Brain Disorders and Therapeutics

Dr. Hernández, Ph.D. has been studying traumatic brain injury (TBI) using basic and clinical neuroscience models since 1985. Her ongoing, extramurally funded research program assesses the degree to which recovery and functional outcome after TBI can be optimized in a variety of populations (Veterans, civilians, athletes). This includes conducting randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded trials of novel interventions, such as acupressure. This work is accomplished through her appointment as Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at CU Boulder, her appointment as a Senior Investigator and Research Psychologist in the Eastern Colorado Healthcare System, Rocky Mountain MIRECC (Mental Illness, Research, Education & Clinical Center) and through her role as one of the co-Directors of the PAPRR (Promoting Athlete Performance, Recovery and Resilience) Board at CU Boulder. She is also the Director of the CAIRR (Clinical Assessment of Injury, Recovery and Resilience) Neuroscience Laboratory.

ur clinically-based program of research is aimed at providing an experimental basis for improving clinical treatment following brain insult so that neurobehavioral function is optimized. We are currently accomplishing this via two tracks: one aimed at the initial post-injury period and a second focusing on the stable post-insult period.

Dr Davide V Moretti is consultant neurologist, chief of the clinical neurophysiology service and researcher at the National Institute of Research and Cure for Mental disorders and Dementia S john of God, Brescia, Italy. He received his medical degree from Catholic University in Rome and completed his residency in neurology and fellowship in movement disorders at University of Trieste, Italy. Moreover, he received the PhD in neurophysiology at La Sapienza University (thesis title “ Quantitative EEG in Alzheimer's disease”). Dr Moretti is currently involved in research and care of subjects with Alzheimers disease and dementia in the Memory Clinic/Alzheimer Operative Unit of the S. John of God Institute. Moreover, he is the chief of the clinical neurophysiology unit. His research is primary concerned about quantitative EEG evaluation of Alzheimer's patients both in prodromic and clinically evident phase of the disease.

Alzheimers disease and dementia

Rocco de Filippis completed his MD and PhD from Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. Investigator Meeting (Western Europe and North America) for BRENDA/pharmacological Study on Nalmefene (LUNDBECK - pharmaceutical company). Barcellona (Spagna) . He holds a Master’s degree and he improved respectively in Bipolar Disorders and Addictive behavior in the years 2011/2012. He currently works and at the Institute of Psychopathology - Rome as a Psychiatrist and Addictive Medicine, and up to now presented as scientific coordinator of CME and Master of Addictive Behaviors; he currently publishes on Bipolar Disorders with high specialization on rapid cycling;he is also an official candidate at the Psychoanalytic Italian Society of the First Italian Center of Rome, and member of IPSO (International Psychoanalytic Studies Organization). He had a oral speech at Translational Medicine 2014 in Las Vegas on QTc Prolungation and Psychotropic Drugs.

Weidong Le, MD, PhD, is a neurologist/neuroscientist with the major research interest in neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. His research focus is cellular and molecular basis of neuronal injury in these neurodegenerative diseases. He was a Professor in Baylor College of Medicine and since 2013 he has been appointed as a Director of Center for Translational Research of Neurology Disease, and Vice President of 1st Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University. He has published over 185 SCI papers in peer review journals and 7 scientific books.

Brain Imaging, Neuropsychiatry

Dr. Othman Ghribi is an Associate professor at the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Therapeutics, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, USA. He obtained his PHD degree in Neuropharmacology from Rene Descartes University, Paris, France in 1994. He published four book chapters, invited review papers and has more than 50 publications in different peer reviewed journals. Dr. Ghribi holds grants from the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence and the National Institute of Environmental health Sciences/The National Institute of Health. Dr Ghribi obtained the Alzheimers and Related Diseases Research Award from the Virginia Center on Aging as well as the Dean David Wilson Academic Award in Neuroscience from the University of North Dakota.

Othman Ghribis Interests include role of the diet and environmental factors in Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases, Tyrosine hydroxylase, alpha-synuclein, LXRs, Estrogen receptors, Oxysterols, Endoplasmic reticulum stress, Apoptosis, IGF-1, Leptin.

Dr. F.W. van Leeuwen, PhD is a neuroscientist with over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers to his name. His team works at the University Maastricht. He was trained as a neurobiologist and obtained his PhD degree in 1980. After branching out into the field of molecular neurobiology in the nineties, he discovered a new mechanism, dubbed molecular misreading; the inaccurate conversion of genomic information into aberrant transcripts and mutant proteins (e.g. mutant ubiquitin B, UBB+1). These appeared to be present in the hallmarks (e.g. plaques and tangles) of sporadic Alzheimer and Down syndrome patients, but not in young non-demented controls. This was the cover story of Science 279, January 9th, 1998. The message is that the mutant proteins accumulate and contribute to neuronal dysfunctioning, e.g. by inhibiting the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This article has been named a “milestone paper”, and Dr. van Leeuwen has been invited to participate in an Alzheimer-100 book because it was 100 years ago that Dr. Alzheimer published his first article on the disease.

Neurodegenerative disorders,Down syndrome,Alzheimer’s disease