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News
2026 - present | 2025 - 2011
ABC7’s Bill Ritter Visits Arts & Minds
September 18, 2026ABC7 journalist Bill Ritter participated in an Arts & Minds program in Washington Heights, offered in partnership with the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement (ORE) Core of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC).
Co-founded by Columbia Neurologist and Aging & Dementia specialist Dr. James Noble, leader of the ADRC’s Clinical Core, Arts & Minds is a nonprofit organization that provides art-centered programs for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and their care partners. Participants explore and discuss works of art together and engage in artmaking, creating opportunities for creativity, communication, and connection.
Watch the video to learn more about Arts & Minds and the ADRC’s community outreach efforts.
Common Diet Linked to Faster Brain Decline in Alzheimer’s Risk Group
By Daniella GraySeptember 16, 2026
Individuals with the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease may experience a faster decline in attention when consuming a Western-style diet, according to findings from a recent study. Independent expert Caghan Kizil, PhD, MSc, professor of neurological sciences in Columbia University’s Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, said the findings are noteworthy but should be viewed cautiously.
Researchers followed 185 older adults without dementia, tracked their dietary habits over time, and measured changes in cognitive performance. Dr. Kizil pointed out that the study didn’t directly measure Alzheimer’s disease or dementia risk, and that it excluded participants who already had cognitive problems. “These findings give researchers a lead, not families a prescription,” Dr. Kizil said. [read more]
Source: Newsweek.
Blood Biomarker and Genetic Test May Help Predict Timing of Cognitive Impairment
September 9, 2026A new study published in The Lancet Neurology suggests that combining a blood-based Alzheimer’s disease biomarker with genetic information may help identify not only who is at greater risk for cognitive impairment, but also when symptoms may emerge.
Led by first author Yuexuan Xu, PhD, with co-senior authors Badri Vardarajan, PhD, and Richard Mayeux, MD, MSc, Chair of the Department of Neurology, the study analyzed data from more than 8,500 participants across seven prospective cohorts. The researchers found that combining plasma p-tau217 levels with APOE genotype provided a clearer picture of future cognitive risk, with higher p-tau217 levels associated with greater risk of cognitive impairment, particularly among people carrying the APOEε4 variant.
“The combination of the tests really makes a difference in predictive power. And the projections are the same for everyone regardless of their background,” says Dr. Mayeux. “What this will allow us to do is make better predictions about the onset of symptoms in people at risk, and when preventative drugs become available, prescribe those at the right time.”
Read more about the study and its implications in the CUIMC Newsroom.
Bill Ritter Looks into What Causes Alzheimer's and What Younger People Need to Know
July 21, 2026Lawrence Honig, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a physician-scientist who specializes in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. In a recent television segment of Living with Alzheimer’s, Dr. Honig speaks with Bill Ritter of ABC New York about what causes Alzheimer’s disease, current treatment options that can slow its progression, and the tests available for people in their 40s or 50s who notice fading memory or other cognitive difficulties. [watch video]
Source: ABC New York
10th Annual Laugh to Remember Marks Record-Breaking Year for the Taub Institute
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The 10th Annual Laugh to Remember comedy event, hosted by Broadacre Financial, was a record-breaking success, raising more than $390,000 in support of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain. With additional donations still coming in, the event is on track to surpass $400,000, making this year’s benefit the most successful in its history.
This milestone year also underscored the extraordinary growth of Laugh to Remember over the past decade. The benefit secured 19 corporate sponsors, up from six in its first year, and the auctions raised a record $166,000, compared with $10,000 in year one. The event also achieved its highest-ever revenue per attendee—$1,718, up from $582 in 2015. These achievements are a testament to the dedication and generosity of Chris Haynes (pictured below, top photo) and Janine Schiavi of Broadacre Financial, the Benefit Committee, and the continued commitment of all those who support the Taub Institute’s mission to advance research into Alzheimer’s disease and the aging brain.
