Research Support

All research is supported by public and private institutions, such as the National Institute for Heath and the National Football League, and through individual donations. The grants listed below are either active or grants that ended within the past few years. To learn more about fundraising opportunities, leadership gifts, or if you are interested in supporting the research visit http://www.bumc.bu.edu/supportingbusm/research/brain/cte/.

Current Research Support:

“Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy  and Posttraumatic Neurodegeneration: Neuropathology and Ex Vivo Imaging”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ann McKee
Funding Institution: National Institute of Health
Project Summary: The major goals of this cooperative agreement are to; 1) validate pathological criteria for the diagnosis of CTE, 2) develop a National TBI brain bank, 3) determine the pathological correlates of ex vivo neuroimaging studies in postmortem CTE brain.

“Neuropathology Core of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Neil Kowall
Funding Institution: National Institute of Health
Project Summary: The major goal of this project is to build a broad-based research program in Alzheimer’s disease to better understand the phenomenology and pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and to facilitate treatment and prevention.

“VA Merit Award”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ann McKee
Funding Institution: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Project Summary: The study will look at axonal injury and tau pathology following blast mTBI in OEF/OIF Veterans. The major goal of this project is to identify CSF and neuroimaging biomarkers to diagnose CTE.

“Epidemiology of Dementia in the Framingham Study”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Philip Wolf
Funding Institution: National Institute of Health
Project Summary: The major goal of this project is to conduct ongoing surveillance of the Framingham Study participants to determine the incidence and type of dementia in persons in the 9th through the 11th decades of life.

“Cyclohexanol Therapy in Transgenic Models of Alzheimer’s Disease”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Alpaslan Dedeoglu
Funding Institution: National Institute of Health
Project Summary: The major goals of this project are to assess the metabolic, histopathological, biochemical and cognitive profiles of double and triple transgenic Alzheimer mice treated with oral scyllo- or myo-inositol using MRS, immunohistochemistry, western blot, ELISA and water maze testing and to assess the efficacy of cyclohexanehexol/R-flurbiprofen combination therapy compared to the efficacy of each compound administered alone.

“Gulf War Illness VA Biorepository”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Neil Kowall
Funding Institution: VA National Center Grant
Project Summary: The major goal of this project is to build a national brain bank to better understand the phenomenology and pathophysiology of Gulf War Syndrome.

Completed Research Support:

“Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy”
Co-Investigator: Dr. Ann McKee
Funding Institution: National Football League (unrestricted)

“Neuropathological and Clinical Consequences of Repetitive Concussion in Athletes”
Co-Investigator: Dr. Ann McKee
Funding Institution: National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE)
Project Summary: To establish a living brain donation registry, conduct neuropathological examinations, and collect pilot clinical research data, investigating the long-term consequences of repetitive head trauma in athletes.

“National VA Biorepository”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Neil Kowall
Funding Institution: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Project Summary: The major goal of this project is to build a national brain bank to better understand the phenomenology and pathophysiology of ALS.