Neurobiology of Aging and Neurodegeneration Branch

The Neurobiology of Aging and Neurodegeneration Branch fosters research aimed at understanding how the nervous system is affected during normal and pathological aging. Research is supported on the genetic, molecular, cellular, and neural mechanisms underlying changes in the brain and its interaction with other physiological systems.

• Fundamental Neuroscience supports studies on age-related structural and functional changes in the brain, including mechanisms of selective vulnerability and plasticity of neural cells, synapses, and circuits to neurodegeneration. Research is supported on the hallmarks of aging, cellular senescence, genetics/epigenetics/chromatin, DNA damage, cell stress, proteostasis, mitochondria, metabolism, lipid neurobiology, neuroglia, neuroplasticity, neural stem cells/neurogenesis, and cell reprogramming.
• Basic Science of Alzheimer’s Disease supports examination of molecular, cellular, synaptic and circuitry mechanisms, inflammation, proteinopathy, protein polymorphisms, structural biology, and cerebrovasculature in the etiology and pathobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias of aging.
• In Integrative Neurobiology, the focus is on neural mechanisms underlying age-related changes between organ systems and the CNS, on endocrine and immune functions, and on neurodegenerative diseases associated with infectious agents.
• Sleep and Biological Rhythms encompasses age-related studies of epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sleep disorders of older people and of altered sleep-wake cycles/disordered biorhythmicity and their behavioral and neurodegenerative effects in aging.

Miroslaw Mackiewicz, Ph.D.
Branch Chief
Email Miroslaw Mackiewicz

Chelsea Haakenson, Ph.D.
Health Specialist
Email Chelsea Haakenson

Joe Pottackal, Ph.D.
Health Specialist
Email Joe Pottackal

Caitlin Groeber Travis, Ph.D.
Health Specialist
Email Caitlin Groeber Travis

Fundamental Neuroscience

Erin Gray, Ph.D.
Program Director, Basic Research, Neurodegeneration, Cell-based systems, Selective Vulnerability
Email Erin Gray

Amanda M. DiBattista, Ph.D.
Program Director, Neuroplasticity, Glia, Lipid Neurobiology, Cellular Senescence
Email Amanda DiBattista

Paul Barrett, Ph.D.
Program Director, Cell Metabolism, Homeostasis, Stress Response
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Elizabeth Newman, Ph.D.
Program Director, Neurodevelopment, Neuroprotection
Email Elizabeth Newman

Basic Science of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Diseases

Austin Yang, Ph.D.
Program Director, Etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease
Email Austin Yang

Elizabeth Newman, Ph.D.
Program Director, Cerebrovascular Biology in Aging Brain and AD
Email Elizabeth Newman

Lisa Opanashuk, Ph.D.
Program Director, Pathobiology of Alzheimer’s Disease
Email Lisa Opanashuk

Tong Li, Ph.D.
Program Director, Etiology/Pathobiology of Alzheimer’s Disease
Email Tong Li

Integrative Neurobiology

Miroslaw Mackiewicz, Ph.D.
Program Director, Integrative Neurobiology
Email Miroslaw Mackiewicz

Maja Maric
Program Director, Neuroimmunology, Neurovirology and Infectious Agents
Email Maja Maric

Sleep and Biological Rhythms

Miroslaw Mackiewicz, Ph.D.
Program Director, Sleep Disorders and Biological Rhythms
Email Miroslaw Mackiewicz