Philip Landfield, PhD

Our group has a long-standing interest in the neurobiology of brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease and associated cognitive decline. To study these phenomena at fundamental levels, my lab has used a multidisciplinary approach that has included behavioral testing, single-cell electrophysiology, endocrinology, molecular biology, viral vector gene manipulation, immunohistochemistry, E.M., and extensive gene microarray analyses of animal and human brain tissues. Our recent work has focused on determining when the markers of unhealthy brain aging begin to emerge and identifying the underlying pathways that may play a mechanistic role. In addition, we are investigating the interactions among the multiple processes altered with brain aging/AD. We have also conducted numerous long-term studies using steroid hormonal/pharmacological intervention treatments, attempting to retard the course of brain decline and test basic mechanistic hypotheses. These approaches have revealed that the onset of unhealthy brain aging is associated with the emergence of hippocampal neuronal Ca2+ dysregulation and reactive glial processes related to glucocorticoid signaling, lipid/glucose metabolism, inflammation and myelin programs, among other processes. Our experience with brain aging, multidisciplinary approaches and statistical analyses of massive gene array datasets appears to place us in a favorable position for elucidating mechanisms and potential targets of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease and brain aging.