Keenan A. Walker, Ph.D., directs the Multimodal Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease unit in the Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging.[2] His research includes studies on Alzheimer's disease.[3][4]
Keenan A. Walker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Education | St. John's University[2] University of California San Diego[2] Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine[2] |
| Known for | Alzheimer's disease research |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Johns Hopkins University[1] National Institute on Aging[2] |
Research
editBefore coming to the NIA, Walker was a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.[1] While there, he authored an analysis of data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, investigating the relationship between inflammation and cognitive decline,[5][6] as well as a study on predicting Alzheimer's disease in advance based on blood protein levels.[3]
After moving to the NIA, Walker led a study on how Alzheimer's disease affects Black people, with results that suggest a higher threshold of disease might be being used when diagnosing Alzheimer's in this group.[7]
More recently, Walker led an analysis of data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, published in 2022 in the journal Neurology, which sought to test the theory that herpes virus infection might cause Alzheimer's disease.[4] Although the study found negative neurological effects of herpes virus infection, it did not find any connection between herpes virus infection and Alzheimer's disease specifically.[8]
Awards and honors
editIn 2021, Walker became the first NIA scientist to be named an NIH Distinguished Scholar.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Researchers identify proteins that predict future dementia, Alzheimer's risk". EurekAlert!. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Keenan Walker, Ph.D." NIH Intramural Research Program. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Proteins that predict future dementia, Alzheimer's risk, identified: Large study of plasma proteins and dementia illuminates the biology of dementia and may help lead to treatments". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ a b George, Judy (24 August 2022). "Herpes Viruses Linked to Brain Changes". MedPage Today. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ Newman, Tim (15 February 2019). "Inflammation in midlife hastens cognitive decline". MedicalNewsToday. Healthline Media UK Ltd. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ Nair, Anil (13 February 2019). "Chronic inflammation may negatively affect thinking, memory". Healio. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Data shows racial disparities in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis between Black and white research study participants". National Institute on Aging. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ Terry, Mark (25 August 2022). "NIH Study Debunks Long-Held Symptomatic Herpes-Alzheimer's Connection". BioSpace. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Keenan Walker is NIA's first NIH Distinguished Scholar". National Institute on Aging. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
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