Research and Progress

Medical Xpress: Rapamycin prevents age-related brain vascular deterioration

November 7, 2019

Featured in Medical Xpress A just-released study by UT Health San Antonio and collaborating institutions shows age-related decreases in blood flow to the brain and memory loss can be modified with the drug rapamycin. This finding, if furthered, holds implications for aging in general and perhaps offers an avenue to prevent Alzheimer’s dementia in some […]


Biggs Institute seeks 10 volunteers for study of Alzheimer’s drug

October 23, 2019

The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio is recruiting volunteers for a clinical study of an investigational drug for Alzheimer’s disease. The principal investigator for this study is Sudha Seshadri, M.D., professor of neurology at UT Health San Antonio and director of the Glenn Biggs Institute. The Biggs […]


Gene variants influence size of brain stem, other structures

October 21, 2019

Global research project suggests novel drug targets for brain diseases Researchers have found a link between 48 common genetic variations and the size of the brainstem and other subcortical structures deep within the brain. These structures control a wide array of functions ranging from learning and fear response to heart rate and voluntary movement. Damage […]


Neurology Today: Elevated plasma tau predicts stroke risk over and above other factors

August 8, 2019

By Richard Robinson ARTICLE IN BRIEF:In blood samples from participants in the longitudinal Framingham Heart Study, researchers applied a highly sensitive test for total tau and found that those with higher levels had an increased risk for stroke. Elevation of tau in the bloodstream is an independent risk factor for stroke, according to a study […]


Largest study of CTE finds it in 6% of subjects

June 21, 2019

Nearly 6% of athletes and non-athletes were found to have the neurodegenerative disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the largest, and broadest, study conducted of the disease to date. The findings were published June 14 in the international journal Brain Pathology. “Generally our findings point to CTE being more common in athletes and more common in football […]


Dr. Gonzales named RL5 scholar

June 5, 2019

Mitzi Gonzales, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology and member of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Disorders, has been named to the RL5 Scholars program. The NIH funded position supported by the Pepper Center “supports early career investigators appointed by an institution for activities related to the development of a successful clinical and […]


Dr. Sheshadri on ksat 12

KSAT 12: Local scientists help discover new genes to identify risk for Alzheimer’s

June 4, 2019

  International collaboration could further help people see if they’re at risk By Courtney Friedman – VJ, Reporter, Sal Salazar – Photojournalist SAN ANTONIO – It’s an unprecedented project. The largest Alzheimer’s study in the world involved scientists at University of Texas Health San Antonio. The study, just published in Februrary, reports the discovery of five new genes that increase […]



Trend shows later onset of dementia, fewer years of the disease

April 25, 2019

The diagnosis is one that a family never wants to hear: Your father has Alzheimer’s disease. Your mother has stroke-related dementia. Sudha Seshadri, M.D. A recently released study, included in a special supplement to the Journal of Gerontology, indicates that dementia’s impact might be compressing a bit. That is, people might be developing dementia later and […]


Researcher selected to participate in program to study Alzheimer’s-vascular interplay

April 23, 2019

Bernard Fongang, Ph.D. Bernard Fongang, Ph.D., of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases and assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, has been selected to participate in the PRIDE CVD-CGE Program, a research enrichment activity offered by Washington University at St. Louis. The primary objective of the […]



San Antonio Express News: Teaching San Antonio researchers to turn brain power into market power

April 15, 2019

By Laura Garcia, Staff writer Local researchers are dissecting the tiny brains of genetically modified fruit flies, looking for the key to understanding how Alzheimer’s disease progresses. A team of scientists at a UT Health San Antonio research lab are using the flies to test whether a drug that’s been approved for HIV and hepatitis […]