Posts by Yakeel T. Quiroz, PhD
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Higher Levels of Education Buffer Against Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease
Stephanie Langella, PhD, Yakeel T. Quiroz, PhD, and colleagues show that among people who carry the presenilin 1 E280A mutation that causes autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline is accelerated by the APOE e4 allele and delayed by the APOE e2 allele and higher levels of formal education.
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Performance on Test of Semantic Abilities Linked to Early Alzheimer's Disease Brain Pathology
In not-yet-demented carriers of a mutation that inevitably causes Alzheimer's disease (AD), Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found a significant link between "clustering" on a category fluency test and brain levels of amyloid and tau, suggesting cognitive testing might someday detect early or preclinical AD.
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MRI Feature Is Marker of Disease Progression in Preclinical Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found an MRI measure of locus coeruleus (LC) integrity starts declining about 12 years before symptom onset in autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease. This and related findings suggest LC integrity is a promising prognostic indicator in the preclinical stage of the disease.
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Resilience to Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer's Disease Pathology May Be Greater in Women Than Men
Clara Vila-Castelar, PhD, Yakeel T. Quiroz, PhD, and colleagues found that among cognitively healthy individuals at genetic risk of autosomal-dominant AD, women had greater cognitive resilience to the spread of β-amyloid and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease than men had.
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Early Brain Changes Predict Alzheimer's Disease in Individuals at Genetic Risk
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified some of the earliest brain changes associated with the risk to develop Alzheimer's disease by studying a kindred with the PSEN1 E280A gene mutation.
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Retinal Imaging Detects Biomarkers of Familial Alzheimer's Disease Years Before Symptoms
Mass General researchers were part of the first study to demonstrate the ability of optical coherence tomography to detect retinal biomarkers in carriers of the most common gene causing familial Alzheimer's disease.
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Plasma Biomarker of Neurodegeneration Is Elevated in Colombian Kindred 22 Years Before Alzheimer's Symptoms
By measuring neurofilament light chain in a uniquely large, homogeneous cohort over an unprecedented age range, researchers have confirmed the promise of its use as a marker of preclinical Alzheimer's disease.
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Case of Resistance to Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease Suggests New Direction for Treatment
A woman with autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease had very late onset of mild cognitive impairment, apparently because she was homozygous for the APOE3 Christchurch mutation.
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Rare Mutation in Colombian Woman Reveals New Targets for Alzheimer's Research and Treatment
A Colombian woman remained cognitively healthy for decades longer than her family members who share the Alzheimer's-causing presenilin 1 mutation. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital reviewed her genome and discovered new potential therapeutic target opportunities for the disease.
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Research Advances from Mass General Neurology
Researchers from the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital discuss their collaborative and individual work in clinical and translational research.
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Using Biomarkers to Predict and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
Yakeel T. Quiroz, PhD, is the director of the Familial Dementia Neuroimaging Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. For the past several years, she has been studying a Colombian family with autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease. In this video, she discusses her research to find biomarkers that signal early brain changes associated with developing Alzheimer's Disease.
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Scientists Identify Steps Needed to Address Disparities in Dementia Research and Care
According to a white paper sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association, dementia scientists must stop neglecting the need for research on underrepresented ethnic and racial groups.
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Tau PET Imaging May Help Identify People with Pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s Disease
Brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease can now be studied in living people. Mass General researchers imaged cognitively normal people who are destined to develop AD due to a rare genetic mutation. Their goal: to discover how soon brain changes are present before symptoms begin and how soon preventive treatments could be initiated.
Biography
Dr. Quiroz is Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Neuroimaging Researcher. Dr. Quiroz currently serves as the Director of the Familial Dementia Neuroimaging Lab, and the Multicultural Alzheimer's Prevention Program (MAPP). She is also the Co-Director of the MUNDOS Neuropsychological Service at the Psychology Assessment Center, a clinical service that offers specialized cognitive testing to Spanish-speaking patients.
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