C Training, Education and Community Outreach pg 47
D. Most Important Scientific Achievements ...pg 64
4. Collaborative Programs ...pg 67
A. With McKnight Institutes ...pg 68
B. With Other Institutes ...pg 70
5. Honors, Awards and New Grants ...pg 72
A. Honors and Awards ...pg 73
B. New Grants ...pg 75
6. Technology Transfer ...pg 79
Appendix 1 - Faculty and Trainees ...pg 80
Appendix 2 - Top 20 Publications pg 87
Appendix 3 - Top 10 Presentations pg 91
Appendix 4 - News, Website and Social Media Highlights pg 93
Appendix 5 - Summary Chart pg 108
Appendix 6 - EMBI Organizational Chart..pg 111
Appendix 7 - Neurocognitive Scholar Report pg 113
Appendix 8 - Financial Reports and Budgets pg 118 Dr. Levin - Dr. Haq - Dr. Agudelo - Dr. Galvin
LETTERS FROM LEADERSHIP
LETTERS FROM LEADERSHIP
Our EMBI team is growing to meet the needs of our expanded research portfolio and collaborations We have hired several research and clinical coordinators, promoted some of the current team members and brought to the team several early-stage investigators and junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows and students They are key workforce to help with our expanded programs and community outreach We are committed to innovative training of the next generation scientists and currently lead two NIA T32 training grants, a NINDS R25, a CTSI K12 program and Master of Science in Clinical Translational Investigations These programs have contributed to our trainees’ successes They recently received significant NIH research awards and career promotions (details in this year progress report) Our community outreach activities are equally successful A new survey of our community events showed its clear impact on increased awareness of brain health and healthy lifestyle for successful aging Our EMBI is considered the key community partner in promotion of brain health in south Florida
On the Institutional level, significant positive and promising developments have taken place After a national search, Dr. Jose Romano, MD was selected as the fourth Chair of the UM Department of Neurology As prior Chief of the Stroke Division and renowned clinical neurologist and Professor of neurology, Dr Romano was chosen as the best candidate to expand the legacy of Dr Sacco He was given large institutional support to advance brain health and expand clinical operations and research programs In my role as the Executive Vice Chair for Research and Faculty Affairs, I work closely with Dr Romano in departmental leadership in development of neurology programs and strategic plans to recruit talented clinical and research faculty In our Medical School, several major strategic plans are announced with commitment of a significant investment in the two major research programs in 2025, aging and neuroscience Dean Henri Ford has asked me to serve on the committees for these initiatives, which will provide a great opportunity for our EMBI to participate in advancing these programs and in recruiting aging and neuroscience luminaries to UM At the Institutional level, UM appointed Dr. Guillermo (Willy) Prado as the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Mr. Joe Echevarria as the new President and CEO of UHealth Both Dr Prado and Mr Echevarria were holding leadership positions at our Medical School prior to these appointments Together with Dean Ford and the Executive Dean for Research Dr. Stephen Nimer, they are committed to our Medical School strategic plan to advance aging and neuroscience research As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the University of Miami in 2025, we can expect a new momentum of development and investments in our Institutional programs Our EMBI is closely engaged in these exciting expansion plans
In summary, 2024 was another successful year for our EMBI We have successfully continued our EMBI programs and thrived In this report, we highlight our major achievements Together with our Associate Directors and Education Director, I am committed to continue guiding the execution of our strategic plan, advancing our scientific and education mission, and expanding our training and mentorship activities To further advance our strategic programmatic development, we will extend collaborations with other UM Centers and Institutes including the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Clinical Translational Science Institute, Neuroscience and MD/PhD programs I continue to be a senior leader of the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Scientific Working Group on Aging and serve on the CFAR Steering Committee
Dear Trustees:
I am proud of my 6th year of leadership of the University of Miami EMBI. Our EMBI excels in achieving the objectives of our strategic plan goals in research, education, community outreach and inter-institutional and national team science and collaborations. Our Associate Directors, Dr. Bonnie Levin, PhD, the Schoninger-Goldberg Professor and Dr. Ihtsham Ul Haq, MD, Cornfeld-Hurowitz Endowed Chair in Movement Disorders have brought new transformative initiatives that advance our mission. Their leadership roles in the Schoninger Neurocognitive Program and the Cornfeld Neuroimaging Center have strengthened our institutional collaborations and contributed to innovations in neuropsychology, neuroscience and aging brain neuroimaging utilizing novel technologies and machine learning-AI to help resolve core challenges of advancing the brain health models including data, feasibility/equity, and regulation/innovation-through concerted pursuit of targeted research. Inclusion of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health led by Dr. James Galvin, MPH, MD to the EMBI and our strong collaborations with the Cognitive Neurosciences and Aging and 1FL ADRC led by Dr. David Loewenstein, PhD at UM has strengthened our partnership in aging brain health and increased our national visibility. We continue to be a key partner in the large NIA programs to close the gap between life span and health span and promote brain health together with the Universities of Arizona, California/Davis, Harvard and Columbia University.
Among new and exciting awarded programs in 2024, I want to emphasize our significant role in two large NIA U19 programs. The first is on the understanding of aging and cerebral white matter changes leading to cognitive decline and dementia led by UC Davis, NIA Diversity Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (DVCID), where we have innovated recruitment strategies and significantly increased recruitment of minority participants for this 30+ center project. The second achievement is our leadership in the brain and health study of a large cohort of diverse Latino population enrolled in the NHLBI Hispanic Community Health StudyStudy of Latinos (HCHS-SOL) led by University of Miami that just received a renewal for the next 8 years. Besides these programs, we have recently received a collaborative NIA R56 award together with Columbia University and University of Chicago to establish a large, federated electronic health records (EHR) platform to study multi-morbidity trajectories associated with risk of cognitive decline and dementia, Multimorbidity 3-City Alzheimer's Disease (M3AD). This large project will further our national collaborations and advance science in age-related cognitive decline and dementia risk by leveraging longitudinal clinical data from three large US health system EHRs and apply novel health informatic tools and federated data sharing protocols. We are not stopping there. We are working on new partnerships to promote brain health research together with several national organizations including AAN and AHA, and our EMBI members have already received their research awards.
I will continue as a member of the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine in Florida (ASEMFL) engaging in collaborations and discussions across the State of Florida about research and brain health challenges our society faces. This year, I was elected to serve on the national ADRC Research Education Core (REC) Steering Committee and was also elected to serve on the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Steering Committee of the IAC Board of Directors In these functions, I will further our EMBI mission and expand our national network of collaborations
Our work on advocacy and policy to improve systems of hospital care will continue through the Florida State funded Florida Stroke Registry (FSR) We plan to leverage the FSR legislative processes to engage in a large statewide collaboration on prevention of cognitive decline that will develop partnerships with primary care physicians, scientists, policy makers and other stakeholders to form a statewide Taskforce to set goals and strategies for prevention, treatment, equitable care and efficient resource utilization for those affected with cognitive disorders and to promote brain health for the fast growing population of Florida
With our extended leadership, cross-disciplinary collaborators and strong national partners, I am looking forward to another productive and successful year for our EMBI I am excited about creating new opportunities for our growth and hosting our Inter-Institutional meeting in Miami in 2025, while celebrating the first 100 years of the University of Miami
Warmest regards,
Tatjana Rundek, MD, PhD Director, University of Miami EMBI
Evelyn F. McKnight Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging
Dear Trustees:
I continue to be greatly committed to our EMBI strategic plan In my capacity as an Associate Director, I work closely with our Director, Dr Tatjana Rundek and my Co-Associate Director, Dr. Ihtsham Haq toward our common goal of expanding the program, enhancing our educational objectives and fostering new initiatives and close collaborations. We continue to meet weekly, working with our McKnight colleagues fostering its research and educational mission. My rotating Post-Doctoral Fellows are fully integrated with EMBI by attending and presenting at journal clubs, research seminars and Inter-Institutional meetings as well as EMBI grant submissions and manuscript publications. I have served as a leader of the Cognitive Core for the McKnight Brain Aging Registry (MBAR) and co-chaired the Cognitive Aging and Memory Intervention Core for the past 7 years. These collaborations have been fulfilling and deeply meaningful as they continue to inform my work as the Director of the Cognitive Core in shaping my research goals.
Last year I have continued several federal and state funding projects to examine the role of vascular and metabolic risk factors as predictors of cognition and how differential markers of physical frailty, emotional dysregulation and sensory change increase the risk of cognitive decline Some of my projects include: examining which components of the metabolic syndrome predict cognition, identifying imaging and clinical correlates of white matter changes associated with the aging process and linking structural and metabolic markers underlying different symptom profiles in neurodegenerative disease, defining profiles of risk and resilience in aging, examining the basis of impaired decision making among the elderly, and operationalizing brain fog in long Covid I continue to work as a co-leader of the Miami site for Project 2 of the Precision Aging Network Healthy Minds for Life (PAN) study in collaboration with the Arizona EMBI team (Carol Barnes, PI; Lee Ryan, Project 2 PI) I also continue to work with the MindCrowd team examining symptoms of heat stress in states experiencing the most severe warming trends. We are also in the fourth year of our state funded Department of Health Florida Consortium examining the epidemic of scamming among vulnerable elders at risk for cognitive decline. I have also continued my DOD project examining the impact of directed energy (also known as Havana syndrome) on cognition with focus on how impaired vestibular function relates to a variety of cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Other projects include: serving on a multi-site dementia adjudication project with the Miami Hussman Institute for Genomics (HIHG), working on a study focused on the neural correlates of autobiographical memories tied to music, and the impact of yoga on retinal biomarkers associated with cognitive decline.
The Alexandria and Bernard Schoninger Neuropsychology Program embedded in the Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience and our EMBI continues enrollment in our McKnight Research Registry and our Frailty Database This McKnight Registry serves as an invaluable resource for numerous publications and pilot data for grant applications that support EMBI’s objectives
I continue leading our Neuropsychology Post-doctoral Fellowship program Currently, there are six faculty, four Post-doctoral Fellows, seven upper level graduate PhD practicum students and two volunteer undergraduate assistants Our Schoninger program is recognized as a major training site for PhD students who are accepted in top tier internship programs In 2024, I became a committee member (or co-chair) for three new dissertation and one masters level theses.
My education and research work are highly collaborative working closely with other departments, including Radiology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Medicine, Ophthalmology, Epidemiology and Public Health.
And finally, I continue my efforts in community outreach across Florida. My pilot project examining the epidemic of scamming among vulnerable elders served as the basis for a training intervention to decrease susceptibility to deception. This intervention has been incorporated as part of our community outreach aim for our Florida Consortium project. This state-wide study is the only project to incorporate a community based intervention. I have given numerous community presentations centered on topics linked to brain health. My presentations (two in Broward County; two in Miami Dade county) have covered topics that are highly relevant and have direct application to solutions to address severe heat stress and how to avoid being scammed.
Our Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience has forged strong community ties with the Latino Center on Aging. Drs. Annelly Bure, Marina Sarno and Katalina Fernández McInerney are regular speakers at community gatherings and on radio talk shows that address a wide range of topics on brain health Dr Sonya Kaur and McInerney provide community education via the EMBI community outreach program Dr Mitchell Slough provides education to younger audiences about brain health and preventative measures
In 2025, I plan to expand the Schoninger Neuropsychology Program in several directions, all of which, are in line with the EMBI strategic plan First, I plan to expand our McKnight Registry and link it with available EHR data to create a research resource and foster interdepartmental collaboration It will also provide critical pilot data needed for federal and state funding for future research.
My grant applications will be prioritized to foster inter-departmental collaborations within UM as well as with other McKnight Institutes. I will continue my role as cognitive core director for the UM McKnight Brain Aging Registry (MBAR), a collaborative project involving all 4 EMBIs. I also plan to expand existing community partnerships and my division’s community involvement efforts. Several new presentations are planned to establish more ties with individuals residing in the community and to foster relationships with community leaders who can promote the importance of brain and aging research and development that is integral to the MBRF’s objectives.
I have truly enjoyed my first year as an EMBI Associate Director and I am honored to work with the esteemed group of researchers, scientists and clinicians who make up our Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Miami I am grateful to the trustees at the MBRF for giving us the opportunity to continue our impactful work into 2025
Bonnie E. Levin, PhD Schoninger/Goldberg Professor of Neurology Chief, Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Associate Director, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute
Dear Trustees:
I am deeply honored to have been able to spend a year as the Associate Director of EMBI, alongside Dr Levin, and under the leadership of our Director, Dr Rundek I am pleased to share some reflections on this past year.
As I wrote in my letter in last year’s report, my journey into neuroscience began with dual degrees in Bioengineering and Philosophy and that blend of precision and inquiry naturally attracted me to Neurology. I felt pulled toward the circuitry of decision making, and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) was a natural focus for me. DBS is inherently a collaborative and interdisciplinary process, requiring evaluation by a team of allied neuroscientists and clinicians. That experience has led me to become a team builder in the study of movement and cognition and a successful leader of the Movement Disorders Division at UM since 2020.
As we delve into the complexities of aging and brain health, the role of interdisciplinary collaborations becomes increasingly apparent. My goal for the EMBI is to foster these. I had several planned this last year, which I am happy to say there are updates on:
Machine-learning based analyses of neuroimaging: Leveraging our imaging cohorts (EMBI, ADRC, DBS) my plans are to examine the impact of a variety of vascular factors’ impact on cognitive change through automated brain imaging analyses I identified a collaborator in the Computer Science Department, Dr Yelena Yesha Dr Yesha is ideally suited for the project; she serves as the Director of our Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing (IDSC) AI and Machine Learning Center and has worked on a variety of medical AI projects We have created a core team of research professors (assistant and associate, the former funded entirely within Neurology), Dr Yesha, Dr Rundek and myself, and have begun defining the datasets and variables that will serve as the training for the AI neuroimaging model. We expect to have a prototype by February of 2025. We have obtained philanthropic support for the project and submitted an R21, which will be scored in February of 2025.
Machine-learning based analyses of movement: The importance of measuring movement alongside cognition in evaluating those disorders is the key to both potential biomarker development and identification of causes of significant morbidity. Implementing movement assessments into cognitive research has been limited by the need for trained raters and the in-visit time required for assessment. I identified partners at Slalom Consulting and Amazon Web Services to address this gap. Over the latter half of 2024 we developed a prototype AI algorithm which operates on smartphone videos to extract and grade movement metrics. It analyzes hand movements from single smartphone video with high accuracy, and requires only additional video ingestion to increase its capabilities As with the prior project, I submitted an R21 which will be scored in February of 2025 I also submitted a DOH Ed & Ethel Moore proposal which will also be scored in the beginning of 2025 We are currently in discussions with Amazon, NVIDIA and potential pharmaceutical industry partners for this project
Machine-learning based analyses of eye movement: Lastly, I have worked with Matthew Feldman and Victor Del Bene, junior faculty at UM and UAB respectively, in preparing a project looking at whether AI analysis of a five-minute suite of laptop-based eye movement tracking can identify individuals at risk for cognitive impairment in order to proactively provide lifestyle interventions. This has resulted in both a CAMI-CORE application and an application to the Parkinson’s Foundation. This project is a
collaboration with StarDots, a Swedish medical informatics startup
Other collaborations: Other projects include mentoring PhD candidates in Dr Joseph Signorelli's exercise physiology lab at the UM Coral Gables campus on the effects of exercise on muscle and movement, and with Dr. Dalton Dietrich and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis to look at the impact of DBS in restoring gait lost in neurodegenerative disease. I continue to collaborate with Dr. Galvin on the efforts to phenotype synucleinopathies. These efforts will contribute to careful characterization and natural history to derive the biomarkers for effective treatments and advancing our understanding of brain aging.
Leadership to me, is about fostering an environment of growth and innovation. It’s therefore critical to cultivate the next generation of neuroscientists and physicians. Our receiving accolades like the Edmund J. Safra Award from the Michael J. Fox Foundation is a humbling reminder of the impact one can have through dedicated leadership. It was also an eventful year for the Movement Division, adding Multiple System Atrophy and National Ataxia Foundation Centers of Excellence (COEs), bringing our total of COEs to nine In closing, my vision for the Evelyn F McKnight Brain Institute is one of integration and collaboration Drawing from my diverse experiences and the collective expertise of this esteemed community, I am excited to do my part to take us forward
Sincerely,
Ihtsham Ul Haq, MD
Cornfeld-Hurowitz Endowed Chair in Movement Disorders Chief, Division of Movement Disorders Associate Director, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute
Dear Trustees:
The end of 2024 concludes a productive year for the Educational Core of the Miami EMBI and a transition to the second generation of EMBI educational leadership Dr Xiaoyan Sun thoughtfully transferred the EMBI Educational Directorship to me after my completion of the inaugural Evelyn F. McKnight Neurocognitive Scholar fellowship. Building upon the strong foundation set by Dr. Sun, the EMBI Educational Core expanded offerings to intentionally target five verticals: clinician & health professional education, clinical trainee education, community education, research scientist education, and early-career clinician-scientist development. Our multi-faceted and ongoing educational efforts empower diverse brain health stakeholders to optimize cognitive health.
Clinician and Health Professional Education. EMBI collaborated with the UM Department of Neurology to present the 57th annual Neurology Update (March 2024), a 3-day seminar series that educates South Florida clinicians and health professionals about the latest in neurological care. A session on cognitive health included presentations by EMBI faculty Dr. Xiaoyan Sun (“UM Brain Endowment Bank”), Dr. Michael Kleiman (“Neurobehavioral Markers of Brain Health and Dementia”), Dr Deirdre O’Shea (“Alzheimer's Disease Mimics and Variants”), and Dr James Galvin (“The Future is Now: A Critical Review of New Therapies and Diagnostics”) A session about sleep and cognitive health included presentations from EMBI faculty Dr Alberto Ramos (“Sleep in Cognitive Aging) and Dr Sonya Kaur (“Health Disparities in Sleep and Cognition”)
Clinical Trainee Education In 2024, EMBI and the UM Cognitive Neurology Division completed the inaugural year of the cognitive neurology rotation as a core and compulsory neurology residency rotation Residents worked in cognitive clinics under the supervision of UM cognitive neurologists, completed a curated list of cognitive readings, and participated in EMBI research seminars. Each resident attended a cognitive mentorship meeting with me to structure their transition to their desired fellowships, to discuss cognition within the context of their desired subspecialty, and to consider careers in cognitive neurology and research. This rotation facilitated the recruitment of Dr. Estefania Steiner to a cognitive neurology fellowship at UM. In surveys before the cognitive neurology rotation, 55% of residents “strongly agreed” and 36% “agreed” that a cognitive rotation was important. After completing the rotation, 83.3% “strongly agreed” and 17% “agreed.”
