Contact
David Loewenstein, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (CNSA)
Associate Director and Site Principal Investigator, 1Florida ADRC
Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Neurology
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Our current research seeks to enhance our understanding of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease and discover better ways to diagnose and treat them by developing novel cognitive measures and using state-of-the-science, brain-based neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers. We want to improve people’s quality of life and preserve their independence for as long as possible. We also have extensive programs to train the next generation of scientists in the field.
A Novel Computerized Cognitive Stress Test Designed for Clinical Trials in Early Alzheimer’s: Relationship with Multimodal Imaging Biomarkers in Diverse Cultural Groups
This $3.5 million project (R01AG061106), funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA), examines tau amyloid load in the brain and the performance of a new, more challenging cognitive stress test (CST) vulnerability to proactive semantic interference (PSI) and repeated failures to recover from frPSI. (Principal investigator: David Loewenstein)
1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC)
The 1Florida ADRC is a consortium between the University of Florida, University of Miami, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and other top Florida academic institutions with $15 million in funding from the NIH/NIA. This study (1P30AG066506-01) longitudinally evaluates and follows older adults at higher and lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias through extensive clinical, neuroimaging, neuropsychological, genetic, and other blood-based biomarkers on 600 older adults. Our study focuses on underserved and unrepresented minority populations such as Black and Hispanic groups. (Principal investigators: Todd Golde/University of Florida; David Loewenstein/University of Miami, Clinical Core Director/Miami Site, Associate Director/1Florida)
Precision-Based Assessment for Detection of MCI in Older Adults
This five-year NIH longitudinal investigation has more than $3 million in funding to study the psychometric properties of the computerized Loewenstein and Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L) against other widely used measures in clinical trials — such as the ADAS0Cog, NIH Cognitive Tool Box, and Cogstate — across culturally diverse older adults. (Principal investigator: Rosie Curiel; co-investigator: David Loewenstein)
New Cognitive Stress Tests and Multimodal Imaging Diverse Ethnic/Cultural Groups
This consortium study (8AZ23), funded by the Florida Department of Health Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program, examines tau amyloid load in the brain and the performance of a novel cognitive stress test designed to assess vulnerability to proactive semantic interference (PSI) or failure to recover from PSI to brain amyloid load in older Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations. It’s the first attempt to incorporate tau imaging in a multimodal neuroimaging platform. (Principal investigator: David Loewenstein)
Middle-Aged Offspring of Late Alzheimer’s Probands: Novel Cognitive and Biomarker Assessment
This project (9AZ24) examines the underpinnings of the earliest manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) among a large group of well-defined, middle-aged children with one or more parents with late-onset AD (LOAD). It will be compared to age and educationally equivalent controls without any family history of LOAD. This project has $237,000 of funding from the State of Florida. (Principal investigator: David Loewenstein)
Novel Detection of Early Cognitive and Functional Impairment in the Elderly
This highly innovative investigation (1RO1AG047649-01A1) examines the efficacy of the newly developed and novel cognitive tests of cued recall and semantic interference (LASSI-L), time- and event-related prospective memory (MPMT), and novel computer-based functional task simulations (FTS) in detecting subtle cognitive and functional impairments and their progression over time. Our sample will include Spanish- and English-speaking older adults diagnosed with traditional neuropsychological measures and clinical evaluations, including amnestic MCI (aMCI), preclinical MCI (PreMCI), or cognitively unimpaired (CU) normals. This study has more than $2.5 million in funding from the NIH/NIA. (Principal investigator: David Loewenstein)
Non-Pharmacological Intervention for Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Family Caregivers
This study (1R01AG054009-01), with more than $3.2 million in funding from the NIH, will develop and test the efficacy and feasibility of a dyadic-based intervention program delivered through state-of-the-art computer tablet technology. (Principal investigators: Sara Czaja Weill/Cornell, David Loewenstein/University of Miami)