Once again emceed by comedian and longtime host Jimmy Failla, who has been part of Laugh to Remember since its first year, the evening brought together 227 attendees for a night of comedy, connection, and philanthropy. Guests, including Marilyn Taub (pictured bottom left in front of this year's comedians) joined from across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Illinois, and even Sri Lanka, reflecting the growing reach and impact of this annual event.
Photo Credit: Jenny Gorman
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A New Blueprint for Alzheimer’s
A new feature in Columbia Medicine magazine, “A New Blueprint for Alzheimer’s” (beginning on page 13), examines how research across Columbia's Taub Institute is helping move the field beyond a single-cause model toward a more nuanced understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. The article features Dr. Richard Mayeux, chair of Neurology and co-director of the Taub Institute, whose long-running family- and population-based studies have helped define the genetic foundations of Alzheimer’s, identify risk factors across diverse populations, and shape the field’s understanding of how genetics and epidemiology contribute to disease risk; Dr. Christiane Reitz, associate director of Taub, whose work is expanding genetic discovery across diverse populations; Dr. Peter St George-Hyslop, co-director of the Carol and Gene Ludwig Center for Research on Neurodegeneration, whose foundational discoveries in Alzheimer’s genetics and biology—including work related to APP, PSEN1, PSEN2, and SORL1—have helped illuminate core disease mechanisms; Dr. Philip L. De Jager, associate director of Taub, whose research is clarifying how microglia, astrocytes, and immune pathways contribute to disease progression; Dr. Scott Small, director of Columbia’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, whose work focuses on SORL1, endosomal trafficking, and neuronal vulnerability; and Dr. Andrew Teich, director of the New York Brain Bank, whose studies of brain tissue from patients with early Alzheimer’s changes are shedding light on inflammatory responses and potential biomarkers such as YKL-40, work done in collaboration with neurosurgeon Dr. Guy McKhann.
Collectively, these featured lines of research underscore a central message of the article: Alzheimer’s is likely not one disease, but many overlapping biological processes—an insight that reflects the importance of collaborative, multidisciplinary institutes like Taub, where work across basic, translational, clinical, and population-based science comes together in pursuit of prevention, earlier detection, and more targeted approaches to treatment. [read more, beginning on page 13]
Source: Columbia Medicine Magazine
New Study Finds Clues of Alzheimer’s Beginnings
May 29, 2026
Kapil Ramachandran, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, led a new study that uncovered new insights into how Alzheimer’s disease begins. The study showed how tau filaments, protein clumps strongly associated with memory decline in Alzheimer’s disease, take shape and identified how tau first misfolds into filament tangles. For decades, researchers had been unable to determine how this misfolding process starts and produces these specific filament forms. “These prior studies could not capture how tau misfolds in the first place in Alzheimer’s disease, but understanding how tau aggregation begins is critical if we want to create therapies that prevent neurodegeneration before it starts,” says Dr. Ramachandran. [read more]
Source: CUIMC Newsroom
'Longevity gene' may protect the brain from Alzheimer's by boosting DNA repair, study finds
By Melissa Rudy
May 19, 2026
Caghan Kizil, PhD, MSc, an associate professor of neurological sciences at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, recently received a research grant from the American Brain Foundation(link is external and opens in a new window) to study the APOE4 gene, a genetic variant linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
In a separate study, another research team looked at a different version of the same gene, called APOE2. Their findings suggest that, unlike APOE4, APOE2 may help protect the brain and may even support recovery.
“This study goes beyond the long-known observation that APOE2 is linked to longevity and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and aims to explain why this protection may occur,” said Dr. Kizil, who was not involved in the study. “What I find especially interesting is the idea that Alzheimer’s may partly reflect the brain losing its ability to stay resilient with age,” he added. “Growing evidence suggests that APOE-related risk is not only about amyloid buildup, but also about how aging, inflammation, blood vessel health, and the brain’s repair systems work together over time.” [read more]
Source: Fox News Digital
Broadening the Reach of Alzheimer’s Research
April 28, 2026
Adam M. Brickman, PhD, a professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University and in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease, uses advanced neuroimaging technology to study cognitive aging and the processes that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. His research includes both clinical and community-based settings. “With this technology, we're starting to understand the types of biological changes that are happening in the brain as we age and how they can be modified by different health and social conditions,” explained Dr. Brickman.