In the second half of 2024, EMBI integrated its resident cognitive journal club within the neurology residency journal club, a compulsory feature of the neurology curriculum. Every quarter, a resident presents a landmark cognition-related manuscript with mentorship from an EMBI faculty expert.
Community Education
EMBI expanded Aging Like a Pro, our community lecture series supported by the Ansin Foundation and the Community Foundation of Broward in partnership with the Broward County and Miami Dade Public Library systems EMBI faculty presented lectures throughout South Florida libraries, community centers and health fairs that educated residents about modifiable determinants of cognitive health Aging Like a Pro collects feedback to evaluate specific community needs and identify how to effectively inspire healthy behaviors
EMBI also partnered with television media to educate the public about cognitive health. In March 2024, I was interviewed by the local CBS affiliate (WFOR) about the role of sleep in
brain and cognitive health In May 2024, I was interviewed by Univision’s national Spanish news streaming platform (Vix) to discuss cognitive and sleep symptomatology of autoimmune disorders
Researcher Scientist Education. The EMBI Education Core continues its research seminar series. The EMBI Research Seminar Series apprised staff, students, clinical trainees and faculty of the latest cognitive science and therapeutic interventions. These seminars (listed in the scientific education section of the progress report) promoted conversation, collaboration and cohesion among EMBI faculty and attendees from diverse divisions and departments within and beyond UM. The EMBI Research Seminar Series is also a stage for trainee presenters to receive vital feedback and presentation experience.
Early-career Cognitive Clinical-Scientist Development Pipeline. The EMBI is committed to identify, recruit, and develop the next generation cognitive clinician scientist through its Educational Core and its collaboration with other neurology divisions, and institutional departments and centers/institutes. Our UM EMBI director, Dr.Rundek is PI of 2 NIH funded T32s which supports the development of two promising post-doctoral cognitive researchers (Dr Mohammad Nafeli Shahrestani and Dr Erin-Leigh Gallop) and a K12 early-career development award that’s supporting EMBI faculty members (Dr Sonya Kaur and Dr Deirdre O’Shea) Ms Susan Fox-Rosellini, the Executive Director of Marketing and Administration for EMBI, identified and incorporated two talented undergraduates at UM (Ms Kayla Macelhinney and Ms Victoria Lawreszuk) into the Aging Like a Pro community seminar series They will disseminate data collected through Aging Like a Pro through a peer-reviewed manuscript on the efficacy of community education to inspire positive health behaviors Last, I have recruited Dr Isabella Fernado, an MD-PhD clinical epileptology fellow at UM with an interest in identifying electrographic features of age-related cognitive change, into the UM EMBI research community. I am providing mentorship to guide her transition from clinical training to cognitive science within UM and EMBI in 2025.
In closing, our EMBI has strengthened dramatically its outreach and impact in our department, across the institution, and in the community. It provides a platform to meaningfully empower clinicians, health professionals, clinical trainees and the community to extend cognitive health spans to match human lifespans.
With gratitude and enthusiasm,
Christian Agudelo, MD
Education Director, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute
Dear Trustees:
I am delighted to write a letter describing the importance of the contributions of the Evelyn F McKnight Brain Institute (EMBI) to brain health and cognitive aging research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. I am a tenured Professor in the Department of Neurology and Founding Director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH). Our mission is to better understand how the aging brain works and design treatments and prevention plans that will result in longer, better lives. Our transdisciplinary approach to clinical research, clinical care, education and training, and community outreach can (and does) make a significant positive impact on the lives of individuals and families living in South Florida and beyond. CCBH is composed of 7 faculty and 43 staff that work closely with the EMBI to conduct state-of-the-science research, provide world-class clinical care, and deliver innovative community outreach and educational programming. I want to take a moment to directly reflect on contributions of the University of Miami and EMBI towards our efforts and successes.
In 2022, I was honored to be bestowed the Alexandria and Bernard Schoninger Endowed Chair in Memory Disorders The Schoninger Chair has provided me with protected research time to oversee the growth of our clinical, research and outreach enterprises, permitting me to utilize grant dollars to support talented early-stage investigators without the need to be concerned about my salary support As detailed in the annual progress report, the Schoninger Chair has allowed CCBH collectively to think “outside the box” on important issues in brain health and cognitive aging, including recruitment of new faculty
Our major scientific achievement was the continuation of our important research projects which are detailed in the annual progress report Our major programmatic achievement is the development and sustainability of a robust community outreach, engagement, education, and recruitment team that has conducted numerous programs in the African American and Hispanic communities. This effort has increased our participation of individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups in research. Our other major programmatic achievement is the development of an artful aging program, partnering with numerous instructors and community organizations. Programs in the past year have included yoga, meditation, Zentangle and origami. We received a $25,000 grant from Palm Health Foundation to ensure programming through 2025.
Our goals for 2025 are to continue to innovate and lead brain health and cognitive aging research, with a particular focus on minoritized populations. This includes submitting large NIH team science grants and expanding our well-regarded artful aging community outreach programs. We recognize that the support of EMBI has made our goals easier and provided CCBH with amazing and talented collaborations at all 4 McKnight Brain Institutes
With great respect,
James E. Galvin, MD, MPH
Alexandria & Bernard Schoninger Endowed Chair in Memory Disorders
This year brings four noteworthy highpoints at the University of Miami (UM). UM first opened in the early 1920s and is on the cusp of celebrating its 100th anniversary. The university has evolved over the years, recently becoming a hub of health science innovations. As such, UM faculty are using cutting edge technology to increase understanding of the human brain by leveraging machine learning, AI and big data to advance brain health research.
In 2024, UM announced a new initiative to fuel neuroscience and aging research with plans to enhance research and innovation in basic science, with a focus on aging, neuroscience and computational biology. Number one in the state in NIH funding, UM has pledged to invest over $30 million to bolster research on some of the most complex health conditions confronting South Florida and the nation These investments over the next five years will create new programs within the Leonard M Miller School of Medicine and build collaborations across the University This initiative will help attract scientific luminaries in aging and neuroscience Because of our expertise, the Department of Neurology and our EMBI are the leaders of these programs, organizing aging and neuroscience retreats at the Miller School of Medicine, and are engaged in the search committees to recruit scientists-leaders in the aging and neuroscience programs.
Our EMBI collaborators at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis Dr. Dalton Dietrich and Dr. Juan Pablo de Rivero Vaccari received a large NINDS award to study inflammasome in a broad range of age-related neurological conditions. The research will advance our diagnostic biomarker research and bring together multiple research teams across EMBI. Our aging research has also been advanced by a cutting-edge team including Dr. Loewenstein at CNSA and Dr. Vontell at Brain Endowment Bank using top of the line NULISA (NUcleic acid Linked Immuno-Sandwich Assay) technology designed for highly sensitive and multiplexed analyses of proteins in biological samples. Developed for use in research environments, this method addresses challenges in detecting low-abundance biomarkers, such as those found in the blood proteome, with applications in age-related neurodegenerative disease, inflammation profiling, and immune response analysis
Finally, after an extensive national search and the University of Miami Search Committee’s recommendation, Dean Ford appointed Dr. Jose Romano as a new Chair of Neurology in 2024 Dr Romano is a vascular neurologist and clinical researcher dedicated to the Department of Neurology’s mission started by Dr Sacco Originally from Mexico City, Dr Romano completed his medical studies at the Universidad Anahuac, followed by Neurology residency and Neuromuscular and Cerebrovascular fellowships at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL. Being at the University of Miami for over 25 years, Dr. Romano has a clear vision of the department role in our Institution and its impact on clinical translational research nationwide. He has already started preparations for a new strategic plan for our Department that will expand the department programs with an emphasis on team science in clinical and research missions and translation of discoveries to the community to promote brain health. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Romano was Vice Chair for Clinical Operations and was already engaged with our EMBI through his research in vascular aging research in Florida Stroke Registry. As Executive Vice Chair for Research and faculty Affairs, Dr. Rundek has a long history of working with Dr. Romano on successful clinical and educational neurology programs as well as on multiple research projects. This collaboration will now expand and further integrate our EMBI with the Department of Neurology. Given the new brain initiative by the Medical School, Drs. Romano and Rundek are positioned as significant stakeholders in the
creation of new neuroscience and aging programs in our institution that will be a driving force for the neurology department and our EMBI. Drs. Romano and Rundek serve on the search committees to recruit national leaders for these new innovative programs.
Our EMBI instituted a new leadership structure late last year with Director Dr. Tatjana Rundek and the two Associate Directors Dr. Bonnie Levin and Dr. Ihtsham Haq, and Education Director Dr. Christian Agudelo. This leadership team effectively accomplished what it set out to in addition to forging plans to move EMBI in the next direction of future research and clinical and translational science via: 1) Dr. Levin’s Schonenberg Neuropsychology Program; 2) Machine learning and AI, and the latest neuroimaging technologies led by Dr. Haq and in a collaboration with the Cornfeld program; 3) New data science project on the multimorbidity trajectories in aging using electronic medical records awarded to Dr Rundek in the newest multi-institutional NIH research collaborative award; and 4) A new and large NIH project identifying and validating retinal biomarkers in diagnostics of small vessel disease awarded to Drs. Wang and Jiang
Our multi-faceted EMBI program is led by the EMBI Executive Committee (EC) with its members Christian Agudelo, Susan Fox-Rosellini, Ihtsham Haq, Bonnie Levin, Stacy Merritt and Tatjana Rundek The EC completed its first year of bi-weekly meetings discussing new plans and actions as well as metrics for successful completion of our 5-year strategic plan goals by the end of 2025. By capitalizing on our EMBI strengths, we are discussing new research areas and collaborations, research accomplishments and plans for new grants, identifying and utilizing individual strengths of our EMBI collaborators and partners, re-defining the membership and re-charge for our Scientific Advisory Board and managing our administrative, research and education activities according to the strategic goals. In addition, the EMBI EC has been working to plan and organize the 2025 Inter-Institutional meeting that will take place in Miami for the first time since 2015. This dynamic team led our EMBI in a forward direction implementing the final year of the strategic plan while aligning expanded activities with our mission and vision.
MISSION to accelerate discoveries of the causes and treatments of age-related memory loss and cognitive decline and to promote brain health through multi-disciplinary collaborations and partnerships; and to train new generations of skilled clinical and translational scientists specializing in age-related memory loss, cognitive decline and promotion of brain health.
VISION to become a leading center for clinical and translational research into the causes, treatments and prevention of age-related cognitive disorders and promotion of brain health
A substantial role of our mission and vision is to prevent age-related cognitive decline and promote brain health throughout the aging process across the lifespan, and close the gap between lifespan and healthspan. With lifespan emphasizing quantity and healthspan highlighting quality, there is an inextricable intersection. Each are affected by the pivotal
influence of genetics and exposure to environmental factors. Additionally, external circumstances including diet, exercise, healthcare access and exposure to stress significantly shape both the duration and quality of life. This year’s research investigates these dynamics in which natural aging and the co-morbidities typical of aging overlap to learn how our aging population can maximize overall well-being, functionality and longevity We highlight the work being done to understand vascular and environmental contributions, that play key roles in the way we manifest and experience age-related changes in memory and cognition through human subject research studies as well as translational basic science models We disseminate our discoveries to the scientific community via traditional ways like presentations and
Summary
We start our report with a short summary briefly listing our scientific achievements and proceed to elaborate on them in the designated sections. Dr. Tatjana Rundek was elected to serve on two national steering committees this year, the national Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) Research Education Core (REC) Steering Committee and the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Steering Committee of the IAC Board of Directors. Both committees will expand our EMBI scientific and education networks and provide new opportunities for expansion of collaborative research and innovative education activities.
Dr. Ihtsham Haq received the prestigious Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders grant and a Parkinson’s Foundation PD Gene Diversity Leadership Award (described in grants section) Dr. Miguel Perez-Pinzon was selected as the recipient for the prestigious 2025 Thomas Willis Lecture Award by the AHA/American Stroke Association’s Council.
Dr. James Galvin, Director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH) and the Alexandria and Bernard Schoninger Endowed Chair in Memory Disorders, led his team and Center through a highly effective and accomplished year including the continuation of his NIH funded Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI), his success to develop and validate the dementia health literacy assessment (DeLA), and the completion of his multicultural rural NIH project
Drs. Jianhua Wang and Hong Jiang had a tremendous scientific achievement by being selected as one of only 3 nation-wide projects to receive a large NIH award for the Venture Program for the Oculomics Initiative.
The Brain Endowment Bank directed by Dr. Xiaoyan Sun submitted a renewal application to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). With great success, the VA contract for postmortem collection of PTSD and control brains was awarded through 2029.
In her quest to train and prepare junior faculty as preeminent future scientists in aging careers and to fulfill the educational goal of our Strategic Plan, Dr. Rundek along with EMBI collaborators received a NIA T32 award and mentored several junior faculty through a flourishing year. Notably, Dr. Lilah Besser received a NIA R21 award, Dr. Sonya Kaur received an early career development NCATS K12 Dr. Michael Kleiman submitted a K01 and Dr. Christian Agudelo submitted a K23 submission Both received fundable scores that are pending funding Dr Agudelo led the new cognitive neurology program for neurology residents that is a unique collaboration between the UM Cognitive Division and EMBI
Our EMBI was highly successful in 2024 receiving 24 grants and 20 awards. There were numerous high-profile publications advancing the science on several topics with some important manuscripts.
The UM EMBI faculty and trainees attended the NIH Aging Summit, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International conference (AAIC), had 10 presentation at the MBRF hosted poster session at this year’s SfN, and contributed to the 15th annual Inter-Institutional meeting and 25 year anniversary of the MBRF Lastly, Dr Rundek continued the annual tradition of orchestrating a dinner reception at the AAN meeting for the former and current recipients of the McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss
Continuing strong with our strategic goals to lead community research in age-related memory loss and cognitive decline and educate on age-related cognitive decline in communities, our EMBI in a joint effort with our Education Director, Dr. Agudelo and Susan Fox-Rosellini enhanced the Aging Like a Pro education program, disseminating vital information and increasing our footprint in local neighborhoods and greater Miami-Dade and Broward county areas. Additionally, Dr. Galvin and his CCBH team’s Outreach, Recruitment and Education Core (ORE) provided a plethora of community activities. In addition, Drs. David Loewenstein and Elizabeth Crocco had numerous community outreach events as a part of the CNSA program and the 1FL ADRC in collaboration with Dr. Rundek, who serves as 1FL ADRC Director of Research Education Core and an investigator in its Clinical Core. In these functions, Dr. Rundek integrates clinical and education cores and supports trainees to disseminate their research and present on brain health topics at the community events.
SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS A
We were just awarded a multi-center NIA R56 award Multimorbidity 3-City Alzheimer’s Disease EHR (M3AD) with Dr. Rundek as the EMBI site PI. The overall goal of M3AD is to place patients impacted by ADRD at the center, rather than the disease, within research to better tailor risk prediction, enable individualized prevention, and improve clinical outcomes and management of these complex patients. This is a multiethnic, three-city electronic health records (EHR) consortium including New York Presbyterian’s Clinical Data Warehouse with 32 years of data (diagnosis, procedures, medications, labs) on 6 million patients (33,000 with ADRD; 23% of them Hispanic); University of Chicago Clinical Research Date Warehouse with >10 years of data on 2 million patients (11,000 with ADRD; 60% of them Black); and University of Miami Hospital with 10 years of data on 1.4 million patients (13,000 with ADRD; 50% of them Hispanic).
M3AD PIs:
Moise Desvarieux, MD PI at Columbia
Habibul Ahsan, MD PI at UChicago
Tatjana Rundek, MD PI at UMiami
Drs. Rundek, Galvin, Jean-Louis and Stacy Merritt successfully completed and launched the NIH/NIA T32 Cross-disciplinary research opportunity for training in AD/ADRD science-CrossROADS training program. This is the only T32 program in AD/ADRD for postdoctoral scholars in Florida. This 2-year training program
will provide scholars with evidence-based, cross-disciplinary research training and diversify the scientific AD/ADRD workforce while promoting health equity. This program plans to recruit 12 scholars for the next 5 years. The first round of candidates completed the application process, which culminated in the first official scholar’s appointment in November 2024. Our first CrossROADS scholar is Mohammad Nafeli Shahrestani, MD who will be mentored by Dr. Rundek See more information about Dr Shahrestani in the Trainee section
Dr. Rundek is the newest member to serve on the national Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) Research Education Core (REC) Steering Committee and will serve a 3-year term The overarching goal of the REC programs are to support education activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs in ADRD research She will be contributing her vast experience, knowledge and skills in educating and mentoring to the committee, and present plans and achievements of these activities at the national ADRC, NACC and AAIC meetings
Dr. Rundek was also elected to the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Committee of the IAC Board of Directors in December of 2024. This nonprofit and largest nationally recognized accrediting organization, accredits clinical diagnostic imaging modalities (e.g., MRI, nuclear/PET, CT, Ultrasound, Vascular interventional programs, Echo, Electrophysiology, Carotid stenting) to advance appropriate utilization, standardization and quality of diagnostic imaging and intervention-based procedures. Thus, the IAC Steering committee serves to improve the quality of patient care provided in hospitals, clinics and private offices.
