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

BioSpace

Axsome’s expectation that AXS-05 can win market share from Rexulti is partly built on the belief that the drug candidate has a differentiated safety profile. Rexulti has a boxed warning because of an increased risk of death. There were no deaths in the AXS-05 trials. Jeffrey Cummings, a research professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, discussed what may happen if AXS-05 avoids a boxed warning.

PM360

Axsome Therapeutics said on Monday it would seek marketing approval next year for its oral drug to treat agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, after it succeeded in three out of four late-stage studies.

Investing.com

Today, Axsome will host a conference call and webcast to discuss these topline results. Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, Vice Chair of Research at UNLV Department of Brain Health, will join the call and be available for questions.

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.

Brain Health Experts

An international expert on neurodegenerative diseases and brain health.
An expert in behavioral neuroscience with concentrations in Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.
A brain injury researcher exploring the use of stem cells and other methods to regenerate blood vessels after strokes.
A renowned expert on Alzheimer's Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. 

Recent Brain Health Accomplishments

Grace J. Goodwin (Clinical Psychology) coauthored an article, "Neuropsychiatric symptoms predict rate of change in executive function in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias," where she and fellow Cognitive Aging and Neuropsychological Equity (CANE) lab members Katie T. Singsank (Clinical Psychology), Denise Ruiz de Mendoza Lafont-…
Kirsten Calvin-Dunn (Neuroscience IDP), Amanda Leisgang-Osse (Brain Health), Jeff Kinney (Brain Health), and James Hyman (Psychology) published "Electrophysiological insights into Alzheimer's disease: A review of human and animal studies" in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. This comprehensive review article links together work from animal…
Dr. Jeffrey L. Cummings (Brain Health) is the lead author of recently published article titled, "evoke and evoke+: design of two large-scale, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 studies evaluating efficacy, safety, and tolerability of semaglutide in early-stage symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease." This article is a description of two large…
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…