He recently launched an initiative that brought the first portable MRI scanner to Agincourt, located in rural South Africa, to help scientists there identify the unique set of factors that shape cognitive decline in that environment. “In five years, I would love to see our efforts help establish an MRI research program in Agincourt that has even branched out to study other conditions. If successful, our efforts could also help pave the way for similar research programs in other under-resourced environments, including some rural parts of the United States,” said Dr. Brickman. [read more] [watch video]
Source: CUIMC Newsroom
An Alzheimer’s blood test is getting popular. But who really needs it?
March 31, 2026
Richard Mayeux, MD, MSc, Chair of the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Co-Director of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain(link is external and opens in a new window), comments on the ongoing TRAILBLAZER-3 trial, a study in which he is not involved. “People keep thinking or talking about early treatment,” says Dr. Mayeux. “What you want to do is get to that fine area just before cognitive impairment starts to occur.” He also discusses findings from his research involving data from over 8,500 individuals in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, focusing on identifying the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease—a presentation he delivered at the Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease (AD/PD) meeting last month in Copenhagen, Denmark. [read more]
Source: Science
Neurology Experts Explain Early Warning Signs of Dementia
By Marisa Cohen
May 8, 2026
Elise A. Caccappolo, PhD, Director of the Neuropsychology Service at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and two other experts describe the different types of dementia, explain early warning signs— including symptoms that are often overlooked or mistaken for something else—and share tips for maintaining a healthy brain.
Dr. Caccappolo explains that experiencing a few mild symptoms associated with dementia does not necessarily mean you have the condition. “For someone to be diagnosed with dementia, they have to have a significant decline in more than one cognitive area, and those changes have to affect their daily living,” says Dr. Caccappolo. [read more]
Source: Prevention
‘Mentally active' sitting may reduce dementia risk, study finds
By Kaan Ozcan
March 29, 2026
Adam M. Brickman, PhD, a professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University, weighed in on findings from a newly published study he was not involved in, suggesting that sedentary lifestyles and mentally passive activities may substantially raise the risk of cognitive decline and dementia later in life. He also pointed to the growth of short-form content such as TikTok as a driver of more passive behavior. “When you consider how kids—and even adults—spend time passively consuming content that few would call stimulating or engaging, it’s clearly much more common today than it was in 1997,” Brickman said. [read more]
Source: NBC News
Leading the Way: Black Women Closing the Gap in Brain Health
February 24, 2026
In celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, UsAgainstAlzheimer’ — an advocacy organization committed to ending Alzheimer’s disease — recognizes Jennifer J. Manly, PhD, Professor of Neuropsychology at Columbia University, as a scientific leader transforming brain health research and advancing equitable access to cognitive assessment and care.
Dr. Manly’s pioneering research has demonstrated how educational and socioeconomic experiences influence cognitive testing outcomes and the interpretation of diagnostic results. Her work has helped shape more accurate, culturally informed approaches to identifying cognitive impairment in Black and other historically underrepresented communities. [read more]
Source: UsAgainstAlzheimer’s
January 30, 2026
The Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) has named Adam M. Brickman, PhD a 2025 Senior Mentor of the Year. Dr. Brickman was one of four faculty members selected from across the medical center for this honor, which is presented annually in recognition of exceptional and sustained commitment to mentorship, and meaningful impact on the professional development of others.
Dr. Brickman is Professor of Neuropsychology in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and a faculty member in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center at CUIMC.
Dr. Brickman’s laboratory studies how white matter abnormalities and small vessel cerebrovascular disease contribute to cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease. His work combines advanced brain imaging with population-based research to track changes in brain health over time and identify early markers of disease progression.
As a mentor, Dr. Brickman is recognized for his ongoing dedication to training the next generation of scientists. He provides close, thoughtful guidance while encouraging independence and collaboration, and is known for helping mentees develop strong scientific judgment, produce high-quality research, and build successful careers across academia and clinical research.
Congratulations to Dr. Brickman on this well-deserved recognition.
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