Dr. Haq received the prestigious Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders grant award that began in 2024. It aims to grow the global base of movement disorder specialists and neurologists with additional training in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders by training movement disorder clinician-researchers who can provide expert care and lead scientific advances He also received a Parkinson’s Foundation PD Gene Diversity Leadership award: A one-year grant to study the health inequities and/or differences among understudied PD communities, across the spectrum of ethnicity, ancestry, geography, socioeconomic conditions and gender
Dr. Agudelo, mentored by Drs. Ramos and Rundek, submitted a K23 grant to support his research and protected time to develop an independent clinical research career His specific research aims proposed for the project will leverage the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS-SOL) and test the hypotheses that (1) lower brain gray matter microstructure integrity is a marker of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease; and (2) gray matter microstructure mediates a relationship between modifiable sleep patterns and preclinical Alzheimer's disease progression in Latino adults. This project would also pilot in-home portable forehead (EEG) as a more ecologically valid alternative to gold-standard in-lab polysomnography (PSG) for measuring sleep physiology. The training and research within this K23 would position Dr. Agudelo to submit larger grants to implement in-home portable EEG with the goal to prevent ADRD, and mitigate the disparity in ADRD risk in Latino adults. As the parent HCHS-SOL study has just been funded for another 8 years, Dr. Agudelo will be able to further his research in a longitudinal design in the larger proposal. His NIA K23 received fundable score, pending a notice of award.
Dr. Galvin and his CCBH team’s scientific achievements on 3 research projects this year:
Leveraging cohorts from three current R01 grants, Dr. Galvin and his team initiated the longitudinal study Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) to explore (1) culturally relevant standardized measurements of medical, social and environmental factors that may increase the risk of AD (vulnerability) or provide protective benefits from AD (resilience), and (2) how the exposome, vulnerability, and resilience interact with intersectional social identities to explain the mechanisms underlying healthy brain aging and the differential ADRD risk, presentation, diagnosis, biomarker expression and disease progression, particularly in disparity populations The HBI with close to 450 participants (40 5% from minoritized populations) with a target goal of 600 individuals (~50% minoritized populations), has supported over 10 grant applications and 20 manuscripts in the past year The study includes annual comprehensive clinicalcognitive-functional assessments and plasma, digital, and -omics ADRD biomarkers, semiannual MRIs, and a baseline amyloid PET. The cohort consists of 42% cognitive normal subjects, 25% subjects with subjective cognitive impairment, and 32% MCI. They submitted a $17 Million grant to NIA to support the longitudinal project moving forward (to be reviewed in February 2025).
The CCBH team completed enrollment of the Multicultural Rural Project with 926 individuals contributing data and DNA. The cohort was 40% rural, 43% urban and 17% suburban with 75% of the sample African American with 64% high school or less educational attainment. The cohort was 63% normal cognition, 25% mild cognitive impairment and 13% vascular cognitive impairment. They collected data on health beliefs, health literacy, vascular risk factors, COVID-19 exposure, environmental exposures and cognitive performance and will be looking at gene-environment interactions for risk of cognitive impairment.
Last, Dr. Galvin developed and validated the Dementia Literacy Assessment (DeLA) The aim is to increase ADRD health literacy which could increase health-seeking behaviors in diverse populations for treatment, enrich recruitment into clinical trials and help to reduce disparities in health outcomes The DeLA, a story telling method that includes culturally adaptable vignettes embedded with important factoids about ADRD was administered to 213 participants from urban and rural regions of Florida’s Palm Beach and Broward Counties and 193 participants in American Samoa The DeLA increased dementia health literacy and performed well across different participant characteristics (age, sex, education, geographic locale, race, ethnicity, cognitive performance) Gains in ADRD health literacy were associated with older age, more education, better socioeconomic status, greater resilience and better cognitive performance.
Drs. Wang and Jiang received an NIH OT Oculomics award to conduct the research project Novel retinal higherorder capillary hemodynamics imaging for detecting cerebral small vessel) The Venture Program Oculomics Initiative is a collaborative effort between the Common Fund and the National Eye Institute (NEI)
Through Oculomics Initiative support, recipients will develop and apply novel, noninvasive eye imaging technologies, machine learning algorithms, and other tools to identify highly sensitive and specific biomarkers for diseases that affect the entire body. The Venture Program Oculomics Initiative is one of two flagship Venture Initiatives. The NIH gave only three awards with a combined total of up to $4.8 million per year over a period of three years. These initiatives emphasize brief, modest investments that can be implemented quickly in response to emerging opportunities, with a strong potential to rapidly accelerate science.
Dr. Perez-Pinzon was selected as a recipient of the 2025 Thomas Willis Lecture Award. This is an absolutely tremendous honor that has only been bestowed upon scientific giants in the field including Dr. Ralph L. Sacco. This award recognizes contributions to the investigation and management of stroke in basic science. Nominees are actively engaged in and have made significant contributions to basic science research (animal/cell models) in stroke, are active in Stroke Council programs and nominated by a Member of the Stroke Council
Dr. Kaur mentored by Drs. Ramos, Rundek and Levin, received a NCATS CTSI Mentored Research Career Development Program Award in Clinical and Translational Science (K12) This award prepares and provides protected time to scholars for an intensive mentored research career development experience that leads to full research independence and leadership positions in clinical translational science She is the most recent recipient of this award Dr Kaur’s research project will investigate whether sleep disturbances increase the presence of AD biomarkers and other associated pathologies in Hispanic/Latino older adults who are up to four times more likely to develop AD than non-Hispanic whites and may present with unique risk factors. She seeks to enhance an understanding of AD risk and obtain much needed pilot data to guide future interventions.
Dr. Besser, one of the current NCATS CTSI K12 scholars, mentored by Drs. Galvin and Rundek received an NIH R21 grant award this year. R21 awards are intended to encourage innovative, high-risk and high-reward research that could have a major impact on a field of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research. Her NIH award aims to: (1) characterize life course neighborhood social and built environments (SBE) such as access to greenspace, socioeconomic status as well as how they differ between individuals born in and outside the US; (2) determine whether associations between life course neighborhood SBE exposures and late-life ADRD outcomes vary depending on place of birth (in or outside US) and percentage of life lived in the US; and (3) conduct semi-structured interviews with ~25 Hispanic older adults to develop a richer understanding of neighborhood environments and associated health behaviors and exposures experienced throughout the life course and how they differ between those born in and outside the US
Dr Kleiman, mentored by Dr Galvin submitted a K01 award to study neurobehavioral markers of neurodegeneration: quantifying implicit changes in cognitive functioning due to dementia using gaze and speech behavior. This award is NIA's Mentored Research Scientist Development Award that provides support for an intensive, mentored career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral or clinical sciences leading to research independence. His project received a funding score and is pending grant award.
Dr. Oliver Bracko received his first NIH R01 grant to study Neutrophil-driven vascular inflammation in VCID and Mixed Alzheimer's Disease. The research project will use longitudinal in vivo two-photon imaging to determine how and when neutrophils become reactive. His research team will determine how hypoperfusion and AD pathology lead to changes in neutrophil reactivity and how such changes contribute to microvascular damage. The research work is expected to lead to the identification of vascular disease stage-specific biomarkers and shed light on the contribution of activated neutrophils to VCID and mixed AD
Important Scientific Publications by EMBI in 2024
In 2024, Dr. Rundek has published 35 peer reviewed papers and here we present some that she was a senior author and a mentor on.
Rundek T, Romano JG Brain Health Stroke 2024 Oct;55(10):2532-2535 doi: 10 1161/STROKEAHA 124 044292 Epub 2024 Mar 29 PMID: 38551086; PMCID: PMC11421983
The American Heart Association (AHA) is celebrating 100 years of leading cardiovascular science and healthier lives and has advanced its understanding of brain health and transformed science of cerebrovascular disease and stroke to include brain health science This article discusses how the field has evolved in its understanding of societal barriers and social determinates of health. The significant contributions to this understanding of brain health have been made by associating subclinical cerebral small vessel, clinical stroke, and cerebrovascular factors to cognitive impairment and dementia in both clinical and neuropathologic studies. This has positioned scientists well to target these factors in preventive and treatment strategies.
Della-Morte D, Pacifici F, Simonetto M, Dong C, Dueker N, Blanton SH, Wang L, Rundek T. The role of sirtuins and uncoupling proteins on vascular aging: The Northern Manhattan Study experience. Free Radic Biol Med. 2024 Aug 1;220:262-270. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.05.010. Epub 2024 May 8. PMID: 38729451
Aging affects all organs Arteries, in particular, are among the most affected Vascular aging (VA) is defined as age-associated changes in function and structure of vessels This article reviews the results of genetic-epidemiology studies to better understand which of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 7 Sirtuins and Uncoupling Proteins are responsible for both early vascular aging and supernormal vascular aging
Aimagambetova B, Ariko T, Merritt S, Rundek T Arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity correlated with cognitive decline in hypertensive individuals: a systematic review BMC Neurol 2024 Oct 16;24(1):393 doi: 10 1186/s12883-024-03905-8 PMID: 39415095
The results of the review in this article demonstrated that arterial hypertension is an important factor linking arterial stiffness to cognitive health in older individuals. Blood pressure (BP) plays a crucial role in brain integrity, whereas pulse wave volatility was shown to be a strong measure associated with cognitive decline. Together, they can lead to disabling cognitive outcomes. Early screening of stiffness, BP control and compliance with treatment are essential for cerebrovascular disease prevention.
Ariko TA, Aimagambetova B, Gardener H, Gutierrez J, Elkind MSV, Wright CB, Zhao W, Rundek T. Estimated Pulse-Wave Velocity and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Markers of Cerebral Small-Vessel Disease in the NOMAS. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Aug 6;13(15):e035691. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.035691. Epub 2024 Jul 18.PMID: 39023069
Recently, an estimated pulse-wave velocity (ePWV) was introduced that was predictive of increased risk of cardiovascular disease The research objective was to determine whether ePWV was associated with cerebral small-vessel disease on magnetic resonance imaging It concluded that ePWV function may provide a vascular mechanism for deleterious cerebrovascular outcomes in individuals with cerebral small-vessel disease and is particularly apparent in the racial and ethnic minorities represented in the NOMAS cohort
Sur NB (2024) <i>Stroke</i> Highlights Stroke December 2024 55(12), 2773-2773 https://doi org/doi:10 1161/STROKEAHA 124 049782
Dr. Sur, our Evelyn F. McKnight Neurocognitive Scholar, is a standing member of the Stroke publication committee where she publishes monthly highlights summarizing most innovative and groundbreaking Stroke publications. In this latest Stroke issue in December, she highlighted an article from the Rotterdam Study on Normative Population-Derived Data for MRI Manifestations of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, in which investigators developed ageand sex-specific normative data for MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease from 11,465 MR scans of 5,402 individuals without clinical dementia or stroke in the Netherlands. This is a key publication illustrating the increasing occurrence of small vessel disease markers on brain imaging with increasing age and providing normative data that can help guide clinical practice and serve as a framework for future research. Dr. Sur’s review and commentary was chosen by the Editors to be the top Stroke Highlights edition. It was featured on the Stroke journal website where particularly important or impactful research studies are showcased providing additional context to draw attention to the research's significance and high impact
Ramos AR*, Agudelo C*, Gonzalez K, Tarraf W, Daviglus M, Gallo LC, Isasi CR, Kaur S, Lipton RB, Patel SR, Redline S, Sotres-Alvarez D, Stickel AM, Testai F, Talavera GA, Gonzalez HM, DeCarli C Sleep disordered breathing and subsequent neuroimaging markers of brain health the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos; Neurology Accepted and pending publication *Co-first authors
In a recent study from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos by Dr Ramos and Dr Agudelo et al , obstructive sleep apnea severity was associated with greater white matter hyperintensities, a measure of cerebrovascular disease burden. Sleep apnea severity was also associated with larger hippocampi, a brain region vital for memory. The authors hypothesize that hippocampal enlargement in this setting is more likely due to swelling and represents lower hippocampal health.
Brown SC, Aitken WW, Lombard J, Parrish A, Dewald JR, Ma R, Messinger S, Liu S, Nardi MI, Rundek T, Szapocznik J. Longitudinal Impacts of Precision Greenness on Alzheimer’s Disease. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2024. 11, 710–720 (2024). https://doi.org/10.14283/jpad.2024.38
This paper by Dr. Scott Brown and colleagues explains that high greenness levels have a significant impact on adults living in lower-income neighborhoods, suggesting that greenness may be particularly powerful for those most in need. Adults ages 65 to 74 benefited more from high greenness levels than those ages 75 and up. It was concluded that high levels of greenness on the block where an older person lives can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 16 percent over a five-year period which suggests that planting trees or other green interventions could reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk both at individual and population levels
Cyr B, Curiel Cid R, Loewenstein D, Vontell RT, Dietrich WD, Keane RW, de Rivero Vaccari JP
The Inflammasome Adaptor Protein ASC in Plasma as a Biomarker of Early Cognitive Changes
Int J Mol Sci 2024, 25, 7758
This paper highlights the role of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) as a biomarker of the early stages of cognitive change in persons deemed at higher risk of neurodegenerative disease, which suggests that inflammation may play a critical role prior to the onset of cognitive change. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that B-BBs (blood brain barriers) are a viable option for early detection of cognitive decline which will allow for a less invasive, cost-effective screening for dementia-related diseases.
Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute Presenters at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) July 16-20, 2024
Presentations at AAIC 2024
Dr. Bracko gave the oral presentation Neuroimmune Interactions and its impact on VCID. The following presented posters at AAIC.
Dr. Bracko - Altered neutrophil glycolysis contributes to microvascular inflammation in an AD model.
Dr. Vontell, Dr. Davis, Dr. Sun and Dr. Rundek - Reduction of neurogranin protein correlates with increases of inflammasome proteins in post mortem cases of intermediate Alzheimer’s disease
Deirdre O'Shea
Do Associations between mindfulness and cognitive reserve vary by APOE e4 carrier status?
Lilah Besser
Neighborhood social cohesion, racial composition and walkability and dementia risk: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study
Magdalena Tolea
Utility of mobility testing in early ADRD detection
Christian Camargo
Reducing the effects of aging on cognition with therapeutic intervention of an oral multi-nutrient combination (REACTION): A pilot study – Report of primary feasibility outcomes and quality of unblinding
Michael Kleiman
Degradation of gaze-speech synchronization due to mild cognitive impairment in picture description tasks
Lilah Besser and Deidre O’Shea
Intersectionality of gender and social determinants of health in asymptomatic Alzheimer’s neuropathology
Katalina F. McInerney
The association between cognitive tests and stages of cognitive decline in Caribbean Hispanics
Tali Elfassy
Life’s Essential 8, cardiovascular health, and incident dementia in diverse US adults in the Northern Manhattan Study
MCKNIGHT BRAIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION
POSTER RECEPTION
In conjunction with the SfN Sunday, October 6, 2024 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Hilton Chicago Williford ABC, 3rd Floor 720 S Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60605
Posters were presented at both the Society for Neuroscience, October 5-9, 2024 in Chicago, IL and the McKnight Brain Research Foundation McKnight Poster Session on October 6th
��Honorable Mention ��
Indy Cabeda Diaz
Estrogen receptor-beta activation reduces cognitive deficits after stroke in middle-aged female rats
Kayla MacElhinney
Aging Like A Pro: Do educational lectures promote positive behavioral changes among older adults?
Suresh Mallepalli - Ashish Rehni - Kunjan Dave
Recurrent hypoglycemia exposure results in cognitive impairment via increased platelet dysfunction in aged insulin-treated diabetic male rats
Exploring the link between blast-induced hearing loss and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease
Sabrina Sharma
Oral contraceptive treatments increase cerebral sphingolipid and ceramide metabolites and post-stroke cognitive decline in female rats
DEFINING THERAPEUTIC AVENUES: BRIDGING ANIMAL AND HUMAN INSIGHTS ON COGNITIVE AGING
May 15-17, 2024
University of Florida
This year’s Inter-Institutional meeting was a great experience for our EMBI attendees. We are grateful for the chance to interact with the Trustees as well as our colleagues at the McKnight Institutes. The poster reception provided an opportunity for the Trainees to showcase their work, to learn about the work of their fellow trainees and to entertain ideas for collaboration. Our faculty’s involvement in the meeting is included below as well as the Trainee’s contributions to the poster session at the opening reception. We have dedicated time this year to planning the upcoming 16th annual Inter-Institutional meeting in Miami in 2025. Our EMBI is excited to host the MBRF Trustees as well as our partners and collaborators from all the McKnight Institutes
Dr. Ramos presented Sleep into a Healthier Brain: Sleep's Role in Cerebrovascular and Cognitive Health during the session Risk Factors for Cognitive Aging: Metabolic and Cardiovascular Function.
Dr. Rundek participated in the Lunch & Panel Discussion: Training the Next Generation.
Dr. Levin presented Heat Stress, Aging and Cognition during the session Risk Factors for Cognitive Aging: Neuroinflammation.
Dr. McIntosh presented Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging and Monocyte Trafficking in HIV during the session Risk Factors for Cognitive Aging: Neuroinflammation.
Dr. Haq presented Leveraging Cross-modality Neurodegenerative Datasets: Working the R in ADRD during the session New Approaches to Advance Hypotheses of Cognitive Aging
Dr. Levin moderated the session Neuromodulatory and Psychiatric Influences on Cognitive Aging
25th Anniversary Meeting in Gainesville
75th Annual AAN Meeting in Denver
2024 Dinner Reception for the Recipients of the McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss
The following scholars were present:
Haopei Yang (H. Y.) - Stanford, 2024
Eva Klinman, MD, PhD - Washington University in St. Louis, 2023
Christian Camargo, MD - University of Miami, 2019
Brice McConell, MD, PhD, University of Colorado, 2018
Drs Amy Brashear and Roy Hamilton represented the foundation kicking off the evening by thanking all for attending and talking about the history of the MBRF and the partnership with the American Brain Foundation and the AAN. Dr. Rundek represented all Institute directors and talked about how specifically at our EMBI we are known to be focused on mentoring and training the next generation. All the scholars talked about their projects. Christian Camargo and Brice McConnell in attendance, were from the first and second groups of scholars and were happy to elaborate on how this grant propelled their careers.
ACHIEVEMENTS B PROGRAMMATIC COLLABORATIVEINTERGRATIVE
NIYRANILPICSID-SNARTLANOITALSNA
We continue to run a Collaborative Integrative Translational Trans-disciplinary Institute (CITTI) of over 100 clinical and translational scientists and growing who are translating discoveries into interventions to reduce age-related memory loss and improve brain health in partnership with communities.
