What role do the brain blood vessels play in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders?  The Van Nostrand lab investigates the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, and cerebral small vessel disease using biochemical, molecular, cellular, and animal model approaches. Their preclinical models of disease have been used widely […]

  Perhaps a page that highlights current research projects? 

  What happens to the motor neurons in diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and cerebral palsy? The Quinlan lab is dedicated to investigating how spinal neurons change and deteriorate in neurodegenerative diseases or after injuries where movement is critically impaired or lost. The lab’s research focuses on identifying the early morphological […]

  Katharina Quinlan investigates early mechanisms of motor dysfunction in disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy, and cerebral palsy. Over the past decade, her research has been at the forefront of discovering compensatory changes in the neural network that precede the loss of motor control associated with late stages of these […]

Biographies     Biographies Lisa Dowaliby (Lab Manager/Certified Veterinary Technician) has been in the veterinary medical field for more than 30 years. She has worked in general practice and emergency  veterinary medicine, specializing in exotics, with a background in management and teaching. Dowaliby oversees Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols and compliance for the […]

* Denotes Quinlan lab affiliation Selected Publications Facilitation of sensory transmission to motoneurons during cortical or sensory evoked primary afferent depolarization (PAD) in humans.Metz K et al (incl. Quinlan KA*). Journal of Physiology. March 2023. Inhibitory interneurons show early dysfunction in a SOD1 mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cavarsan CF*, Steele PR*, Genry LT*, […]

      Cerebral palsy Affecting 1 in 400 births, cerebral palsy (CP) is a movement disorder that permanently impairs motor control, caused by injuries during prenatal development. Much of the existing research on CP is focused on effects of brain injury; the Quinlan lab investigates changes to the spinal cord that contribute to motor […]

Alzheimer’s disease research depends on volunteers to participate in clinical trials to test new potential treatments.  If you’re curious about what it means to participate in a trial––whether for yourself or a loved one––we hope you will join us for a “virtual clinical trial” open house and speaking program: Monday, May 20, 2019 URI George […]

LIFESTYLE Superfoods for the Gut and Brain Professor Navindra Seeram studies the link between gut and brain health. Are you a responder?  Foods rich in polyphenols (see sidebar below) have been shown to help prevent, or even reverse, age-related cognitive decline and neuronal dysfunction. But research by URI Professor Navindra Seeram shows that your gut […]