Active Projects

Pilot study to estimate the association between perivascular dysfunction and beta-amyloid burden in subjects with or at risk for Alzheimer’s disease

PI: Michele Cavallari

A visiting research trainee – Fernanda Troili, MD – is evaluating the association between enlarged perivascular spaces (as visible on magnetic resonance imaging) and beta-amyloid burden (as measured by positron emission tomography) in subjects from families carrying gene mutations known to cause familial Alzheimer’s disease, under the mentorship of Drs. Cavallari and Guttmann.

Retinal abnormalities in patients with multiple sclerosis

PI: Michele Cavallari

Aim: to describe retinal vascular abnormalities in multiple sclerosis patients and assess their relationship with inflammatory and neurodegenerative features of the disease. This study is in collaboration with the Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and is part of the CLIMB study (Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital).

IPMSA. Establishment of a multidisciplinary collaborative network to develop next generation MRI markers of progression in MS

Overview

Our overall goal is to develop next generation MRI markers of clinical disease progression to be used as primary outcome measures in phase 2 trials for progressive MS (PMS) in a fashion analogous to the use of Gadolinium-enhancement in relapsing MS trials. The underlying hypothesis is that disease progression in MS is detectable through MRI prior to its clinical expression, and that we will be able to infer measures or features of the MRI that may not be directly observable and that have the following characteristics:

i)…Read more about IPMSA. Establishment of a multidisciplinary collaborative network to develop next generation MRI markers of progression in MS

Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction to Lessen Functional Decline

Principal Investigators: William B. White, M.D., Leslie Wolfson, M.D., University of Connecticut Health Center

Local PI: Charles R.G. Guttmann, MD

Co-investigator: Nicola Moscufo, PhD

Site: University of Connecticut Health Center

NIH R01 AG022092

Years: 2011-2018

Reductions in mobility and cognitive function linked to accrual of brain microvascular disease related white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on magnetic resonance imaging can occur in older hypertensive patients in as little as 2 years. We…

Read more about Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction to Lessen Functional Decline