Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging: The First 1,000 Days

By David Loewenstein, Ph.D. ABPP/CN, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director, CNSA

When we launched CNSA in the summer of 2018, we set forth a number of ambitious goals including: furthering innovative and state-ofthe-art research into brain disorders, aging, and cognitive neuroscience, being leaders in developing treatments and effective interventions for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related disorders, as well as expanding our role as a primary site for the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center of Excellence. A further goal was the development and implemention of methods to best reach the underrepresented minority groups affected by AD. I knew we had the best possible faculty and staff in place to work together to reach these goals; a group of some of the brightest minds in geriatric psychiatry, neuropsychology, neurocognitive disorders, aging, and AD. I am immensely proud to be able to say that one pandemic and 1,000 days later, we have indeed achieved many of our goals, and are continuing to make significant strides toward others. It is extraordinary what our Center has accomplished in this time, a tribute to our extremely cohesive and hardworking team.

Our mission was always to become a national and international leader in cognitive neuroscience by developing cutting-edge strategies and new paradigms for studying the aging brain and identifying biomarkers of early disease processes. With a first-class, state-funded Memory Disorders Clinic directed by Elizabeth Crocco, M.D., several large federal R01 grants resulting from collaborative efforts between myself Rosie Curiel Cid, Psy.D., and a stateof-the-art functional skills assessment and cognitive training program developed by renowned psychologist Philip Harvey, Ph.D., we are well on our way to fulfilling our mission.

Perhaps our crowning achievement, in 2020 we were awarded a five-year, $15 million grant to collaborate with other universities in Florida on Alzheimer’s disease research. The 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) brings together top Florida researchers to focus on better understanding how to diagnose, treat, prevent, and potentially cure Alzheimer’s in diverse populations. One of 31 Centers of Excellence designated by the National Institute on Aging, the 1Florida ADRC is the only one funded in the state of Florida.

With momentum from these successes, we recruited a phenomenal new faculty member, Marcela Kitaigorodsky, Psy.D., and an excellent biostatistician, Diane Zheng, Ph.D. Dr. Kitaigorodsky has led efforts to develop novel telehealth platforms to assess older adult participants in our many National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies and Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) projects and has published in this area. These platforms have allowed us to improve access and convenience for patients and will enhance our patients’ experience well beyond the pandemic.

In the last three years, we have established a robust post-doctoral fellowship program in neuropsychology and cognitive neurosciences, training three fellows per year and eight doctoral level graduate students annually. Importantly, we have established robust programs in amyloid and tau PET imaging— of which we are the only university in the state funded by NIH to conduct—advanced tau imaging, are working on large proposals to expand our work with newest generation blood-based biomarkers and have continued to develop and refine Cognitive Stress Tests (CSTs) and semantic interference paradigms for the earliest detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD). Our current CST, the LASSI-L, has been translated into several languages and is used nationally and internationally in clinical and research studies.

Our successes are the result of a team effort, thanks to the wonderful Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and our many university partners on the Medical and Coral Gables campus. We have over 20 affiliated faculty across the university working with the CNSA. They have supported our mission to become a leader in cognitive neuroscience and enhanced our understanding of normal aging and neurodegenerative diseases in the brain. With regards to recent news:

l Dr. Rosie Curiel Cid, Chief of Cross-Cultural Neuropsychology and 1Florida ADRC Outreach, Retention, and as Engagement Core Leader for the entire 1Florida ADRC has made great strides in outreach of underrepresented diverse ethnic and cultural groups in aging and Alzheimer’s research. She is, to our knowledge, the youngest Hispanic female at UM to have received an R01 grant. l Dr. Elizabeth Crocco, Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry and Medical Director of the UM Memory Disorders Clinic— the only state-funded clinic at UM—continues to expand research into Alzheimer’s disease and neurocognitive/ neuropsychiatric conditions and recently received a $250,000 Florida Department of Health research grant to develop an advanced registry of African American older adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease..

l Dr. Marcela Kitaigorodsky, Assistant Professor and Director of Cognitive Research Operations, has developed a virtual neuropsychological battery for use in our studies and ensures our post-doctoral fellows and residents receive exceptional training.

Wonderful clinicians and educators such as Dr. Dolores Perdomo, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and our research managers, coordinators, recruiters, research assistants, students and biostatistician all contribute to the synergy and productivity of the CNSA and its mission to serve our increasingly older and culturally diverse adult population. These outstanding individuals, our extraordinary faculty, and our committed staff make it possible for us to provide innovative programs for care providers. Together, we’re building an environment ripe for training of the next generation of leaders in the field.

As I look toward the future, I am honored to serve as the director of our rapidly growing Center, and ineffably proud of all we’ve achieved in our first 1,000 days. Our team is passionate about the continued pursuit of novel opportunities to transform the landscape of cognitive neuroscience and aging – and the breakthroughs yet to be discovered by our future clinician-scientists.