Christian Crouzet, under the direction of UCI Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic Associate Director Bernard Choi, received a $200,000 postdoctoral fellowship award from BrightFocus Foundation to investigate the effect of hypertension on neurovascular dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease progression during midlife.

Amyloid-beta and tau proteins are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, however recent evidence suggests that neurovascular dysregulation plays a major role in the development of the disease.  In addition, neurovascular dysregulation may occur before the accumulation of amyloid-beta and tau proteins.

Although familial- Alzheimer’s disease has been the primary target in previous studies, there has been little investigations regarding late-onset sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD).  LOAD, despite accounting for over ninety percent of Alzheimer’s disease cases, is not well understood.  Crouzet will study structural and functional neurovascular changes during the development of LOAD in comparison to familial Alzheimer disease, an inherited form.

Crouzet’s research aims to assess relationships among functional vascular changes in genes, familial-Alzheimer disease and LOAD models.  In addition, he seeks to identify the association among functional vascular imaging biomarkers and microvascular structural parameters, neuroinflammation markers, amyloid-beta and cognitive changes.  Research results will improve our knowledge about the relationship between neurovascular changes and the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

About BrightFocus Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards
Postdoctoral fellowship awards are intended for young researchers in their final stages of mentored training.  The awards fund projects in an established laboratory that will serve as the basis for the student’s independent research career.

About BrightFocus Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research
BrightFocus Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research program funds promising research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.  With a strong emphasis on early-career scientists and their new ideas, BrightFocus provides research funds for both U.S. and international researchers on a wide range of approaches to better understand, prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

About BrightFocus Foundation
BrightFocus Foundation is a premier nonprofit funder of research worldwide to defeat Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration and glaucoma.  The organization is currently supporting a $65 million portfolio of nearly 275 scientific projects. BrightFocus shares the latest research findings, expert information and resources to empower the millions impacted by these diseases.

Click here to learn more about BrightFocus Foundation.