Research Program
Our research focuses on the problem of selective vulnerability. Recently, we have used frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common causes of dementia among patients under 65 years of age, as model disorders for understanding selective vulnerability at the network and cellular levels. Ongoing studies explore selective vulnerability in FTD, AD, corticobasal degeneration (CBD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Ongoing Projects
Neuroimaging
Modern neuroimaging studies of patients living with degenerative
disease provide the critical anatomical roadmaps for all
neurodegenerative disease research. We use network-sensitive structural
and functional MRI techniques to chart the brain regions affected early
in each disease.
Neuroanatomy and Pathology
Because quantitative neuropathological experiments require meticulous, labor-intensive experiments that yield rich information about few, restricted brain regions, we use the neuroimaging division of the lab to pinpoint networks and provide a “roadmap” for our quantitative pathology. Neurohistological methods then enable us to delve deeper, into the microstructure of the brain as it undergoes progressive degeneration. The overall goal of these studies is to understand how selective vulnerability works, paving the way for discovery of novel therapeutics that protect, restore, or even replace susceptible neurons.
Von Economo Neurons
Recent experiments in our lab have focused on the von
Economo neurons (VENs), which may represent the key early neuronal
targets in FTD. VENs are found exclusively in anterior cingulate (ACC)
and frontoinsular (FI) cortex and only in humans, apes, cetaceans, and
elephants. We propose that VENs somehow “bring” FTD to the ACC and FI,
and that understanding this process may shed light on new FTD
treatments. Longer term, we hope to use VEN degeneration in FTD as a
model for the broader study of selective vulnerability.
To participate in Memory and Aging Center research
Visit the MAC website: http://memory.ucsf.edu/Research/introduction.htm