Person looking into a microscope

Department of Brain Health News

The UNLV department of brain health advances research, education, and practice to improve the care and treatment of individuals with brain disorders. Our students receive guidance from faculty who specialize in a range of areas from basic and clinical research in neurodegenerative disease, neuropsychology, and occupational therapy.

Current Brain Health News

artistic rendering of brain
Research |

UNLV Brain Health researcher Lina Nih is developing a treatment that could one day alter how practitioners address stroke recovery.

A rear view of UNLV students, dressed in red caps and gowns, filtering into the Thomas & Mack Center with the stage in the background
Campus News |

An enduring UNLV end-of-semester tradition is to highlight exceptional students who embody the academic, research, and community impact of the graduating class.

A portrait of Peter Kaufmann
People |

The associate dean of research in Integrated Health Sciences leans into his own immigrant story to provide others with opportunities.

test tube and pipettes on black table
Research |

Entities sign Memorandum of Understanding to cultivate best-in-class clinical research services for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

diagnostic tools and research paper on black table
Campus News |

First-of-its-kind database, supported by Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, will provide greater access to key data on Alzheimer’s to researchers around the world.

Josh Hawkins, UNLV
Campus News |

News highlights featuring UNLV students and staff who made (refreshing) waves in the headlines.

Brain Health In The News

Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic Genome Center researchers have unraveled how microglia, which perform key neuroprotective activities, also can transform and drive harmful processes such as inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease.

Practical Neurology

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to Icobrain Aria (Icometrix, Boston, MA), a software that provides computer-assisted, automatic detection and severity grading for amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA). Icobrain Aria generates a quantitative summary report for MRI images, including severity rating scores based on the measurement and summarization of ARIA cerebral edema (ARIA-E) and ARIA cerebral microhemorrhages (ARIA-H) sites of involvement.

Imaging Technology News

On Nov. 7, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted icometrix clearance for icobrain aria, the first AI software approved for detecting, measuring and grading amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), a potentially harmful side effect of new amyloid-targeting therapies. A large study, needed for FDA clearance, demonstrated that the use of icobrain aria significantly increases the accuracy of ARIA assessments by radiologists and hence allows for safer use of new amyloid-beta targeting therapies for Alzheimer’s disease patients.

PR Newswire

T-Neuro Pharma, a leading biotechnology company dedicated to developing innovative therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, MD, ScD as Chair of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Cummings, a world-renowned expert in Alzheimer's disease research and clinical trials, brings unparalleled expertise to T-Neuro Pharma's mission of advancing early Alzheimer's detection.

MedPage Today

Investigational transcranial magnetic stimulation that targeted a brain network involved in memory slowed progression in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, data from a small phase II study suggested.

Globe NewsWire

Praxis Bioresearch reports that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the investigational new drug (IND) application for PRX-P4-003, a gut-activated stimulant, to treat apathy in Alzheimer’s Disease. Previously, an exploratory microdose clinical trial in healthy volunteers demonstrated successful activation of PRX-P4-003 upon oral administration, the intended therapeutic route.

Brain Health Experts

An expert in behavioral neuroscience with concentrations in Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.
An international expert on neurodegenerative diseases and brain health.
A renowned expert on Alzheimer's Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. 

Recent Brain Health Accomplishments

Alyx Phillips from Three Square Food Bank and Environmental and Occupational Health alum, Courtney Coughenour, Sheila Janofsky (both Environmental and Occupational Health), Ian McDonough (Economics), Jason Flatt (Social and Behavioral Health), Samantha John (Brain Health), and Lisa Segler from Three Square Food Bank presented a talk, "…
Dr. Jeffrey Cummings (Brain Health), research professor and Director of the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience at UNLV, was presented with a medal from Erik Ramanathan, the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden, for his lifetime of work in Alzheimer’s research during a ceremony honoring the 10 previous winners of the…
The Department of Brain Health and the Office of Economic Development hosted the inaugural UNLV Innovation Day, an annual event that brought together UNLV researchers and industry professionals to discuss the growth and understanding of brain health, mental health, and the innovation brought together through science and experimentation. The…
Jeff Kinney (Brain Health), chair of the department, will serve as a keynote speaker during the School of Dental Medicine's "Student Research Day Symposium" on March 1 at the Shadow Lane campus. Kinney will present on the topic, "Progress in Fluid Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease."
This is a monograph completed by the Global Occupational Therapy Think Tank, "a group of occupational therapy scholars and practitioners dedicated to educating and advancing the profession of occupational therapy throughout the world." Chih-Huang Yu (Brain Health) participated in the committee that conducted a systematic review on case studies…
Elizabeth Lawrence (Sociology), Samantha John (Brain Health), and Tirth Bhatta (Sociology) published "Cognitive Functioning among U.S. Older Adults Differs by Gender and Urbanicity" in Syracuse University Lerner Center's Population Health Research Brief Series.