UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center

Shoutout to Thiago Avelino da Silva, MD, PhD (@geritjas.bsky.social), for presenting at the NIDUS Mentoring Session! His research on delirium neuropathology is helping shape future aging & brain health studies. 👏

So so excited for this remarkable and well-deserved opportunity for @halsty!!!!!!!! @UcsfPspg @UCSFmac @ReDLat_Dementia #Laboyama

Lab member Bailey Ortiz just published a new paper in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease @journal_ad: "Unveiling discrepancies in depression detection among persons with dementia: A comparative analysis of caregiver and self-report"🎉😄🍾✨ Our study found that in over one-third of individuals with early-stage dementia, patients and their caregivers disagree on whether the patient is depressed. Notably, caregivers especially overlook the patient's more internalized depression symptoms like hopelessness, and mistakenly assume depression is simply apathy. This study highlights the importance of integrating both self- and caregiver-reports about the patient's mood to ensure depression is detected and treated right when it appears. ➡️Read here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13… @UCSFmac @AlzNorCalNorNev

In 2025, @UCSF received $824M from the National Institutes of Health, enabling "the basic science that expands our understanding of human biology and creates the foundation for new strategies to prevent and treat disease,” Chancellor Sam Hawgood says. ucsfh.org/4ltEBxK

"Don't think that having bad balance and falling is just a normal part of aging," UCSF physical therapist Jo Bergh tells @sfchronicle. Balance exercises, staying active & addressing vision & home safety can all help older adults stay steady, she explains. ucsfh.org/417ejYp

Exercise is good for the brain and that's thanks to a protein made in the liver that repairs the blood-brain barrier. The discovery could lead to better ways to treat and prevent the decline of aging by targeting this barrier rather than the brain itself. tiny.ucsf.edu/veiWWb

Join the UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center Lecture 🗓 March 18 | 12–1 p.m. PT Michael W. McDermott, MD Miami Neurosciences Institute “Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: An Under-Appreciated Diagnosis in the Elderly.” 📍 NSCC, UCSF 💻 Virtual registration: bit.ly/4rjSzn5

Tau PET scans help clinicians visualize Alzheimer’s biology — but they don’t always reflect tau alone. New UCSF research shows other brain processes can influence scan signals, helping clinicians interpret results more accurately and avoid overdiagnosis. bit.ly/4ll0n6A

A recent @ScienceMagazine article highlights the creation of the @BluefieldProj and progress over 17 years toward therapies for FTD caused by GRN mutations. 🔗 science.org/content/articl… #FTDResearch #GRN #Progranulin #RareDiseaseResearch #BluefieldProject

🧬 Genetic Legacies: Book Talk & Panel Join a reading from Last Nerve by Mindy Uhrlaub, followed by a panel on genetics, stigma, testing, and resilience 🗓 Tues, March 10 | 4:30–5:30 p.m. 📍 Sandler Neurosciences Center, UCSF 🎟 Free & open to the public bit.ly/4rFujMx

What can an autopsy reveal about dementia? Join Drs. Miller & Soleimani-Meigooni in conversation with Deborah Kan & Susan Whitaker about their family’s decision to donate their mother’s brain to UCSF—and what it revealed. 🗓 March 10 🕐 1:30 p.m. PT RSVP bit.ly/3ORGyrt

Join us for the Fein Memory and Aging Center Lecture Series at UCSF. From Data to Knowledge: Integrating Clinical and Molecular Data with AI for Predictive Medicine Marina Sirota, PhD Professor, UCSF 📅 Monday, March 9 ⏰ 10–11 am PT 🖥️ Register: bit.ly/40jASZJ

Meet the Researcher: Adam Staffaroni 🔬 Dr. Staffaroni’s work is helping reshape how researchers measure and understand FTD. From pioneering digital assessments that enable remote participation in research to advancing models that track disease progression, his work is helping move the field forward. We’re grateful for his continued collaboration with AFTD. Read more: bit.ly/4rddAzC

Tau proteins keep brain cells stable, but in Alzheimer’s disease, they form harmful tangles that “light up” on PET scans. Researchers find that these scans can also glow from iron & inflammation, not just tau, making careful interpretation essential. ucsfh.org/4rGLOMU

Join us for the Fein Memory and Aging Center Lecture Series at UCSF. From Data to Knowledge: Integrating Clinical and Molecular Data with AI for Predictive Medicine Marina Sirota, PhD Professor, UCSF 📅 Monday, March 9 ⏰ 10–11 am PT 🖥️ Register: bit.ly/40jASZJ

What can an autopsy reveal about dementia? Join Drs. Miller & Soleimani-Meigooni in conversation with Deborah Kan & Susan Whitaker about their family’s decision to donate their mother’s brain to UCSF—and what it revealed. 🗓 March 10 🕐 1:30 p.m. PT RSVP bit.ly/3ORGyrt

Join the UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center Lecture 🗓 March 18 | 12–1 p.m. PT Michael W. McDermott, MD Miami Neurosciences Institute “Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: An Under-Appreciated Diagnosis in the Elderly.” 📍 NSCC, UCSF 💻 Virtual registration: bit.ly/4rjSzn5

🧬 Genetic Legacies: Book Talk & Panel Join a reading from Last Nerve by Mindy Uhrlaub, followed by a panel on genetics, stigma, testing, and resilience 🗓 Tues, March 10 | 4:30–5:30 p.m. 📍 Sandler Neurosciences Center, UCSF 🎟 Free & open to the public bit.ly/4rFujMx

Collaboration fuels progress, and we’re proud to support @AFTDHope’s FTD Diagnostic Biomarkers Initiative for a second year. Applications are being accepted through March 6 for up to $700,000 in grant funding. Learn more: theaftd.org/for-researcher…

We are celebrating five years of Creative Brain Week and the global community shaping it. Hosted by the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College Dublin (@tcddublin) and supported by the Atlantic Institute, this year’s theme is Thinking. Better. Together.