Evelyn F McKnight Brain Institute (EMBI)
Our EMBI had a successful year, with the accolades and scientific success highlighted above and throughout the report. EMBI places an emphasis on the strengths of our research training and clinical team in close integration with our programmatic clinical activities partnering with the following:
Schoninger Neuropsychology program with Dr Bonnie Levin, Director
The Cornfeld Neuroimaging program with the Dr. Ihtsham Haq, Lead
Sleep Program with Dr. Christian Agudelo and Dr. Alberto Ramos, Director
Clinical Cognitive Division with Dr James Galvin, Director
Memory Clinic with Dr. Barry Baumel, Lead
Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH) with Dr. James Galvin as Director
Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Neurocognitive Science and aging (CNSA) with Dr. David Loewenstein, Director, and Drs. Elizabeth Crocco and Rosie Curiel as Co-Directors
OneFlorida ADRC (1FL ADRC) Dr. David Loewenstein, Leader and Dr. Tatjana Rundek, Training Director
Endowed Brain Bank, with Dr. Xiaoyan Sun, Executive Director
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Department of Neurology and EMBI Collaborators
Drs Hong Jiang and Jianhua Wang
Perez-Pinzon, Director 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Dr Dalton Dietrich and Dr Juan Pablo de Rivero Vaccari
UM CTSI that integrates our EMBI trainees and mentors into CTSI education and mentoring activities led by Dr. Tatjana Rundek including Master of Science in Clinical Translational Investigation, K12, Mentorship Academy and the Connection- a K to R club
Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences (TSCS) Program with Dr. Girardin Jean-Louis, Director
Frost School of Music with our Collaborator Dr Theresa Lesiuk
Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (HIHG) Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance, Director
The Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Laboratories, Dr. Miguel
Schoninger Neuropsychology Program
Led by Dr. Bonnie Levin, the Schoninger Neuropsychology Program providesa full range of interventions designed to mitigate age-related memory loss and other cognitive changes associated with the aging process. Used in conjunction with neuropsychological testing to identify areas of cognitive weakness, patients are offered a uniquely tailored program to address their specific needs in areas that offer potential for intervention This precision-based delivery of services focuses on developing realistic goals and practical, accessible plans of action A major strength of the program is that nearly all of the interventions can be administered on either a virtual platform or face-to-face meeting The program has six faculty who see patients, four Fellows and seven practicum students and two volunteer undergraduate assistants A main research focus of the Schoninger Program is to investigate and mitigate frailty-associated risk of cognitive decline through the Frailty research program that collects information for the McKnight Registry. The McKnight Registry database includes over 500 participants followed at our cognitive neurology clinics. Accomplishments this year by Dr Levin and the Schoninger program include several new studies Dr Levin participates in She has embarked on a study funded by the DOD examining the impact of directed energy on cognition (also known as Havana syndrome). This is an important project as focusing on how impaired vestibular function relates to a variety of cognitive and behavioral outcomes
Another project she is actively involved in will lay the groundwork for identifying key neural circuitry involved in impaired balance and dizziness, two extremely common age-related changes linked to cognitive complaints and anxiety Other new projects include: serving on a multi-site dementia adjudication project with Dr. Mike Cuccaro at the Hussman Institute for Genomics (HIHG), working on a study focused on the neural correlates of autobiographical
memories tied to music, and the impact of yoga on retinal biomarkers associated with cognitive decline Dr Levin is a serving as a committee member and a co-chair for three new dissertations and one masters level theses.
Movement Disorders Division and Cornfeld Neuroimaging Program
Dr. Ihtsham Haq is Director of the Movement Disorder Division at UM Department of Neurology and our EMBI Co-Associate Director. His overall research interest has been in improving the care of patients with movement disorders and Lewy Body Dementia with a focus on the use of technology in the understanding of brain circuitry. He is an important collaborator with our imaging pipeline initiative and meets regularly with the EMBI team regarding imaging projects He has been instrumental as a collaborator and mentor to our EMBI PhD student Taylor Ariko and junior faculty on research projects. He has been leading the Cornfeld Neuroimaging Program and data science Core advancing our neuroscience
initial results of his Diversity Supplement at the University of Arizona Behavioral Sleep Medicine Seminar He gave 4 community presentations and recorded a podcast for the Aging Like a Pro series. He mentored 2 under graduate students and one post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Agudelo also maintained an active sleep medicine and general neurology clinic at the Miami VA Hospital
The State-of-the-art EMBI Sleep Program serves to educate, mentor and work to develop and translate effective research translation strategies involving sleep, for early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of age-related memory loss and cognitive decline. Dr. Ramos leads the NIH-funded Sleep in Neurocognitive Aging and Alzheimer’s Research (SANAR) project and research program The University of Miami site began recruitment in September 2022 and has led enrollment. Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx and San Diego State University began recruitment in November 2022 and have maintained successful enrollment numbers. The University of Illinois in Chicago began recruitment in July 2023 Thus far, they have screened more than 1,891 participants, with 1,872 eligible and 1,496 enrolled in the study, with a target of 3,000. The SANAR team is planning to complete an interim analysis using the initial data cut from the University of North Carolina coordinating center Preliminary analyses on home sleep testing, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and demographic information of the sample are set to begin also.
Cognitive Division in the Department of Neurology
Under Dr. James Galvin’s leadership as Director of the Cognitive Division, our EMBI clinical team collaborates with the cognitive division Our clinicians are Dr Bernard Baumel, Lead of the UM Memory Program, Dr. Xiaoyan Sun, (also Executive Director of the UM Brain Endowment Bank), Dr. Christian Camargo our former McKnight Cognitive Fellow and AAN/MBRF Scholar, and Dr. Michelle Marrero, a former EMBI Clinical Fellow Our EMBI clinical training and educational program in aging and age-related cognitive impairment is housed in the Cognitive Division of the Department of Neurology.
Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH)
Dr. Galvin is the Cognitive Division Director, and Director of the CCBH. The addition of the CCBH continues to expand our EMBI cognitive aging scope of research, clinical care and ability to make an impact in local communities from the Florida Keys to Boca Raton and the Palm Beaches.
Dr. Galvin has completed his first full year as the Alexandra and Bernard Schoninger Endowed Chair in Memory Disorders. The Schoningers were home builders and shopping center pioneers whose children attended University of Miami and thus they were delighted to make gifts to the University that was furthered with other matching gifts. This gift was also matched by the MBRF gift in 2014, additionally creating the Evelyn F. McKnight Endowed Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging that Dr Rundek holds
Dr Galvin’s team at the CCBH received NIH grants this year, published multiple papers and gave many scientific presentations, which are listed in those report sections Dr Galvin published 36 papers this year, of which he was either first author or mentor on 10. He presented at many scientific meetings in 2024 including platform presentations at AD/PD International Conference and the International Indigenous Dementia Research Network Success with his research projects are listed above in the scientific achievements section. He recruited Dr. Ketlyne Sol, PhD, a health psychologist who will join the CCBH in March of 2025. She comes from the University of Michigan and her expertise is in gerontology, cognitive aging and health disparities. She is PI for the K01 Risk and Resilience Mechanisms Underlying Race Disparities in ADRD: An Examination of Neighborhood Resources, Social Networks, Brain Integrity, and Cognition Dr Sol has authored 42 manuscripts and has an R01 application under review.
Dr. Lilah Besser is a research professor, epidemiologist and social scientist at the UM
Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH) and is mentored by Drs. Galvin and Rundek. Her current research centers on the intersections between neighborhoods and social environments, healthy aging and brain health She has received an R21 grant this year to support her research program on neighborhood social determinants of health including built and social environments and brain health/ADRD outcomes. She has multiple published studies demonstrating the detrimental impact of racial/ethnic segregation on cognition and brain imaging outcomes. In 2024, she was author on 10 publications, first author on 2, gave 5 presentations at scientific events and presented 3 posters were at the AAIC.
Dr. Magdalena Tolea is a research professor and Associate Director of Research at the UM Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH). Her current researc between physical dysfunction and cognitive impairment, more spec its role as a potential predictor of cognitive decline and dementia was first author on the publication Gait, balance, and physical p early AD/ADRD risk (JAD, in press) She also presented a poster at the
Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Aging (CNSA)
Led by Dr. David Loewenstein, the CNSA includes Dr Rosie Curiel, a recognized minority leader in AD clinical research and Diversity Core Lead of the 1FL ADRC, and the CNSA Medical Director, Dr Elizabeth Crocco, a recognized clinical AD investigator and Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry This Center’s mission is to be a leader in understanding the aging brain and a hub to develop and implement the most state-of-the-art techniques for the study of brain disorders. The CNSA is grounded upon three pillars: research, clinical care and education. Their scientists are leaders in the development of cutting-edge methodologies to diagnose and treat cognitive disorders. In 2024, the CNSA and EMBI continued their collaborations on the 1FL ADRC.
Brain Endowment Bank (BEB)
The Department of Neurology Brain Endowment Bank™, led by Dr. Xiaoyan Sun, is one of six NIH designated NeuroBioBank brain and tissue biorepositories in the nation with a large AD/ADRD and control brain repository from diverse populations. The Brain Endowment Bank encourages brain donation to support medical and scientific researchers who study the human brain in search of better treatments, and ultimately a cure for brain disorders The BEB U S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contract for postmortem collection of PTSD and control brains was awarded this year through 2029. EMBI and the Cognitive Division participate and support collaborations with this outstanding UM Program that also includes two neuroscientists Dr. Regina Vontell and Dr. David Davis. The BEB continued to have a strong collaboration with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis group in which they’re looking at neuropathological conditions where the inflammasome plays an important role and may prove to be an important target using cutting edge technology with ample opportunities because of the large grant awarded. Dr. Sun coordinated a brain cutting session for EMBI members, collaborators and trainees
Dr. Regina Vontell is Associate Director of the Department of Neurology Brain Endowment Bank. Her primary research has focused on the inflammatory mediators in the brain and their relation to complex diseases. She has been instrumental in studies that identify potential targets for neuronal inflammation. This year, she continued with her development ‘Nanostring Technologies,’ which will prove to be an important tool for detecting RNA and protein changes for the inflammasome complex. Last year, she secured funding to start the program, which continues to lead to several grant applications and submissions. She received 2 grants, published 6 papers, presented a poster at the AAIC and was invited to give 2 international presentations
Dr. David Davis has participated in and supervised the dissection and allocation of more than 14,000 biospecimens for NIH NeuroBioBank investigators He has been developing a multidisciplinary research program involving the collaboration of environmental scientists, ethnobotanists, neurologists, pathologists and toxicologists all focused on investigating the effects of environmental exposures on brain health This year, Dr David Davis published seven manuscripts and received a new grant. His work was highlighted on CNN and the 2023 PBS documentary where he discussed the impact of plastic on cognition “We’re All Plastic People Now” that received an Emmy award.
UM Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI)
BPEI is a world-renowned Institute that has been ranked the #1 eye hospital in the country by the US News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for the 22nd time. BPEI faculty, Drs. Hong Jiang and Jianhua Wang train the next generation of aging researchers at BPEI including fellows and medical students and are active EMBI members with a research focus on ocular biomarkers of cognitive aging and dementia. They collaborate with Dr. Rundek on microvasculature and microcirculation changes and with Dr Galvin on retinal amyloid imaging in brain aging, MCI and AD/ADRD They are also Co-Investigators with Dr Signorile, Director of the Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research and Active Aging on the pilot study Circuit Resistance Training and Retinal Vascular Changes in Older Persons Drs Jiang and Wang have a collaborative grant with the UAB EMBI that is listed in the collaborative programs section This year, they worked on their NIH project to investigate the potential of the eye as the window to aging brain They received two grants One is from the NIH and the other is a ULink grant from the University of Miami The U-Link awards support building a sustainable and meaningful partnership with an academic or community partner and support projects that will identify, develop, and/or test strategies to enhance the adoption, adaptation,
integration, scale-up, sustainment, and commercialization of evidence-based interventions, practices, programs, tools, treatments, guidelines, and policies This year, they received an NIH OT Oculomics award to conduct the research project Novel retinal higher-order capillary hemodynamics imaging for detecting cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD)
UM Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
The CTSI, now led by MPIs (Drs. Kobetz and Carrasquillo) is a university-wide institute dedicated to accelerating and transforming culturalized clinical translational science (CTS) and serves as the Miami Hub of the national CTSI consortium to advance scientific discoveries into improved health and health equity In 2024, it is in the second year of its funding renewal With its programs (biostatistics, epidemiology and research design; informatics and data science; community and stakeholder engagement; team science; integrating special population; regulatory, network capacity, translational workforce development, K12, and pilot program) it provides infrastructure and resources for CTSI and clinical trial readiness to address new pandemics or emergencies and support education, training and diverse translational workforce development
CTSI K12 Program
Dr. Tatjana Rundek is Director of the CTSI K12 Program and is Director of a MS Degree in Clinical Translational Investigation (MCSTI), both highly integrated, cross-disciplinary programs to train and mentor the next generation of translational scientists-leaders In 2024, the K12 program (Dr Rundek PI) is in its second year of CTSI renewal This program builds upon the 10 years of success in her prior CTSI KL2 leadership, with 21 Scholars who graduated from Kl2 and who had 176 publications directly related to their KL2 projects and successfully competed for R and K type awards with over $50M in research funding Consistent with the overall CTSI theme, half of the K12 scholar research projects were on minority health and health disparities. The K12 award of $3.8 million over five years will build on the Miami CTSI’s highly successful KL2 program with a goal of training and mentoring promising early-stage investigators in cross-disciplinary clinical and translational science, team science, and
community participatory research Currently, the K12 program has 4 scholars with 2 from our EMBI (Drs. Kaur and O’Shea) The External Advisory Committee (EAC) was highly complementary of our K12 scholars’ accomplishments as well as with the program’s high integration with other CTSI components and the implementation of CTS principles into the K12 and Master’s programs
Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences (TSCS) Program
Dr. Girardin Jean-Louis, one of the world’s leading experts on advancing the science and practice of sleep and circadian sciences, directs the Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences (TSCS) Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UM Miller School of Medicine He collaborates with Dr Rundek on the T32 programs and NIH-funded R25 PRIDE. These programs focus on how interventions aimed at better sleep quality can improve the health of minority populations that are disproportionately affected by problems associated with sleep The TSCS research focus is on investigating how sleep deficiencies and circadian misalignment, or a misalignment of the body’s internal clock, impacts development of cardiovascular disease, dementia and other chronic health problems. The TSCS has three pillars: research, training and community engagement and empowerment A major objective of the program is training and mentoring new generations of sleep and circadian scientists, including underrepresented minority investigators to attain the national mandate to achieve health equity in all U S communities
Frost School of Music
The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami is one of the most highly acclaimed innovative music schools in the United States. It is a progressive school that fosters students to build themselves into self-assured music professionals. Its award-winning faculty vigorously and effectively seeks to improve the world through ardent musical performances, impactful research and exceptional teaching. Drs. Theresa Lesiuk, Xiaoyan Sun and Roger McIntosh collaborate on the project The Neural Network Connectivity of Autobiographical Music in Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer’s Disease, funded by the ML Pearce Foundation. The aims of the project are to investigate the activated neural networks of autobiographical versus novel music in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and mild Alzheimer’s disease (mAD) The study uses a within-subjects and between-subjects design and has completed enrollment. The three conditions (i.e., recorded autobiographical music, novel music, white noise) are randomly counter-balanced. The study has met the projected timeline with the analysis of all MCI/mAD brain scans pending Twenty-five neuro-typical
adults and 15 MCI have completed the study The first paper from this research, The cognitive and emotional content of Music Evoked Autobiographical Memories in Older Adults, was accepted by the journal Psychology of Music. A second paper Neural Activity (fALFF) of MusicEvoked Autobiographical Memories in NeuroTypical Older Adults is pending publication This study has significantly fostered our collaborations with Frost and the creation of a new program on music and mind in our EMBI.
OneFlorida ADRC (1FL ADRC)
1FL ADRC continues to operate under the leadership of Dr. David Loewenstein, one of the 1FL ADRC Directors. Dr. Tatjana Rundek now serves as Director of 1FL ADRC REC AlzSTARS (Alzheimer’s Science Training to Advance Research Success), after Dr Glenn Smith from UF has been assuming the role of the 1FLADRC Contact PI. Two UM AlzSTARS graduates of EMBI, Dr. Magdalena Tolea, CCBH and Dr. Regina Vontell, UM Brain Endowment Bank have completed the program Together with 1FL ADRC, UM has a strong national presence in AD/ADRD genetic research, particularly in minority populations through the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (HIHG). With Dr. Rundek’s new role on the national ADRC REC Steering committee, our ADRC will have additional national visibility and our EMBI more opportunities for collaborations on clinical and educational programs.
Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (HIHG)
Led by Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance, the HIHG is leading a national initiative on the whole genome sequencing for ethnically diverse AD cohorts and the project on the origin of AD in people of African Ancestry This year, at the world’s largest annual meeting in human genetics and genomics, Hussman Institute Director, Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance also the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Professor of Human Genetics, received the American Society of Human Genetics’ (ASHG) highest honor She was honored with an American Society of Human
Basic Science Collaborators
The Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Laboratories
The laboratories continue to conduct research on cerebral circulatory control mechanisms in animal models which have evolved over the years into studying cerebral ischemia from molecular biology to physiology and behavioral testing, with the goal of finding novel therapies. Their scientists are constantly in search of novel findings, seeking to expand the knowledge of cerebrovascular disorders with the aim to treat and enhance quality of life Dr. Miguel Perez-Pinzon is the Scheinberg Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Vice-Chair for Basic Science in Neurology and Director of the Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Laboratories This year, he received the prestigious 2025 Thomas Willis Lecture Award from the American Stroke Association’s Council on Stroke. As such, he is invited to present the Thomas Willis Lecture at the International Stroke Conference 2025 on basic science work in his field
Dr. Kunjan Dave is a Research Associate Professor whose research includes studying potential signaling pathways responsible for neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases One of his trainees received a postdoctoral fellowship and another a summer research scholarship.
