in depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
          Dr. Wilkinson has been active in training students from the undergraduate to the postdoctoral level in formulating experimental approaches to clinical problems and in developing expertise in research methodology.