Chinese Doctors Directory Chinese Medical School Graduates Gathering in North America

Additional Information

Certification: Board Certified in Psychiatry

Ph.D.: Cornell Medical College

Research Interests:
Identifying and studying the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors and their mechanisms in Alzheimer¡¯s disease (AD): We have an established homebound elderly population in the Boston area, and we are performing longitudinal evaluations of their cognition, psychiatric, and neurological conditions. Some of the homebound elderly have also taken part in brain imaging. Our study focuses on the relationship between late life depression, type 2 diabetes, and AD. Investigating the brain¡¯s regulation of emotion, obesity/diabetes, and cognition in AD pathogenesis will help todevelop novel treatments for the intervention and early treatment of AD.
Identifying and studying the communication between peripheral biomarkers and brain abnormalities in aging and the prodromal stage of AD: We are targeting biomarkers that could lead to an early diagnosis of AD, especially A¦Â peptides and cytopkines found in blood and cerebral spinal fluid. We are also using neuro-imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), to study these biomarkers and brain composition.
Investigating the Insulin Degrading Enzyme: Our study and others have identified that the insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) plays a key role in the clearance of amyloid beta peptides (A¦Â), a major component in AD pathology. IDE also degrades insulin and amylin, and it might be a key component in type 2 diabetes. Our research goal is to further investigate whether defects of IDE activity and its regulation accelerates AD pathology in the elderly who suffer from type 2 diabetes.