Dr. Ami Raval is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology in the basic science division. Her research focuses on understanding the effects of estrogen on neuronal survival after ischemic episode, and the role of nicotine addiction on beneficial effects of estrogen on hippocampal neurons subjected to ischemia She received one grant and published six papers. Five of her trainees presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting and at the McKnight Brain Research Foundation Poster Session. Three of her trainees won awards for various poster presentations and one received a summer scholarship
Dr. Oliver Bracko’s lab, fosters a highly collaborative environment that works with fellow UM labs to investigate vascular dementia models in the context of precondition, establishing the role of extracellular vesicles from neutrophils in Alzheimer's disease mouse models and patients, and work on investigating glycosylation patterns of neutrophils and their impact on cerebral blood flow changes In addition, he is collaborating with labs at Duke, Mayo Clinic and the University of Vermont to establish new models of VCID, investigate the impact of delirium on neuroinflammation, and determine the role of the mechanosensitive channel Piezo-1 on cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's Disease A major achievement this year was identifying sialic acid as a new player in neutrophils contributing to Alzheimer’s disease. He received an award and an NIH R01 grant (both described in the awards and grants section), was invited to give six national and international talks and authored four instrumental papers in his field. His four trainees all received honors or awards and one was first author on a publication in Frontiers in Neurology.
Dr. David Della-Morte is currently a Research Associate Professor of Neurology in EMBI. He is also an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, at the University of Tor Vergata, the Director of the Geriatric Unit at Tor Vergata Hospital, Rome, Italy, and Co-Director of IC-LOC (Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Studies on Lab-on-Chip and Organ-on-Chip Applications). He is involved in both basic and clinical science in the field of aging, metabolic, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease His current research focus is to clarify the pathological pathways linking metabolic diseases with cognitive impairment typical of elderly patients and with genetic disorders and studies aimed to identify genetic factors influencing the development of vascular aging and cognition This year, he has attained notable progress in the study of sleep disorders among the elderly using sleep-specific questionnaires, offering valuable insights for improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. He has demonstrated significant progress in the study of the interactions between exposome (environmental factors) and microbiome, exploring their combined impact on human health and translational research. He published 10 papers in 2024.
TRAINING EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH C
1. Training
The Evelyn F McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Miami (EMBI) under the leadership of Dr. Rundek, continued to prioritize training the future generation of scientists to research the aging brain. She received funding for 2 training grants in 2024 (See grants section.) She continues to serve as Training Director for both the StrokeNet and NeuroNEXT grant programs that recruit one scholar per year to receive a training award as well as 1FL ADRC REC Director In addition, she leads CTSI K12, 2 T32s and a R25 program, which makes our EMBI a strong training and education core for age-related brain conditions institution wide The cadre of past and current trainees, many funded with MBRF funds continue to excel in their careers Former trainees’ success stories are included first in this section. Next, we emphasize our current trainees and this year’s accomplishments.
Former Trainees Forging Forward
Christian Agudelo, MD (neurologist, sleep specialist) was our first Evelyn F. McKnight Neurocognitive Scholar from 2021-2022. He was a model scholar, actively working on grant applications, publishing and participating in education and community outreach efforts. He was offered the position of Assistant Professor this year. He submitted an NIH Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development (K23) Award application. Receiving the McKnight Scholarship helped propel his career to where it is now. He participates in the Clinical Significance of Incidental White Matter Lesions on MRI Amongst a Diverse Population with Cognitive Complaints (Diverse VCID) research project as a study neurologist.
Lilah Besser, PhD, MSPH (epidemiologist and social scientist) is a research professor at the UM Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH) mentored by Drs. Galvin and Rundek. She received funding from EMBI which jump started her career. Her current research centers on the intersections between neighborhoods and social environments, healthy aging and brain health. She has numerous publications and R grants funding supports her research program on neighborhood social determinants of health including built and social environments and brain health/ADRD outcomes. She has multiple published studies demonstrating the detrimental impact of racial/ethnic segregation on cognition and brain imaging outcomes This year, she received an R21 NIH award.
Christian Camargo, MD (cognitive neurologist) completed his Fellowship in Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology at EMBI, 2017-2021. He then became part of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation’s Communications Workgroup. He was awarded the 2019 American Academy of Neurology/McKnight Brain Foundation Clinical Translational Research Scholarship His funded project was ‘Reducing the Effects of Ageing on Cognition with Therapeutic Intervention of an Oral Multi-Nutrient: The REACTION Pilot Trial Study Design’. The study was a success The data analysis is complete and 2 peer reviewed papers were published. He presented a poster at the AAIC this year. As Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, he continues to see patients in our clinical cognitive division memory clinic MBRF funding has helped him to have protected research time which launched his career in cognitive neurology. He participates in the Clinical Significance of Incidental White Matter Lesions on MRI Amongst a Diverse Population with Cognitive Complaints (Diverse VCID) research project as a study neurologist.
PAST Scholars:
Michelle Caunca, MD, PhD was our first EMBI sponsored medical student funded from 2016-2018. She was enrolled in the UM dual MD/PhD program working on her ‘Markers of Cognitive Decline’ project. During that time, she received an NIH F30 and an Internal Pilot Study grant from the UM Scientific Awards Committee (SAC). The initial support from EMBI, made this possible. She is now finishing her neuro residency at the University of California, San Francisco and continues to publish seminal papers
Sarah Getz, PhD (psychologist) was an instructor at the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH) She received a grant to research ‘Neurocognitive Correlates of Scam Susceptibility in Age-Related Hearing Loss’ by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation through the American Brain Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology She completed her Alzheimer’s Association International Research Grant project and recently left UM to pursue a career in a private setting.
Joyce Gomes-Osman, PT, PhD received a McKnight Pilot Award that funded her from 2017-2018 for her innovative study that investigated mechanisms underlying cognitive benefits after an 8-week exercise intervention in sedentary adults over age 55 She then leveraged the pilot data to obtain a Mentored Translational Research Scholars Program Award (KL2) from the UM CTSI) She is currently the Vice President of Interventional Therapy at Linus Health, leading research in brain aging, brain health and quality of life. She holds an adjunct Associate Professor appointment in our Department of Neurology
chelle Marrero, MD (cognitive neurologist) did her Fellowship in gnitive and Behavioral Neurology at EMBI from 2018-2019 With MBRF nding, she studied and conducted research on memory disorders and the pact of neurological damage and disease upon behavior, memory and gnition. She continues to see patients in our clinical cognitive division emory clinic
Anita Seixas Saporta, MD was a McKnight Fellow from 2018-2023 She worked on the McKnight Frailty Program under Dr. Bonnie Levin and on important FL-DOH grants under the mentorship of Dr Rundek The experience she gained allowed her to become a research associate with the UM neurology department’s Epilepsy program, where she is conducting analysis of neuroimaging and clinical data in Epilepsy and associated psychiatric comorbidities.
Magdalena Tolea, PhD is a research professor and Associate Director of Research at the UM Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH). Her current research focuses on the intersect between physical dysfunction and cognitive impairment, more specifically on sarcopenia and its role as a potential predictor of cognitive decline and dementia in later life. She received MBRF funding upon arrival at EMBI which has launched her research career She completed a1FL ADRC AlzSTARS scholarship
Regina Vontell, PhD is Associate Director of the UM Department of Neurology Brain Endowment Bank Her early career at EMBI was supported by MBRF funds, making her success possible. Her primary research focuses on the inflammatory mediators in the brain and their relation to complex diseases She developed ‘Nanostring Technologies’ which has been an important tool for detecting RNA and protein changes in the inflammasome complex. She secured funding to get this program started, which has led to several grant applications and submissions She completed a1 FL ADC AlzSTARS scholarship.
EMBI Trainees Making a Mark on Aging Research
Current EMBI Trainees
Sonya Kaur, PhD (Mentors: Drs Rundek and Levin) is a psychologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology Division of Neuropsychology Schoninger Neuropsychology program. Her research focuses on mechanistic pathways that mediate cognitive impairment in aging She has a special interest in examining the impact of lifestyle interventions (e g exercise, sleep) on markers of disease progression in a variety of neurodegenerative processes. This year she received a two-year CTSI K12 career development award.
Nicole Sur, MD (Mentors: Drs. Rundek and Natalia Rost, MGH Harvard, incoming president of the AAN) is a board-certified vascular neurologist and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology in the Stroke Division In 2021, she became the site-PI for the large, NIH-funded, nationwide DISCOVERY (Determinants of Incident Stroke Cognitive Outcomes and Vascular Effects on Recovery) study to investigate susceptibility and resilience mechanisms for poststroke cognitive impairment and dementia She began her first year as the Evelyn F McKnight Neurocognitive Scholar in 2023/2024 and begins her second year 2024/2025. (See Appendix 7) She is a lead neurologist on the DVCID study (details in the collaborations section).
Taylor Ariko (Mentors: Drs. Rundek, Zhao and Haq) is a PhD student in the College of Biomedical Engineering and is our EMBI student trainee. She was first author on the paper Estimated Pulse Wave Velocity and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Markers of Cerebral SmallVessel Disease this year She also passed her dissertation proposal in July and became an official Biomedical Engineering PhD Candidate. She is currently completing her dissertation with a plan to defend in May of 2025
Sonya Kaur PhD
Nicole Sur MD
Taylor Ariko
Botagoz Aimagambetova MD
Michael Kleiman PhD
Nicole Dueker PhD
Erin-Leigh Gallop PhD
Deirdre O’Shea PhD
Mohammad Nafeli Shahrestani MD
Botagoz Aimagambetova, MD (Mentors: Drs Rundek and Tulay) completed an MD degree and a residency in medicine/cardiology in Kazakhstan She has studied ultrasound and functional evaluation of cardiovascular diseases and is trained in a full range of noninvasive diagnostic cardiac exams Her primary research interest is the determination of cardiovascular risk factors in the etiology of neurodegenerative processes in an elderly population She was first author on two publications this year including one on her recent research project How arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity correlates with cognitive decline in hypertensive individuals She completed Parts 1 and 2 of the Expert echocardiography 144 academic hours. She completed our CTSI MS in Clinical Translational Investigation (Program Director, Dr. Rundek) this year. She is currently Research Scientist in EMBI and key research physician for the Precision Aging Network study
Michael Kleiman, PhD (Mentor: Dr. Galvin) is a Data Scientist at the UM Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH) Dr Kleiman’s area of focus is on the intersection between neurology, cognitive psychology and data science. He has developed tools and machine learning models that use neurobehavioral markers as well as health records, cognitive exam scores and neuroimaging data for assessing current impairment and predicting future risk of impairment He presented a poster at the 2024 AAIC. He submitted a K01 award to study neurobehavioral markers of neurodegeneration: quantifying implicit changes in cognitive functioning due to dementia using gaze and speech behavior (proposal received fundable score, pending NIA notice of award).
Deirdre O’Shea, PhD (Mentor: Drs Galvin and Rundek) is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Department of Neurology. Her research investigates risk and resilience factors that contribute to variability in cognitive aging and predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) She is currently working on developing novel DNA methylation (DNAm) biomarkers for predicting ADRD risk. These epigenetic markers offer a quantifiable metric of the interplay between genetic and environmental factors over the life course She is the PI of a study titled Developing a DNAm Biomarker for Cognitive Aging: Addressing Disparities and Promoting Community Engagement and is supported by a two-year CTSI K12 career development award. She submitted 3 new grants in 2024 and will be receiving effort from 3 others with UM collaborators Her recent K01 award received a fundable score, and is pending NIA notice of award.
Nicole Dueker, PhD (Mentors: Drs Wang, Blanton, and Rundek) is a research scientist at UM and is an EMBI trainee She performs statistical and genetic epidemiological analyses in various datasets, including the Northern Manhattan Family Study, UK Biobank, ADNI and others Her primary work focuses on performing analyses on and investigating the relationship between epigenetic age acceleration and stroke intermediate phenotypes as well as epigenetic changes and their association with aging in a large sample of extended families from the Dominican Republic. Currently she is completing analyses and a paper on the impact of biological age on brain health using different epigenetic clocks
Mohammad Nafeli Shahrestani, MD (Mentor: Dr. Rundek) is our first CrossROADS T32 scholar. Dr Shahrestani was born in Iran, and moved to Rome, Italy at age 19 to pursue a medical education. Driven by his keen interest in the study of the aging brain and neurodegeneration, in his last year of medical school, he was a research scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where he completed his MD graduation thesis on Alzheimer’s disease After graduating summa cum laude from Tor Vergata University of Rome, he joined the Neurology Department at the University of Miami as a postdoctoral T32 research scholar. His research focuses on vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), investigating how compromised cardiovascular system and inflammation contribute to the development of age-related cognitive decline.
Erin-Leigh Gallop, PhD (Mentor: Dr. Rundek) is a PINNACLE T32 scholar. Her research focuses on the relationship between neighborhood contexts and mental health among older adults with a sleep apnea diagnosis With a multidisciplinary background that includes degrees in Psychology (B.A., New York University), Nutrition and Food Science (M.S., Montclair State University), Community Health (M.S., Columbia University), and Health Education (Ed.D., Columbia University), Erin-Leigh is dedicated to understanding how dietary profiles influence cognitive health in older adults, aligning her work with the goals of improving health equity and advancing translational science. She received a BMBH Emerging Scholar Award this year.
2. Scientific Education
The University of Miami 57th Annual Neurology Update and Stroke Intensive Review 2024 provides clinicians with a comprehensive review of the most recent developments in the diagnosis and management of neurologic disorders, including stroke, cognitive neurology/brain health, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders, headache/migraine, neuropsychology, sleep disorders and general neurology.
Our EMBI Faculty and Trainees Contributions
NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS SESSION
Bonnie Levin, PhD (Moderator)
Specific Psychotherapeutic Considerations for Patients with Neurological Conditions
Katalina Fernández McInerney, PhD
Health Disparities in Sleep and Cognition
Sonya Kaur, PhD
Sleep in Cognitive Aging and Alzheimer's Disease
Alberto Ramos, MD
MOVEMENT DISORDERS SESSION
Ihtsham Haq, MD (Moderator)
COGNITIVE DISORDERS SESSION
James Galvin, MD (Moderator)
The UM Brain Endowment Bank: One Deposit, Many Returns
Xiaoyan Sun, MD
Neurobehavioral Markers of Brain Health and Dementia
Michael Kleiman, PhD
Alzheimer's Disease Mimics and Variants
Deirdre O'Shea, PhD
The Future is Now: A Critical Review of New Therapies and Diagnostics
Anticoagulating the Challenging Atrial Fibrillation Patient
Nicole Sur, MD
EMBI Research Seminars
11/15/24 Brain Cutting Session: A Frontotemporal Dementia Case with Parkinsonism Can Neuropathology Provide a Specific Diagnosis?
Primary Presenter: Sakir Humayun Gultekin, MD
Clinical Professor
Director of Neuropathology Service, Division of Anatomic Pathology Director of Clinical Operations, Program Director of Neuropathology Fellowship, University of Miami
Additional Presenters:
Chief Resident: Case presentation, Dr Oliva
Radiologist, Dr Gorniak, Brain MRI findings
Radiologist, Dr. Ezuddin, FDG and amyloid PET scan findings
Neuropathologist, Dr. Gultekin, Neuropathological findings and discussion
Discussion:
Neuropsychologist: Cognitive impairment profile, Dr. Levin
Cognitive Neurologist: Clinical aspects of this case, Dr. Camargo
Each year, we schedule research seminars about new treatments, novel research being published and current research being done by EMBI trainees and collaborators Here are the presentations done this year.
January 31st - Ihtsham Haq, MD “Part 2 Parkinson’s disease, the old and the new”
April 3rd - Hari Pradhyumnan and Shahil Patel “Electronic cigarette exposure worsens poststroke cognition in a sex dependent manner”
April 24th - Dr. Teresa Lesiuk “The neural network connectivity of autobiographical music in adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and mild Alzheimer’s disease”
September 11th - Hannah Gardener, ScD “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances as possible risk factors for cognitive decline”
September 25th - Sonya Kaur, PhD "Sleep measures and AD biomarkers in the Hispanic Community Health Study"
Scientific training conducted by Brain Endowment Bank (BEB)
July 11, 2024 - David Davis, PhD led a Brain Cutting Session: JJ Vance Memorial Summer Internship
Topic: Review of gross neuroanatomy of Alzheimer’s disease and opioid abuse.
Medical Resident, Fellow and Student Training Crucial to the Field of Aging
Dr. Levin taught the Foundations of Neuropsychology course at the UM Coral Gables Campus It remains to date, the only graduate doctoral level course in Neuropsychology offered at UM This course attracts graduate students from all of the clinical tracks (child, adult and behavioral medicine).
Dr. Agudelo led the new cognitive neurology program for neurology residents. It is a unique collaboration between the UM Cognitive Division and EMBI that continued in 2024. The 2week cognitive neurology rotation program for neurology residents has become an integral and successful core compulsory feature of the neurology residency. Residents are immersed in cognitive neurology and engage in EMBI activities which serves to create a pipeline of neurologists interested in careers in cognitive neurology This program has strengthened our collaboration with the Cognitive Division. This year, it included clinical rotations in cognitive clinics under supervision of cognitive neurologists, assigned cognitive neurology readings and participation in EMBI activities Residents met with Drs Rundek and Agudelo to discuss brain aging, cognitive and brain health, cognitive neurology career options as well as EMBI scholarships. Twelve residents completed the rotation in 2024 and the feedback from their evaluations were favorable regarding the importance of the cognitive neurology rotation This year one resident has decided to pursue a career in cognitive neurology.
Dr. Ramos taught a sleep seminar at the Annual Academy of Neurology meeting in Denver, Colorado, 2024
Dr. Crocco our EMBI collaborator from the CNSA has extensive involvement in the training of the Jackson Memorial and UM fellows and residents each year She provides training specializing in aging, which is especially important as there is a great need for clinicians in this field. Her case conferences and other training offerings are organized for psychiatry residents and fellows, and EMBI neurology trainees are invited. We hold quarterly neurology-psychiatry collaborative educational sessions and grand rounds Here is an overview of her training
She holds Weekly Case Conference for the JMH Geriatric Psychiatry Training Program and Coordinates and supervises all geriatric psychiatry fellows’ weekly presentations of patient’s case history, including biological, psychological and sociological data and formulates an integrated treatment plan.
