This study identifies genetic loci and pathways associated with limbic white matter microstructure in aging and Alzheimer's Disease using multi-cohort diffusion MRI and bulk RNA-seq data.

Alzheimer s & Dementia · Jul 1, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Gut bacterial metabolite imidazole propionate potentiates Alzheimer's disease pathology

Vaibhav Vemuganti, Jea Woo Kang, Qijun Zhang, Eric R. McGregor, James R. Hilser, Ruben Aquino-Martinez, Sandra Harding, Joseph Lawrence Harpt, Katharina R. Beck, Hailey Bussan, Jessamine F. Kuehn, Yuetiva Deming, Rachel Studer, Sterling C. Johnson, Sanjay Asthana, , Federico E. Rey

This study identifies imidazole propionate as a gut bacterial metabolite linked to Alzheimer's disease pathology through human and mouse experiments.

Nature Communications · Jun 26, 2026Peer-reviewedPathology

Longitudinal Alterations in Sleep EEG Biomarkers of Memory Consolidation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Destiny E. Berisha, Abhishek Dave, Negin S. Sattari, Miranda G Chappel-Farley, Kate E. Sprecher, Jason Bock, Brady A. Riedner, Ethan Grover, Erin McMullen Jonaitis, Henrik Zetterberg, Barbara B. Bendlin, Bryce A. Mander, Ruth M. Benca

This study examines longitudinal changes in sleep EEG biomarkers of memory consolidation in middle-aged and older adults, finding declines in SO-sigma coupling and sleep spindle measures linked to synaptic integrity and memory decline.

bioRxiv · May 14, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience

Neuropathology-based APOE genetic risk score better quantifies Alzheimer's risk

Yuetiva K. Deming, Eva Vasiljevic, Autumn Rose Morrow, Jiacheng Miao, Carol Van Hulle, Erin McMullen Jonaitis, Yue Ma, Vanessa M Whitenack, Gwendlyn Kollmorgen, Norbert Wild, Ivonne Suridjan, Leslie M. J. Shaw, Sanjay Asthana, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Sterling C. Johnson, , the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

The paper develops an APOE genetic risk score based on neuropathology that better explains CSF biomarker variance than traditional APOE ε4 metrics.

Alzheimer s & Dementia · Feb 16, 2023Peer-reviewedGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Trimethylamine N-oxide reduces neurite density and plaque intensity in a murine model of Alzheimer disease

Katie R. Zarbock, Jessica H. Han, Ajay Paul Singh, Sydney P. Thomas, Barbara B. Bendlin, John M. Denu, John‐Paul J. Yu, Federico E. Rey, Tyler Kent Ulland

This study shows that TMAO reduces neurite density and amyloid-β plaque intensity in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease · Sep 20, 2022Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Insights from the IronTract challenge: optimal methods for mapping brain pathways from multi-shell diffusion MRI

Chiara Maffei, Gabriel Girard, Kurt G. Schilling, Dogu Baran Aydogan, Nagesh Adluru, Andrey Zhylka, Ye Wu, Matteo Mancini, Andaç Hamamcı, Alessia Sarica, Achille Teillac, Steven H. Baete, Davood Karimi, Fang-Cheng F. Yeh, Mert E. Yildiz, , Anastasia Yendiki

The paper evaluates tractography methods using a macaque dataset to determine optimal approaches for mapping brain pathways from multi-shell diffusion MRI.

NeuroImage · May 26, 2022Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Genetic influence on resting state networks in young male and female adults

Gyujoon Hwang, Arman P. Kulkarni, Rosaleena Mohanty, Cole John Cook, Veena A. Nair, Barbara B. Bendlin, Mary Elizabeth Meyerand, Vivek Prabhakaran

This study investigates genetic influence on brain functional connectivity using twin data, finding greater genetic influence in posterior brain regions and gender-specific differences in auditory-language and task-positive networks.

bioRxiv · Feb 13, 2021 · PreprintNeuroscience

Self-reported health behaviors and longitudinal cognitive performance: Results from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention

Kimberly Diggle Mueller, Rebecca L. Koscik, Derek Norton, Martha Clare Morris, Erin McMullen Jonaitis, Lindsay R. Clark, Taylor N. Fields, Samantha L. Allison, Sara Elizabeth Berman, Sarah Kraning, Megan L. Zuelsdorff, Ozioma C. Okonkwo, Nathaniel A. Chin, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Barbara B. Bendlin, , Sterling C. Johnson

This study examines the association between multiple self-reported health behaviors and cognitive decline in a cohort of non-demented middle-aged individuals, finding limited significant associations.

PLoS ONE · Apr 23, 2020Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Age-accelerated cognitive decline in asymptomatic adults with CSF β-amyloid

Lindsay R. Clark, Sara Elizabeth Berman, Derek Norton, Rebecca L. Koscik, Erin McMullen Jonaitis, Kaj Blennow, Barbara B. Bendlin, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson, Henrik Zetterberg, Cynthia M. Carlsson

The paper compares cognitive and hippocampal volume decline in asymptomatic adults with and without CSF β-amyloid or tau markers, finding accelerated decline in those with positive markers.

Neurology · Mar 9, 2018Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Modifiable risk factors moderate the relationship between amyloid and cognition in midlife

Lindsay R. Clark, Rebecca L. Koscik, Samantha L. Allison, Sara Elizabeth Berman, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Derek Norton, Barbara B. Bendlin, Sanjay Asthana, Tobey J. Betthauser, Bradley T. Christian, Sterling C. Johnson

This study shows that hypertension and depression, but not obesity, moderate the link between amyloid and cognitive decline in midlife individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease.

bioRxiv · Jan 23, 2018 · PreprintNeuroscience

The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention: A Review of findings and current directions

Sterling C. Johnson, Rebecca L. Koscik, Erin McMullen Jonaitis, Lindsay R. Clark, Kimberly Diggle Mueller, Sara Elizabeth Berman, Barbara B. Bendlin, Corinne D. Engelman, Ozioma C. Okonkwo, Kirk J. Hogan, Sanjay Asthana, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Bruce P. Hermann, Mark A. Sager

The paper reviews findings from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention, highlighting associations between genetic and lifestyle factors and early AD pathophysiology.

Alzheimer s & Dementia Diagnosis Assessment & Disease Monitoring · Dec 8, 2017Peer-reviewedNeuroscience