July 22 is World Brain Day, a time to recognize the significant scientific advancements that have been made in better understanding the brain. Research on cognitive aging is deepening our understanding of when and how the brain becomes vulnerable and offering clearer targets to protect cognitive health across the lifespan. At the same time, technological advances are helping identify, diagnose, and forecast brain activity and the biological factors that impact cognitive changes.
Top Cognitive Aging Research Scientists from the Four McKnight Brain Institutes Convened for the 17th Inter-Institutional Meeting
More than 100 researchers, trainees and students who study cognitive aging and age-related memory loss across the four McKnight Brain Institutes (MBI) – at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Arizona, University of Florida and University of Miami – came together in Tucson, Arizona from April 8-10 for the McKnight Brain Research Foundation’s (MBRF) 17th Inter-Institutional Meeting. New this year, ten current and past recipients of the MBRF’s Clinical Translational Research Scholarship and Innovator Awards also attended the meeting.
Meet 2024 Innovator Award Recipient – Sanaz Sedaghat, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota
In this interview, Dr. Sedaghat discusses her project to use protein data from a large, long-term study of Black and White adults with the goal of developing “protein-based aging clocks” to measure biological age. With support from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation’s Innovator Award, Dr. Sedaghat is exploring how these clocks relate to different patterns of cognitive decline with the goal of better predicting who might experience faster cognitive aging.
Announcing the 2026 McKnight Brain Research Foundation Clinical Translational Research Scholars
The McKnight Brain Research Foundation recently named Maria Pia Campagna, PhD, University of California, San Francisco and Quentin Devignes, PhD, University of Michigan as the 2026 recipients of the McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss.
MBRF Trustee, Dr. Roy Hamilton, Featured in Men’s Journal – Doctors Say These 9 Practical Lifestyle Changes Reduce Dementia Risk and Protect Brain Health
As McKnight Brain Research Foundation Trustee, Dr. Roy Hamilton, shares in this Men’s Journal article, making healthy lifestyle choices, like exercising regularly, following a healthy diet and managing stress, is currently the best way to protect your cognitive health. Dr. Hamilton specifically suggests the importance of challenging the brain with new activities, controlling cardiovascular risk factors and staying social as a few of the lifestyle strategies that can make the biggest difference for long term brain and cognitive health.
At Home Alzheimer’s Tests are Here: Proceed with Caution
McKnight Brain Research Foundation Trustee, Dr. Sharon Brangman, recently spoke with AARP about the blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease that became available in May and November of 2025 and the at-home tests many companies are now offering. Dr. Brangman, chair of geriatric medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University, emphasized how essential the interaction between patient and physician is for an accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
Announcing the 2025 McKnight Brain Research Foundation Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss
The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) and the McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF) are pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of The McKnight Brain Research Foundation Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss: Leah Acker, MD, Duke University and Erin Gibson, PhD, Stanford School of Medicine.
New Research from MBRF Scholar Alum, Dr. Wendy Yau, Shows the Number of Daily Steps May Delay Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s Progression
A new study by Dr. Wendy Yau, a former McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholar, and colleagues found that increasing the number of steps taken daily may slow cognitive decline in older adults with early, biological signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
MBRF Trustee, Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, Elected to the National Academy of Medicine
We’re thrilled to announce Dr. Allison Brashear, MBRF Trustee and Vice President for Health Sciences at the University at Buffalo and Dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Brashear is one of 90 regular members and 10 international members elected to the NAM during its annual meeting earlier in October.
These 8 Money Mistakes Could be Signs of Dementia
Bonnie Levin, PhD, Associate Director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Miami, recently spoke with the New York Post to offer insights on how dementia may impact an individual’s ability to make sound financial decisions. The article below originally posted by the New York Post on September 30 includes insights from Dr. Levin on the red flags that may signal dementia and how to protect seniors from financial exploitation.