She leads JMH Geriatric Psychiatry Residency Training Program Weekly Journal Club consisting of weekly coordination and supervision of all geriatric psychiatry fellows with the objective of critical evaluation of peer-reviewed, original research articles and learning to apply knowledge to the care of their geriatric patients.
She leads the Geriatric Psychiatry Seminar consisting of weekly developing and implementing basic, core curriculum-focused conference that covers knowledge and skill areas necessary to the successful completion of the geriatric psychiatry training program and commonly seen diagnoses in geriatric psychiatry
She directs the JMH General Psychiatry Residency Training Program and develops and implements comprehensive geriatric specialty lectures in all 4 years of general psychiatric residency training. Topics include: normal aging, late-life schizophrenia, late-life depression, ECT, bereavement, neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer’s, Vascular, Lewy body disease, neuroimaging and caregiving issues She also leads the Geriatric Psychiatry Training Program for Jackson Memorial Hospital and led the Geriatric Psychiatry Lecture Series.
3.Community Education and Outreach
Aging Like a Pro Survey Results:
To ascertain the satisfaction, effectiveness, and impact of these community education and outreach events, we designed and conducted a survey with 12 questions. Approximately, 76% of participants completed the survey. Among them, 84% self-identified as female and 16% male Most, 76% were retired with a mean age of 70 years The majority, 80% had at least 1 college degree
Questions and Results
Range of 1-5 (5=highest)
Did you know a moderate amount about the subject?
ETHNICITY
Was the topic informative?
Did the lecture inspire you to make changes in your life?
Were you satisfied with the content of this lecture?
Would you recommend the lecture to a friend?
3 5 4.2 4.4 4.7
These Aging Like a Pro preliminary results were presented at the MBRF sponsored poster session as well as at the annual Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, October 2024. Currently, the students and leaders of the program are submitting a manuscript to a peer reviewed journal.
Aging Like a Pro Videos and Podcast
We have completed a series of videos and podcasts. The first 3 video episodes, Sleep Smarter, Mastering Mindfulness, and Smart Eating were taped and posted on the UMiamiMBI YouTube channel, expanding our Aging Like a Pro reach The first 4 podcasts, called Aging Like A Pro Talks were also created. The first talk, Translating Research into Practice with Tatjana Rundek, MD, PhD, introduces Aging Like A Pro. The second is Sleep Smarter, with Christian Agudelo, MD, the third explores Mastering Mindfulness with Sonya Kaur, PhD, and the fourth is Eat Smarter with Nicole Sur, MD. They are hosted on the Health Podcast Network.
Next year, we plan to expand the program to include more individuals from Black and Hispanic communities and local senior centers. We will plan additional podcasts featuring our EMBI health professionals. We also plan to have a program for younger populations by piloting a specifically designed program for high schools called Brain Basics
Listen on your favorite player
There were various successful community outreach efforts in 2024.
Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
The Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience led by Dr. Levin, has forged strong community ties with the Latino Center on Aging. Drs. Annelly Bure, Marina Sarno and Katalina Fernández McInerney are regular speakers at community gatherings and on radio talk shows that address a wide range of topics on brain health Dr Sonya Kaur and McInerney provide community education via the EMBI community outreach program Dr Mitchell Slough provides education to younger audiences about brain health and preventative measures.
Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH) Outreach, Recruitment and Education (ORE) Core Activities
A major programmatic achievement is the development and sustainability of a robust community outreach, engagement, education and recruitment team that has conducted numerous programs in the African American and Hispanic communities This effort has increased participation of individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups in our research. In 2024, the ORE Core conducted 41 Outreach events, 8 Cognitive Screening events, 69 Educational events, 11 Aging and the Arts events, and 35 Digital Outreach events These events reached 4,220 individuals of which 222 enrolled in NIH funded projects including 73 African Americans and 78 Hispanics
Our other major programmatic achievement is the development of an artful aging program, partnering with numerous art instructors and community organizations Programs in the past year have focused on yoga, meditation, Zentangle and origami The CCBH received a $25,000 grant to ensure artful aging programming through 2025.
See the scientific achievements section for a cumulative overview of the CCBH outreach and education See the presentation topics below
Studying Brain Health and Risk of Dementia
Advances in Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Health
Advances in Brain Health Research
Finer Body, Finer Soul, Finer Brain
Brain Health Research and Clinical Trials
How to Participate in Clinical Trials
The Comprehensive Center for Brain Health’s Third Annual Fall Conference Hot Topics in Brain Health
Presentations:
Resilience and Brain Health: What It Is, What it Means, and How to Get More - James Galvin
The What, Why and How of Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders - Magda Tolea
Arts in Public Health: Creating WellBeing and Social Capital - Rebecca Smither
Zentangle Art Introduction and Interactive Drawing Activity: Experience the Beauty and Joy of Mindful Tangling - Sue-Ellen Flescher
The Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Aging (CNSA) provides the following mandated trainings to professionals who care for aging people in facilities in South Florida.
Alzheimer’s disease Initiative (ADI) Caregiver Training Seminars in Dementia
Miami-Dade County and Monroe County
State mandated 4-hour training to caregivers, ADI respite and Day Care professionals and para-professionals for CEU accreditation on an annual basis provided in both English and Spanish
ADI Caregiving Training Program in Dementia, Monroe County ADI Respite Care and Day Care Centers, Florida Keys
Outreach by the UM Brain Endowment Bank
Led by Executive Director, Drs. Xiaoyan Sun, Regina Vontell and team worked to educate the community about the Brain Endowment’s Bank’s (BEB) brain acquisition program and the importance of the science involved with post-mortem brain pathology. Donor Services represented the BEB at the first Senior Symposium at a local YMCA. In collaboration with the University of Miami's Neurology Department, the BEB participated in an event that featured diverse ethnic groups of seniors which was a great success Fourteen individuals expressed interest and signed up for additional information to whom packets were mailed promptly following the event. Plans are in place to schedule other events in nearby community areas and to continue education and outreach with this YMCA.
D MOST IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS
Susan Fox Rosellini achieved tremendous success with the Aging Like a Pro community outreach and education program this year, which reached approximately 750 people
The PBS documentary We’re All Plastic People Now about the impact of plastics in the human body featuring Dr. David Davis of the Brain Endowment Biobank received an Emmy award
The American Society of Human Genetics Honored Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance of the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Most Important Grants
The EMBI had a high success rate of obtaining grants this year These grants are some of our most important scientific achievements this year. They are described in detail here and listed in the specified sections of the report.
Drs. Rundek, Galvin, Jean-Louis and Stacy Merritt successfully competed and launched the NIH/NIA T32 Cross-disciplinary research opportunity for training in AD/ADRD scienceCrossROADS training program. It provides post-doctoral scholars with evidence-based, cross-disciplinary research training and serves to diversify the scientific AD/ADRD workforce while promoting health equity This program will recruit 12 scholars for the next 5 years with each participating in a 2-year program The first round of candidates completed the application process, which culminated in the first official scholar’s appointment in November 2024. Our first CrossROADS scholar is Mohammad Nafeli Shahrestani, MD and is mentored by Dr. Rundek. See more information about him in the Trainee section
The Hispanic Community Health Study - The Miami Field Center has been just renewed in December of 2024 and funded by the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute (NHLBI) for the next 8 years This longitudinal, epidemiological, multi-center study follows health status, chronic disease risk factors, cognitive status and protective health behaviors in
16,000 Hispanic/Latino participants, of whom 4,000 primarily Cuban participants have been recruited in Miami-Dade County, FL In 2006, the NHLBI initiated the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), the largest epidemiological study of diverse Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. This landmark study enrolled 16,415 Hispanic/Latino adults living in San Diego, Chicago, Miami, and the Bronx, N.Y., who selfidentified as being of Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican or South American origin In this next 8-year cycle, Dr. Rundek will lead the neuroimaging portion The study focuses on the high prevalence of specific cardiovascular and pulmonary risk factors and disease, differences in prevalence of these across heritage groups, and relationships between risk (or protective) factors and disease onset, morbidity, and mortality among Hispanics/Latinos Four main task areas are planned for this phase of the study to include core study operations, protocol development and training for clinic staff, and implementation of the study’s fourth examination with additional cognitive and neuroimaging assessments.
Multimorbidity 3-City Alzheimer’s Disease EHR Study - M3AD Study was just recently funded by a NIH/NIA R56 award Dr. Rundek is the PI for the Miami site of this multi-site project focusing on the impact of trajectories of multi-morbidities on the risk of AD/ADRD. This project will federate a multiethnic 3-city electronic health records (EHRs) consortium (New York Presbyterian’s: 6 million patients (33,000 with AD/ADRD;23% Hispanic); University of Chicago: 2 million patients (11,000 with AD/ADRD; 60% Black); and University of Miami:1.4 million patients (13,000 with AD/ADRD; 50% Hispanic). The use of large longitudinal datasets such as EHRs is a key and novel asset with potential to advance understanding and management of dynamic personalized risk in the layered complexity involving variations through risk factors, and concomitant diseases It will determine and quantify whether and how complexity patterns of multimorbidity, complexity of care management, and patient complexity predict and impact the incidence, timing, and progression of AD/ADRD over years of longitudinal EHRs, and whether those factors are affected by gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, place of birth, and other socioeconomic factors It aims to determine the supplementary value of “enriched” EHR with research items already collected for participants concomitantly enrolled in research cohorts, to refining identified trajectories and complexity patterns. The research team has assembled an interdisciplinary network of innovative researchers in neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, public health, IT and data science, and will use machine learning and novel dynamic predictive and causal inference methods to identify accelerators or decelerators of AD/ADRD. This work will inform strategies to tailor risk prediction, and complex clinical management. It will also build a multiethnic harmonized and federated dynamic platform ready for real-world evaluation of future treatments of AD/ADRD
Novel retinal higher-order capillary hemodynamics imaging for detecting cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) was awarded by the NIH to Drs. Wang and Jiang Major grant details are elaborated on in the scientific achievements section above in the report If successful, these novel imaging techniques will have a significant impact on early detection of diseases before the onset of symptoms, and will help clinicians with early disease intervention, risk assessment, tracking disease progression, and supportive therapeutics The noninvasive nature of the technologies and tools developed through the Venture Program Oculomics Initiative would provide the potential to deliver advanced healthcare to all communities, including rural and underserved communities, throughout the world.
COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS
WITH MCKNIGHT INSTITUTES
WITH OTHER INSTITUTES
A
WITH MCKNIGHT INSTITUTES
Ongoing Collaborations With McKnight Institutes
Feasibility of a Timed Bright Light Exposure Therapy to Improve Circadian Function is a McKnight Inter-Institutional Interventional Core Pilot Grant to examine if a circadian rhythm intervention to correct delayed sleep phase in older adults can be done and can lead to changes in cognition over time.
Collaborators: UM - Dr. Kaur; UAB - Dr. Gamble
Cued High-speed Multidirectional Yoga: Impact on Retinal Vascular and Cognitive Measure is a McKnight Brain Research Foundation grant to study the impact of cued high-speed multidirectional yoga on retinal vascular and cognitive measures in healthy older adults.
Collaborators: UM - Drs. Jiang, Wang, Signorile; UF - Dr. Ebner
OneFLoridaADRC REC Alzheimer’s Science Training to Advance ResearchSuccess (AlzSTARS) is a program to train diverse, multidisciplinary early stage Investigators.
Collaborators: UM - Dr. Rundek; UF - Dr. Smith
The Florida Consortium to Reduce Misinformation and Exploitation in Alzheimer’s Disease grant is funded by the Florida DOH Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program. The consortium utilizes joint efforts to fight the burgeoning health crisis of misinformation and exploitation in Florida targeting older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease The project builds on research showing parallel disease and fraud vulnerability trajectories rendering older individuals with cognitive impairments, in particular those from underserved racial/ethnic backgrounds, most vulnerable to deception Findings will be used to design interventions in concert with community partners
Collaborators: UM - Dr. Levin; UF - Dr. Ebner; UCF Dr. Lighthall
Improving Age-Related Cognitive Decline with Exercise in Hypertensive Older Adults: A Pilot Study to Investigate A Retinal Microvascular Biomarker and the Role of IGF-1 is a MBRF Cognitive Aging and Memory Intervention Core Grant
Collaborators: UM - Drs. Jiang, Wang; UAB - Dr. Lazar
Precision Aging Network (PAN) a U19 grant funded by the NIA is a partnership with University of Arizona EMBI focused on sustaining healthy minds for life by discovering personalized solutions to improve brain health. Dr. Rundek and team have continued their dedication to the overall success of the study at all sites via the ultrasound core as well as by elevating the recruitment rate in 2024.
Collaborators: UM - Drs. Rundek, Levin; UA - Drs. Barnes, Ryan
The McKnight Brain Aging Registry (MBAR) study is a collaboration between all four McKnight Institutes and has a working group that continues to meet regularly to review and approve ideas for manuscript submissions Representative from all 4 MBIs participate in this working group
The MBRF Cognitive Aging and Memory Intervention Core awards pilot grants to MBIs to research interventions to reduce age-related memory loss and cognitive decline.
Co-Chairs: UM - Dr. Haq; UF - Dr. Burke
WITH OTHER INSTITUTES B
New Collaborations With Other Institutes in 2024
NHLBI/NIH Hispanic Community Health Study - Miami Field Center (PI: Panedo, Co-I: Rundek) This longitudinal, epidemiological, multi-center study will identify health status, chronic disease risk factors and protective health behaviors in 16,000 Hispanic/Latino participants, of whom 4,000 primarily Cuban participants will be examined in Miami-Dade County, FL
NIH/NIA Multimorbidity 3-City Alzheimer’s Disease EHR Study - M3AD Study (Contact PI: Moise Desvarieux, Site PI: Rundek) The project will focus on looking for cerebrovascular co-morbidities and AD/ADRD phenotypes and their outcomes
NIA/NIA R01 FDA approved IND 29644: Multicenter Phase 1 Trial to Evaluate Safety and Immunogenicity of Preventive Tau Vaccine, AV-1980R/A in Cognitively Unimpaired Preclinical AD Participants (MPIs: Agadjanyan, Galvin, Schneider, Turgut) The major goals of this project are to manufacture cGMP adjuvanted AV-1980R/A vaccine, complete testing in mouse and non-human primate models, submit an IND, and complete a Phase 1 clinical trial in cognitively unimpaired preclinical AD participants.
Ongoing Collaborations With Other Institutes
NINDS U19 The Clinical Significance of Incidental White Matter Lesions on MRI Amongst a Diverse Population with Cognitive Complaints (Diverse VCID) (Lead PI: DeCarli, Site PI: Rundek) This project’s goal is to examine predictors of progression in a large, diverse, well-characterized, longitudinally followed population with evidence of small vessel vascular disease
NIH/NIA R01 Sleep in Neurocognitive Aging and Alzheimer’s Research (SANAR) (PI: Ramos) Latinos have up to a fourfold risk of ADRD compared to non- Hispanic whites and onset occurs earlier and is often accompanied by vascular risk factors This
research focuses on two vascular risk factors never studied in Latino ADRD prevention studies: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and non-dipping of blood pressure (NDBP). Most studies are limited by the use of self-reported data, measured OSA at a single time point or studied older adults, which do not preclude the possibility of reverse causation. There is an imperative to examine whether OSA in midlife is causal to late life cognitive decline in Latinos, the largest U.S. minority group.
NIH R01 Ecological Momentary Assessment of a Psychosocio-neuro-immune Mechanism for Atherosclerotic CVD Risk in Persons Living With HIV (PI: McIntosh, Co-PI: Rundek) The major goals of this project are to (1) characterize the relationship among threatsensitive brain areas during a social rejection fMRI task and corresponding change in proinflammatory cytokine expression with CP burden; (2) characterize the associations among naturalistic discrimination experiences using EMA and corresponding proinflammatory cytokine expression with CP burden; and (3) to evaluate the HRV index of vagal tone as a moderator of the associations of neural activation.
NIH/NIA R01 Innovative Deep Phenotyping of African Americans (AAs) at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease (PI: Loewenstein, Co-PI: Rundek) The project will deeply phenotype AAs using novel cognitive and biomarker assessments that consider the multiple comorbidities identified in this population The study leverages our vast expertise in neuroimaging and conducting home-based assessments to evaluate clinical and neuropsychological status with equipment placed within the home.
NIH/NIA R01 Phenotyping of African Americans at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease (MPIs: Rundek, Crocco, Curiel, Loewenstein) The goal of the project is to accelerate efforts to gain critically needed knowledge of AD and ADRD in a seriously underrepresented AA group by obtaining innovative cognitive and biomarker data for participants, using in home assessment, blood-based bio markers, MRI and amyloid imaging.
NIH R01 Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging-Alzheimer’s Disease
(Main PI: Gonzalez, Site PI: Rundek) The major goals of this project are to study the neurocognitive assessment, MRIs, and PETs among HCHS/SOL participants with cognitive decline and impairment and those meeting MCI and ADRD research criteria. CVD risk factors emerge early in midlife among Latinos, thereby increasing exposures to exquisitely sensitive and highly vascularized brain tissue Yet, to-date there has not been any study of Latinos with sufficiently deep CVD phenotyping and genotyping to adequately address this significant public health question. This scientific knowledge gap is a significant impediment to the field and public health given rapid Latino population growth projections, particularly for older adults
HONORS AWARDS NEW GRANTS
AND AWARDS
HONORS AND AWARDS A
Honors and Awards
Dr. Rundek was elected to serve on the national ADRC Research Education Core (REC) Steering Committee, consisting of only 3 members
Dr. Rundek was elected to serve on the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Steering Committee of the IAC Board of Directors
Dr. Haq received The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders grant award.
Dr. Perez-Pinzon received the 2025 Thomas Willis Lecture Award from the American Stroke Association’s Council on Stroke
Dr. Pericak-Vance was awarded the American Society of Human Genetics Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Della-Morte received an International cultural award, in recognition of his merits acquired within his professional sphere, for which he is a prominent and recognized figure both in Italy and abroad from the Council Chamber of the Municipality of Rome Italy.
