Brown alumnus and award-winning journalist David Shenk (‘88) adjusted his mic at the lectern in Butler Hospital’s Ray Hall. The author of the book The Forgetting and creator of a podcast and film about Alzheimer’s disease, Shenk was visiting Providence to moderate a conversation in honor of World Alzheimer’s Day about how Rhode Island scientists are contributing to our understanding of the disease and development of new therapies.

In a new fluid biomarkers laboratory at Brown’s Carney Institute for Brain Science, researchers study blood samples for biological signals of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, expanding the possibilities of brain research.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms - such as anxiety and depression - afflict 85% of those with Alzheimer’s disease but our understanding of the causes of NPS is rather shallow. A new Carney/Butler Hospital grant aims to change this.

Tongyin Zheng, a postdoctoral scientist in the Fawzi lab, is this year’s recipient of the Judith and Jean Pape Adams Postdoctoral Award. Established in 2022 with a gift from the Judith and Jean Pape Adams Charitable Foundation, the award supports a postdoctoral researcher studying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or other neurodegenerative diseases.

Five Brown University students have received graduate awards for the 2023/2024 academic year from the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science. Launched in 2001 thanks to the Dana Foundation and currently supported by several supporting entities, the Carney Graduate Awards in Brain Science recognize outstanding and productive Ph.D. candidates conducting brain science-related research in a Brown graduate program.

A new imaging technique opens a path toward long-term study of blood vessels in aging brains and could help predict neurodegenerative diseases decades before symptoms begin.

A multidisciplinary team of Carney-affiliated researchers have published research that has meaningful implications for patients suffering from Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) and identifies new biomarkers in the neurodegenerative disease landscape.

Through an innovation awards program, the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science will provide $564,000 in seed funding for new high-impact research in computation, visual science, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

"I’m in a position to say, 'I can't come up with (a drug), but I can help you see if it's safe and efficacious in people.' A lot of drug development needs a pharmaceutical company. But for early proof of concept, safety, and efficacy studies, we can do that all within Brown. We can take things into the clinic."

Butler Hospital and Brown University have launched a new research study to find methods for early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Led by principal investigator John Sedivy, a multi-university effort will build on recent discoveries about mechanisms of aging to understand causes and potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

In recognition of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, we highlight Brown research projects making an impact on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Treatment, much less cure, has been elusive. Brown scientists are on the case.

Early detection. Personalized treatments. Collaborative care. The Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research is positioning Brown to improve patient outcomes now and in the future.

By convening innovative researchers across academia, Brown’s new Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research hopes to accelerate the pace of development for treatments and cures of this devastating disease.

Dr. Stephen Salloway, associate director of Brown’s new Center for Alzheimer’s Research who led clinical trials for the recently approved aducanumab, explained the key takeaways from the FDA’s headline-making decision.