Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith attended a series of presentations on April 16 that highlighted advances in brain health, aging, and neuroscience at Stony Brook Medicine. The event was part of the East Campus Day’s inauguration activities and featured talks by leading researchers from the institution.
The session focused on sharing emerging insights into how scientific discoveries are shaping patient care for conditions related to brain aging. Presentations covered topics ranging from cellular changes in the aging brain to clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease.
Markus Riessland, PhD, discussed how certain cells known as “zombie” cells contribute to age-related neurodegeneration. Qiaojie Xiong, PhD, described how neural circuits change with age and affect physiological functions. Anissa Abi‑Dargham, MD; Mark Slifstein, PhD; and Christine DeLorenzo, PhD demonstrated the use of PET imaging tracers to visualize key processes in the brain such as neuroinflammation and synaptic density using interactive visualizations.
Another presentation by Sima Mofakham, PhD, and Chuck Mikell, MD showed artificial intelligence tools capable of detecting subtle facial movements in comatose patients—signals not visible to clinicians—which could help identify agitation or delirium earlier in diseases like Alzheimer’s. Jeannette Mahoney, PhD; Neil Nadkarni, MD; and Xi Chen, PhD introduced mobile electrophysiological approaches that study healthy aging phenotypes among so-called “super-movers,” emphasizing resilience and adaptability in the aging brain.
Goldsmith concluded her visit with updates on ongoing clinical research targeting early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Nikhil Palekar, MD; and Christopher Christodoulou, PhD reviewed several Phase II clinical trials focusing on amyloid plaques, tau proteins and neuroinflammation. They also noted Stony Brook’s participation in larger collaborative efforts such as the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium involving government agencies like NIH as well as academic partners.
The presentations provided an overview of current directions in neuroscience research at Stony Brook Medicine. Researchers highlighted their work across basic science investigations through translational studies aimed at improving outcomes for patients facing neurological challenges.