Dr. Della-Morte was invited to form a collaboration with the Minister of University and Research as a chief advisor for medical scientific research.
Dr Della-Morte received a 2024 Bramante Award for Outstanding Contribution in Science from the Italy House of Representatives
Dr. Bracko received a Dean’s Excellence Award for Scholarly and Creative Activities, from the University of Miami.
Junior Scientists Honors and Awards
Clinical and Translational
Erin-Leigh Gallop – Black Men’s Brain Health Conference (BMBH) Emerging Scholar Award
Gabriela Rodriguez Moore – The McKnight Doctoral Fellowship
Sofia Andrea Franciosa – Diversity Supplement NIH
Dylan Amiri – Atlantic Coast Conference Award
Dr. Dave’s Trainee’s Awards:
Dr. Mallepelli – American Heart Association Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Josh Patel – Lois Pope Neuroscience Summer Research Scholarship
Dr. Raval’s Trainee Awards:
Sophie Sinder – Lois Pope Summer Fellowship
Cabeda Diaz – Honorable Mention McKnight Brain Research Foundation poster session at the SfN
NEW GRANTS B
Training Grants:
NIH/NIA T32 Cross-disciplinary research opportunity for training in AD/ADRD scienceCrossROADS (MPIs: Rundek, Galvin, Jean-Louis) It is a 2-year program for postdoctorate trainees, MDs and PhDs with the overall goal to increase the number of diverse AD/ADRD investigators-leaders in cross-disciplinary clinical and translational research, who can effectively and rapidly disseminate, implement and translate discoveries to practice and community, and address the special health challenges and health disparities of the diverse AD/ADRD patients we serve, through team science and collaborations in partnerships with AD/ADRD community partners and diverse health care stakeholders.
NHLBI/NIH Program to Increase Diversity in Faculty Engaged in Behavioral and Sleep Medicine (PRIDE) (MPIs: Rundek, Jean-Louis) The BSM PRIDE Institute will address a critical deficiency in the academic workforce by training and mentoring junior URM faculty to develop independent academic careers in translational behavioral medicine.
The Edmond J Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders grant award (PI: Haq) aims to grow the global base of movement disorder specialists, neurologists with additional training in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders by training movement disorder clinician-researchers who can provide expert care and lead scientific advances.
Clinical Translational Grants:
NIH/NIA R56 Multimorbidity 3-City Alzheimer’s Disease EHR Study - M3AD Study (Main PI: Moise Desvarieux, Site PI: Rundek) The project will focus on looking for cerebrovascular co-morbidities and AD/ADRD phenotypes and their outcomes. It proposes to federate a unique multiethnic 3-city EHR consortium in NY, Miami and Chicago, encompassing 9 million patients records (59,000 of them with AD/ADRD) embedded in census-track level social determinants of health, and to use machine learning and novel dynamic predictive and causal inference methods to identify accelerators or decelerators of AD/ADRD.
NIA R01 Greenness, Cognitive Performance and Vascular outcomes in the NOMAS Study (MPIs: Brown, Rundek, Szapocznik) The proposed study will be the first to investigate prospectively and longitudinally the relationship of cumulative greenness exposure to cognitive performance and vascular outcomes and the relationship to cognitive performance and vascular outcomes to brain reserve and cognitive resilience/performance.
Parkinson’s Foundation PD Gene Diversity Leadership Award (PI: Haq) A one-year grant to study the health inequities and/or differences among under-studied PD communities, across the spectrum of ethnicity, ancestry, geography, socioeconomic conditions and gender.
NIH/NIA R01 LEARNS: Learning Alzheimer’s Results and Next Steps (PI: Galvin) The major goal of this project is to develop culturally sensitive and tailored programs to increase health literacy and disclose biomarker results to older African Americans
NIH R01 The role of PFAS in Lipid-mediated Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: PFAS VascCog Longitudinal Study (MPIs: Gardener, Rundek) Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a growing public health concern due to their ubiquitous exposure, resistance to environmental degradation, bioaccumulation, neurotoxicity, and effects on cardiometabolic risk factors. The study will attempt to Identify mechanisms through which PFAS exposures impact dementia risk which provides an opportunity to prevent dementia at the individual and community level
NIH/NIA R21 Associations Between Neighborhood Environments Across the Life Course and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Outcomes Among Hispanic Older Adults Born in and Outside the US (PI: Besser) This study aims to characterize life course neighborhood access to greenspace, socioeconomic status, etc and how they differ between individuals born in and outside the US and to determine associations between life course neighborhood social and built environment exposures and latelife ADRD outcome
NIH OT Oculomics Award Novel Retinal higher-order Capillary Hemodynamics Imaging for Detecting Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (CSVD) (MPIs: Wang, Zhang, Jiang) The goal of this study is to develop a novel retinal higher-order capillary hemodynamics imaging approach for detecting CSVD
UM U-LINK Award Multi-Modal Deep Learning for Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) (MPIs: Cai Wang, Jiang) This study aims to develop a multi-modal deep learning approach for early detection of ADRD
Herbert W. Hoover Foundation Detecting Nanoplastics in the Olfactory Pathway: A Neurotoxicity and Validation Study (PI: Davis) Plastics can break down into highly toxic fragments called micro- and nanoplastics. These particles are abundant in urban air, but little is known about their impact on the brain His laboratory is developing a platform to detect these particles in the olfactory nerve, a route of entry into the brain, which is located adjacent to the nasal epithelium. To better understand the toxicity associated with these exposures, they will apply similar concentrations of plastic particles to specialized 3D brain multicellular type cultures. Data generated from these experiments will help to highlight the potential molecular and cellular pathway affected in the brain during these exposures.
NIA R01 Mechanisms of Sleep Deficiency and Effects on Brain Injury and neurocognitive Functions Among Older Blacks (PI: Jean-Louis) This study seeks to ascertain the psychosocial (social/emotional support, mood, discrimination, attitudes) and environmental (noise, air quality, light, temperature) and socioeconomic position, social capital and neighborhood factors that are associated with sleep deficiency (SD) to assess effects of SD on markers of brain injury and on neurocognitive functions.
Dr. Galvin received a $25,000 grant from Palm Health Foundation to ensure artful aging via events in the community.
Basic Science Grants:
ASI Italy Use of Space Technologies for the Discovery of New Anti-Aging Biomarkers
SPACE- AGE Project (PI: Della-Morte)
Team Science Award AWD-Neuro TSA-02 A Novel Target for Inflammasome Signaling Proteins in Stages of Alzheimer's Disease (PI: Della-Morte, Vontell)
Italy Ministry of Defense Healthy Soldier (PI: Della-Morte) This is a research project aimed to ensure the safety and health of NATO soldiers employed in mission abroad through innovative sensors technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual reality (VR) It was approved as an amendment to the latest budget law
State of Florida Alzheimer's Disease Initiative Biomarkers and Histopathology (PI: Vontell)
US Dept of Veterans Affairs Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Impact of Oral Contraceptives and Smoking on Females After Traumatic Brain Injury (PIs: Raval, Bramlett)
NIH R01 Neutrophil-driven Vascular Inflammation in VCID and Mixed Alzheimer's Disease (PI: Bracko)
NIA R21 Brain Capillary Piezo 1 ion Channels and Blood Flow Regulation in Alzheimer’s Disease (MPIs: Bracko, Harraz) This research will investigate the contribution of endothelial Piezo1 channels to capillary stalling and blood flow reductions in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.
Junior Scientist Grants:
Dr. Kaur received a NCATS CTSI K12 award to investigate whether sleep disturbances increase the presence of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers and other associated pathologies in Hispanic/Latino older adults. She seeks to enhance an understanding of Alzheimer’s disease risk and obtain much needed information that will guide future interventions
Aimagambetova B, Ariko T, Merritt S, Rundek T. Arterial Stiffness Measured by Pulse Wave Velocity Correlated with Cognitive Decline in Hypertensive Individuals: A Systemic Review BMC Neurol 2024;24, 393 https://doi org/10 1186/s12883-024-03905-8
Besser LM, Edwards K, Lobban NS, Tolea MI, Galvin JE. Social Determinants of Health, Risk and Resilience against Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: The Healthy Brain Initiative. J Alzheimer’s Dis Rep. 2024;Apr 8;8(1):637-646
Della-Morte D, Pacifici F, Simonetto M, Dong C, Dueker N, Blanton SH, Wang L, Rundek T The role of sirtuins and uncoupling proteins on vascular aging: The Northern Manhattan Study experience. Free Radic Bio/Med. 2024;Aug 1;220:262-270.doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.05.010
Fagerli E, Jackson CV, Escobar I, Ferrier FJ, Perez Lao EJ, Saul I, Dave KR, Bracko O, PerezPinzon MA Resveratrol Treatment Mitigates Cognitive Impairments from Gradual Cerebral Hypoperfusion Antioxidants (Basel) 2024;13(8):984 Published 2024 Aug 14 doi:10.3390/antiox13080984
Fernandes M, Antonucci M, Capecci F, Mercuri NB, Della-Morte D, Liguori C. Prevalence of sleep disorders in geriatrics: an exploratory study using sleep questionnaires. Geriatr Nurs. 2024;4;60:107-113 doi: 10 1016/j gerinurse 2024 08 032 Epub ahead of print PMID: 39236368
Franchetti MK, Bharadwaj PK, Raichlen DA, Alexander GE, Rundek T, Levin B, Visscher K, Woods AJ, Cohen RA. Associations between physical exercise type, fluid intelligence, executive function, and processing speed in the oldest-old (85 +). Geroscience. 2024;46(1):491-503 doi:10 1007/s11357-023-00885-4
Garamszegi SP, Brzostowicki DJ, Coyne TM, Vontell RT, Davis DA. TDP-43 and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology in the Brain of a Harbor Porpoise Exposed to the Cyanobacterial Toxin BMAA. Toxins. 2024;16,42. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16010042
González KA, Tarraf W, Stickel AM, Kaur S, Agudelo C, Redline S, Ramos AR, et al Sleep duration and brain MRI measures: Results from the SOL‐INCA MRI study Alzheimer's & dementia. 2024;20(1), 641-651
González HM, Tarraf W, Stickel AM, Morlett A, Ramos AR, Rundek T, et al. Glycemic Control, Cognitive Aging, and Impairment Among Diverse Hispanic/Latino Individuals: Study of Latinos- Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos) Diabetes Care 2024;47(7):1152-1161 doi:10 2337/dc23-2003
Goodman ZT, Llabre MM, Kaur S, Banerjee N, McInerney K, Sun X, Seixas Dias Saporta A, Levin B. Exploring heterogeneity in mild cognitive impairment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2024;102(2):411-423 doi:10 1177/13872877241290127
Liebenow B, Jiang A, DiMarco EK, Sands LP, Moya-Mendez M, Laxton AW, Siddiqui MS, Haq IU, Kishida KT. Subjective feelings associated with expectations and rewards during risky decision-making in impulse control disorder. Nat Scientific reports. 2024;Mar;14(1):4627; (IF 4.6)
O’Shea DM, Camacho S, Ezzeddine R, Besser L, Tolea MI, Wang L, Galvin JE The Mediating Role of Cortical Atrophy on the Relationship between the Resilience Index and Cognitive Function: Findings from the Healthy Brain Initiative. J Alzheimers Dis. 2024;98(3):1017-1027. doi: 10.3233/JAD-231346
O'Shea DM, Zhang AS, Rader K, Shakour RL, Besser L, Galvin JE APOE ε4 carrier status moderates the effect of lifestyle factors on cognitive reserve Alzheimer's & dementia 2024;20(11):8062–8073. doi: 10.1002/alz.14304
Simms AG, Signorile JF, Gameiro GR, Allaf AM, Wang J, Jiang H. Choriocapillaris Perfusion after 8 Weeks of High-Speed Circuit Training in Older Healthy Adults. Curr Eye Res 2024;49:888-894
Stickel AM, Mendoza A, Tarraf W, Kuwayama S, Kaur S, Paredes AM, et al. Hearing Loss and Associated 7-Year Cognitive Outcomes Among Hispanic and Latino Adults. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. 2024;150(5):385–392. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2024.0184
Sun X, Zhang W Alzheimer's Disease from Modeling to Mechanism Research Adv Neurobiol. 2024;41:153-170. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-69188-1 7
Sur NB. Navigating Sex, Vascular Risk Factors, and Cognitive Impairment. JACC: Advances. 2024;May 8;3(7):100929. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.100929
Tolea MI, Rosenfeld A, Van Roy S, Besser LM, O'Shea DM, Galvin JE Gait, balance, and physical performance as markers of early AD/ADRD risk. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. In Press
Vontell RT, Gober R, Dallmeier J, et al. Association of region-specific hippocampal reduction of neurogranin with inflammasome proteins in post mortem brains of Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's Dement 2024; 10:e12444
https://doi org/10 1002/trc2 12444
20.
Yoshida, Y, Jin Z, Russo C, Homma S, Mannina C, Nakanishi K, Rundek T, Elkind M SV, & Di Tullio MR. Sleep duration and subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in older adults.
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography: official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography, S0894-7317(24)00569-8 Advance online publication 2024
https://doi org/10 1016/j echo 2024 11 002
APPENDIX 3
TOP 10 PRESENTATIONS
Hong Jiang, Jianhua Wang, et al Detailed Analysis of Intraretinal Layers and Their Relationship to Brain Structure in Normal Healthy Aging. NANOS annual conference. March 2-7, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Christian Agudelo. Sleep Health Related to Cognitive Decline and AD/ADRD. University of Arizona Behavioral Sleep Medicine Seminar Series March 2024, Tucson, Arizona
Lilah Besser. Planning Connections to Dementia and Brain Health Equity. National Planning Conference. April 14, 2024, Minneapolis, MN.
Regina Vontell. Neurogranin and Inflammasome: Negatively Correlate in the Presence of Hyperphosphorylated Tau United Scientific Aging Conference April 25-26, 2024, Munich, Germany
David Della Morte. Geriatrics Between Successful Aging and Frailty. Regional Sigg Lazio Conference. May 10-11, 2024, Rome, AOU Sant'Andrea.
David Della Morte Sunfrail Tool: a New Model to manage Frailty NKG 2024 Ageing in a transforming world 27th Nordic Congress of Gerontology June 12-14, 2024, Stockholm, Sweden.
Oliver Bracko. Neuroimmune Interactions and its Impact on VCID. Alzheimer‘s Association International Conference. July, 2024, Philadelphia, PA.
Oliver Bracko Altered Neutrophil Reactivity Contributes to Microvascular Inflammation in an AD Mouse Model. Invited seminar speaker, AHA Allen Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment Initiative, The Salk Institute. October, 2024, San Diego, CA.
Kayla MacElhinney, Christian Agudelo, Tatjana Rundek, Susan Fox-Rosellini. Aging Like A Pro: Educational Lectures Promote Positive Behavioral Changes Among Older Adults University of Miami Neuroscience Research Conference October 2024, Miami, FL.
Hong Jiang, Jianhua Wang, et al. Characterization of Fixational Microsaccades and Their Relations to Retinal Mitochondrial Function, Microstructure and Microvasculature in Healthy Older Adults XXVI Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Eye Research Oct 20-24, Buenos Aires, Argentina
EMBI IN THE NEWS
Shedding light on brain inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease
University of Miami neuroscientist Dr. Oliver Bracko and his team are conducting cutting-edge research on Alzheimer’s disease that could lead to new treatments. Researchers have long known that Alzheimer’s patients have reduced blood flow in their brains, but the reasons why were not well understood. Dr. Bracko’s research indicates that one of the main causes of this reduced blood flow is a type of white blood cell called a neutrophil blocking capillaries, tiny blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to cells. When neutrophils temporarily block these blood vessels in the brain, causing inflammation and blood flow reductions, neurons don’t receive enough oxygen and nutrients, and there is less communication between them, which likely contributes to cognitive decline Reducing this inflammation in the blood vessels could be a path toward new treatments
Dr. Tatjana Rundek Named President of the Intersocietal Accreditation
Commission Vascular Testing Board
Tatjana Rundek, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurology and Evelyn F McKnight Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has been named president of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Vascular Testing Board
“I am extremely honored and excited to work with the wonderful board members to advance the IAC’s mission to improve high-quality care through accreditation,” said Dr Rundek, who also serves as Director of the Evelyn F McKnight Brain Institute “For the next two years I will have an opportunity to work on increasing the number of accredited vascular testing facilities, particularly of neurovascular testing services, and on improvement of patient care through quality improvement programs and implementation research.”
Besides being a member of the IAC, Dr. Rundek is also a representative of the American Academy of Neurology and American Society of Neuroimaging. Her expertise as a stroke neurologist, clinical researcher, and principal investigator of several R01 grants has given her the background needed to move the IAC forward as it enters its 30th year.
University of Miami’s Magazine Medicine
A Blended Approach to Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
Fall Cover Story
Dr. David Loewenstein was interviewed in the University of Miami publication Medicine about how pairing cognitive stress tests with PET scans helps identify people at risk. In the U.S., researchers expect the number of people with Alzheimer’s to nearly double by 2050. And while several new treatments have been approved recently, they will only slightly mitigate this problem. Dr. Loewenstein explains the need to intervene before this Alzheimer’s cascade occurs and the whole brain gets overwhelmed by disease. He and his team are applying AI and machine models to their algorithms to detect certain features in the data using computer science, biomedical engineering, radiology and nuclear medicine as well as partnering with those studying inflammasomes and proteomics.
Research and Innovation
A Comprehensive Picture of Stroke Care: The Florida Stroke Registry Annual Meeting
Each summer, Florida Stroke Registry (FSR) stakeholders, including health care providers, state representatives and personnel from stroke centers, review the state of stroke care in Florida. The theme of this year’s stakeholder meeting emphasized improving stroke care by breaking down silos.
“The Florida Stroke Registry is more than just a registry It’s a statewide initiative that merges data to provide a comprehensive picture of stroke care in Florida,” said Jose Romano, M D , executive director of the FSR and professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine “Our meeting brought a group of committed, passionate stakeholders together as we collaborated to improve stroke care in Florida ”
BE FAST is an acronym used to help identify and respond quickly to the signs of a stroke.
B - Balance loss or sudden unsteadiness
E - Eye changes, such as sudden vision loss or double vision
F - Facial drooping or weakness on one side
A - Arm weakness or numbness on one side
S - Speech problems, such as slurred speech or difficulty understanding words
T - Time is critical! Call 911 immediately if you or someone you know experiences any of these symptoms
Research and Innovation
Could Treating Sleep Apnea Help Prevent Alzheimer’s?
New research hints at the potential harm one sleep disorder sleep apnea can cause to the brain over time. In a study published in Neurology on December 18, researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and their colleagues found evidence linking sleep apnea with neurological changes likely indicative of Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia.
“We have come to understand that sleep is really intertwined with the neurological processes driving Alzheimer’s and similar dementias,” said Alberto Ramos, M.D., M.S.P.H., a professor of neurology and research director of the Sleep Disorders Program at the Miller School and the study’s senior and co-first author “The idea is that maybe we can identify those at high risk for sleep-related dementia and develop treatment strategies that can help us prevent it based on what we are observing in studies like this ”
Dr. Alberto Ramos is exploring the relationship between sleep apnea and types of dementia. To examine the implications for brain health, he and co-first author, Christian Agudelo, M.D., an assistant professor of clinical neurology and director of education for the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, drew on data previously collected through the HCHS/SOL study for 2,667 of its participants. “Does the way you sleep influence your risk for dementia or your risk of any sort of brain disease? I’m betting on yes,” Dr. Agudelo said. “Now, what the mechanisms are, we don’t know.”
Using MRI data, the researchers examined hippocampal volume They also looked at the presence of white matter intensities, which indicate damage to small blood vessels, itself a contributor to the risk for Alzheimer’s
A brain scan revealing white matter hypersensitivities.
A brain scan with evidence of brain atrophy.
Dr. Ramos’ SANAR project research linking sleep and dementia in Hispanic populations was highlighted in "Cuidando su salud/Taking care of your health."
Dr. Agudelo was interviewed by the local CBS affiliate (WFOR) in March 2024 to discuss sleep and brain health.
Artificial Intelligence Can Be an Effective Tool in Neurology
Christian Camargo, MD, says we need to be less apprehensive and learn to embrace AI's potential.
The American Academy of Neurology annual meeting featured several discussions on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on clinical practice in the field of neurology, as well as the challenges and opportunities with AI for general neurologists.
In this exclusive MedPage Today video, Christian Camargo, MD, of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, says physicians should not fear the adoption of AI technologies, but instead embrace it and focus on implementing solutions that not only enhance clinician efficiency, but prioritize patient experience and accessibility.
Dr. Camargo explains “Artificial intelligence in the health space is, of course, a hot topic. And it's something that I think, as we've probably heard with most fields, it's unavoidable in the sense that you hear people saying that they fear it because it's going to replace their jobs. I certainly don't believe it's ever going to replace the role of a physician. Certainly most patients would never want artificial intelligence to replace their physician. I don't think it could, even if they wanted it to, which they certainly don't
But rather, I think with anything, it has the potential to serve as a tool And a lot of the talks that we saw at the conference seemed to echo that sort of sentiment And, indeed, there were talks that talked about even how on the Hill they're considering it, and how certain large healthcare institutions are even implementing it or launching pilot programs to see how to implement it
Miller School of Medicine News
NIH Award Supports Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Detection Through the Eye
Researchers at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at t Medicine have received a $4.7 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund Venture Program Oculomics Initiative. The funding will support the creation of novel imaging techniques to identify precise changes in capillary function to detect and characterize cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). CSVD contributes to cognitive impairment and dementia. Jianhua (Jay) Wang, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer, is lead principal investigator of the award.
https://news med miami edu/nih-award-supports-cerebral-small-vessel-disease-detectionthrough-the-eye/
Featured in PR Newswire, Dr. Wang was interviewed about his newest project "Cerebral small vessel disease is a systemic condition in which the capillary network becomes unhealthy or even gets remodeled, impairing blood flow," said Dr Wang, scientific co-director of Bascom Palmer's Experimental Imaging Laboratory "Without proper blood perfusion, tissues are starved, which is particularly dangerous in the brain." Dr. Wang has developed a wide range of imaging modalities at Bascom Palmer that study structural and functional alterations in eyes during normal aging and eyes with various disorders.
Dr. Jianhua Wang’s (NIH) Common Fund Venture Program Oculomics Initiative grant was also ws, Eyes on Glance and Globenewswire.com.
Vascular System
Human Retina
Capillary Network of Human Retina
Blood Tests could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s
Drs. James Galvin and Christian Camargo were both interviewed by the Sun Sentinel, local radio station WIOD as well as many other media sources about this blood test. pTau217, or phosphorylated tau protein 217, is a blood biomarker used to detect and monitor Alzheimer's disease. It is a protein fragment that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and is a specific marker for tau pathology, which is a key feature of the disease. pTau217 levels in the blood can be measured using a blood test. Higher levels of pTau217 indicate the presence of tau pathology in the brain which can be used to: diagnose Alzheimer's disease, especially in its early stages; monitor disease progression; and predict the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in people with mild cognitive impairment
FDA approves a new Alzheimer’s treatment, donanemab from Eli Lilly
Dr. James Galvin is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine While this approval is welcome news for patients and clinicians, he stresses it is not a cure for the disease
"It provides some symptomatic benefits Some people progress slower, but because it's removing the amyloid protein, which we believe is the initial trigger for Alzheimer's disease, Donanemab will help modify the disease So people who get treated can eventually clear the amyloid from their brain," he explained to CBS News Miami's Lauren Pastrana "A large proportion of the patients who were treated in the trial by 12 to 18 months had no evidence of amyloid in their brain."
Research and Innovation
Researchers Identify Protective Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease, Analyze Influence of Gender
Social Determinants of Alzheimer’s Disease
Dr. Lilah Besser was at the forefront of researchers analyzing social determinants of health that influence the risk for Alzheimer’s disease when this area of study blossomed in the last decade. After having long focused on how the neighborhood environment influences social determinants of health and Alzheimer’s risk, Dr Besser turned her attention to individual-level determinants and the intersectionality between them
Dr. Lilah Besser studied people whose brains showed Alzheimer’s pathology at autopsy but never displayed enough symptoms to warrant a diagnosis of cognitive impairment or dementia
Protective factors against symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease include being female, Hispanic, highly educated or living alone, according to a new study by University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers.
“The multiple social identities of a person – Black woman, Hispanic man – differentially affect the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead author Lilah Besser, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., research assistant professor of neurology at the Miller School’s Comprehensive Center for Brain Health in Boca Raton. “This study really demonstrates the importance of looking at the intersectionality of social determinants of health for future Alzheimer’s studies. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in October.
Long-Term Exposure to Wildfire Smoke May Raise Your Risk of Dementia
Wildfires can be devastating for communities and natural ecosystems But wildfire smoke also poses a direct threat to human health, damaging not only the heart and lungs but also the brain
Dr. Lilah Besser was featured in these news stories in late 2023 after the annual report was in production
Psychiatry Online Uncovering What Is Behind Nature’s Impact on Cognition
Lilah Besser, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., research assistant professor at the University of Miami’s Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, said research into green space and dementia has especially exploded over the last few years That may be driven by more funding to research dementia, but it could also have to do with the positive effects some studies have uncovered “In my latest literature review, 74% of the papers found at least one positive or beneficial association between green space and brain health,” Besser said. The findings, on which Pescador Jimenez was a co-author, were published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Like most researchers who investigate green space, Lilah Besser, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., was drawn to the area by her own experiences.
Neighborhood Parks Could Help Your Aging Brain
A variety of risks can make it more likely that someone develops Alzheimer's disease or other dementias Now you can add neighborhood environment to that list A new study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, finds low income levels and a lack of green spaces are among the factors that can harm brain health
“Social determinants of health have a major impact on cognition, as well as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health,” said lead author Lilah Besser. She's a research assistant professor of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Comprehensive Center for Brain Health.
Website Review 2024
In 2024 the McKnight Brain Institute website showcased information about our research and science as well as news items. We reported on 27 events and 18 news items. There were 17.5K views of the site by 9.3K users. Compared to 17.2K views by 8.9K users in 2023, this is a 1.2% and 4 5% increase, respectively In 2024, the average of 40 seconds active engagement did not change from 2023
While we saw a modest growth in views and users, we continue to strategically promote various research, investigators and our new Aging Like A Pro Program The Home, Research and Team pages show the most activity in 2024 The University of Miami Neurology clinical programs created traffic for our site, and in particular, our Memory Program, with Drs Camargo and Galvin being viewed in the top 10 searches. These views also correspond with our in-person clinic activity. Additionally, Dr. Rundek, as the Director, was in the top 10 searches.
Statistical Highlights & Milestones
Increase in page views 1.2%
Increase in user engagement on pages 4.5%
9k new users
New insights to help improve user accessibility, such as majority of organic traffic to the McKnight website is from a desktop rather than a mobile device, 78% of users used a computer with 22% using a mobile device.
While the McKnight website added Spanish translation capability to better accommodate our diverse community, 99% search in English
Social Media Review 2024
Again in 2024, we used Loomly to manage our social media activity Activity was not as robust in 2024 on Facebook but X (Twitter) and Instagram and LinkedIn have shown modest growth We are using Facebook for older consumer posts and to generate interest for in-person research studies X (Twitter) and LinkedIn have been focused on generating interest for our research expertise and Instagram seems to have become the more popular channel as we see more engagement across all areas. We did have fewer posts in October, November and December of 2024 as compared to 2023 because of staff changes. However, we did continue focusing on social media to generate interest for our in-person Aging Like a Pro events and the subjects we are covering.
Some highlights are:
Facebook
We will continue to focus posts toward older consumers, building a reliable information source for topics on healthy aging and informing about in-person events.
X (Twitter)
X has stabilized and continues to be a more professional channel where our research and research posts seem to garner more interest. (See graphic below)
LinkedIn
It has been slow to grow but does attract posts as X does, that feature our researchers.
Instagram
It continued to show marked growth as seen in the graphic below
YouTube
We have reinvigorated our channel in November with the posting of the Aging Like a Pro videos (3) and video versions of our podcasts (4)
APPENDIX 5 SUMMARY CHART
APPENDIX 6
EMBI ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
ASSOCIATE
Executive
SCIENTIFIC
APPENDIX
Scholar Background
Dr. Nicole Beaton Sur, MD, MS Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology Department of Neurology Stroke Division University of Miami Miller School of Medicine 120 NW 14th Ave, Miami, FL 33136 nbsur@med miami edu
Dr. Sur is a board-certified vascular neurologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and serves as the 2023-2025 Evelyn F. McKnight Neurocognitive Scholar. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Florida International University (2007) and her MD from Boston University School of Medicine (2013). Dr. Sur completed her residency in Neurology (2013-2017) and fellowship in Vascular Neurology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital (2017-2018) and joined the Stroke Division at UM in 2018. Her research focuses on sex and race/ethnic disparities in stroke treatment and prevention, particularly in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), as well as vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia. Dr. Sur was awarded the Miami CTSI Career Development KL2 Award (2021-2023), during which she received a Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Investigation from UM (2023). She has contributed significantly to stroke and AF research through the Florida Stroke Registry (FSR), with multiple publications and presentations at national and international conferences As a McKnight Scholar, Dr Sur is focused on promoting healthy aging in the Florida population She is investigating the burden, determinants and disparities of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) in the diverse Florida population, as well as investigating the association between atrial cardiopathy and VCID, with the overall goal of reducing the burden of stroke and cognitive impairment in the aging population Additionally, Dr Sur has been involved in community outreach and education on healthy aging in the greater Miami area.
Year 2 Activities
Research. As a second year McKnight Neurocognitive Scholar, Dr. Sur will continue to focus on research related to stroke, atrial fibrillation, atrial cardiopathy and vascular dementia, all of which are strongly associated with aging. Through collaborations with the FSR, she will investigate the burden, determinants and disparities related to post- stroke cognitive impairment and dementia. Additionally, she will examine the effects of atrial cardiopathy on vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), and the role of cerebral small vessel disease in mediating VCID in patients with atrial cardiopathy She also serves as sub-investigator in the Diverse VCID study, participating in patient enrollment and follow-up visits She continues to serve as the site PI for the NIH-funded DISCOVERY study which is a large
multi center study which aims to investigate post-stroke cognitive outcomes. In these roles Dr. Sur continues to work towards her goal of reducing disparities and improving outcomes in patients with stroke, atrial fibrillation and vascular dementia with the overarching goal of promoting healthy aging and reducing the burden of stroke and cognitive impairment in the aging population
Community Outreach. In 2024 Dr Sur served as one of 3 principal presenters for the community outreach program Aging Like a Pro hosted at public libraries in Miami-Dade and Broward County, which has reached more than 500 participants using a lunch and learn format. The community talks are 30 minutes in length with time for Q&A discussion with attendees. The main focus is providing information on healthy aging and key determinants to promote brain health. Additionally, the program offers information on research projects for community members to participate in. We know healthy and active lifestyles greatly impact healthy brain aging and mitigate chances for cognitive decline. Therefore, this program is very timely. Dr. Sur has directly given and will continue to give the lectures below.
What is New in Brain Health
AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 and Healthy Aging
Mindfulness and Healthy Aging
Nutrition and Healthy Aging
Published & Submitted Manuscripts (2023-2024)
Asdaghi N, Wang K, Gardener H, Jameson A, Rose DZ, Alkhachroum A, Gutierrez CM, Ying H, Mueller-Kronast N, Sur NB, Dong C, Gordon Perue G, LePain M, Koch S, Krementz N, Marulanda-Londono E, Hanel R, Mehta B, Yavagal DR, Rundek T, Sacco RL, Romano JG, Florida Stroke R Impact of time to treatment on endovascular thrombectomy outcomes in the early versus late treatment time windows Stroke 2023;54:733-742
Alkhachroum A, Zhou L, Asdaghi N, Gardener H, Ying H, Gutierrez CM, Manolovitz BM, Samano D, Bass D, Foster D, Sur NB, Rose DZ, Jameson A, Massad N, Kottapally M, Merenda A, Starke RM, O'Phelan K, Romano JG, Claassen J, Sacco RL, Rundek T. Predictors and temporal trends of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy after acute stroke in the florida stroke registry. Crit Care Explor. 2023;5:e0934
Del Brutto VJ, Yin R, Gardener H, Ying H, Gutierrez CM, Jameson AM, Rose DZ, Alkhachroum A, Foster D, Dong C, Ancheta S, Sur NB, Gordon Perue G, Rundek T, Asdaghi N, Sacco RL, Romano JG. Determinants and temporal trends of dual antiplatelet therapy after mild noncardioembolic stroke Stroke 2023;54:2552-2561
Sur NB, Desvigne-Nickens P, Kozberg M, et al Improving Stroke Risk Factor Management Focusing on Health Disparities and Knowledge Gaps Stroke 2024;55:248-258
Sposato LA, Sur NB, Katan M, Johansen MC, De Marchis GM, Caso V, Fischer U, Chaturvedi S Embolic stroke of undetermined source: New data and new controversies on cardiac monitoring and anticoagulation Neurology 2024;103:e209535
Sur NB Navigating Sex, Vascular Risk Factors, and Cognitive Impairment JACC: Advances 2024
Sposato L, Cameron A, Johansen M, Katan M, Murthy S, Schachter M, Sur NB, Yaghi S, Aspberg S, Caso V, Hsieh C, Hilz M, Nucera A, Seiffge D, Sheppard M, Martins S, Bahit MC, Scheitz J, Shoamanesh A. WSO Brain & Heart Task Force Position Statement on Ischemic Stroke Prevention in Patients Atrial Fibrillation and a Recent Ischemic Stroke, TIA, or Intracranial Hemorrhage. Submitted to International Journal of Stroke. Oct. 2024.
Noted in Stroke Highlights
Sur, NB. Normative Population-Derived Data for MRI Manifestations of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Stroke, Dec 2024;55(12):2773
Dr. Sur is a standing member of the Stroke publication committee where she publishes monthly highlights summarizing the most innovative and groundbreaking Stroke publications In this latest Stroke issue in December, she highlighted an article from the Rotterdam Study on Normative Population-Derived Data for MRI Manifestations of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, in which investigators developed age- and sex-specific normative data for MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease from 11,465 MR scans of 5,402 individuals without clinical dementia or stroke in the Netherlands. This is a key publication illustrating the increasing occurrence of small vessel disease markers on brain imaging with increasing age and providing normative data that can help guide clinical practice and serve as a framework for future research. Dr. Sur’s review and commentary was prestigiously chosen by the Editors to be the top Stroke Highlight edition. It was featured on the Stroke journal website where particularly important or impactful research studies are showcased providing additional context to draw attention to the research's significance and high impact.
Academic and Research Activities (2023-2024)
Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute Neurocognitive Scholar
Pathway Director, Neuroscience and Behavioral Science Pathway, University of Miami
World Stroke Organization Brain and Heart Task Force
Writing group, WSO Brain & Heart Task Force Position Statement on Ischemic Stroke
Prevention in Patients Atrial Fibrillation and a Recent Ischemic Stroke, TIA, or Intracranial Hemorrhage
Writing group, Cardiac Workup in Stroke Patients, Recommendations from the International Neurocardiology Consensus for Advancing Cardiac Workup after Stroke
Writing group, New Devices for non-Atrial Fibrillation Stroke Prevention, Round Table of Academia and Industry for Stroke Prevention
Section Editor, CME/Highlights, Stroke
Consulting Editor, JACC:Advances
Junior Editor, Journal of Clinical and Translational Investigation
Acute Care Test Materials Development Committee for the USMLE, National Board of Medical Examiners
Regional Conference Subcommittee, American Academy of Neurology
Conferences and Presentations (2023-2024)
Speaker, “Aging Like a Pro” health education series
Invited Speaker, International Stroke Conference 2024
Invited Speaker, UM Neurology Update and Stroke Intensive, 2024
