Stanford ADRC Imaging Core
The Imaging Core provides researchers with user-friendly structural and functional brain imaging of Stanford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) participants. The Core has particular expertise in imaging based on functional connections between brain areas affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Imaging data can analyzed in conjunction with other ADRC data, including results of neuropsychological testing, spinal fluid measurements, and blood biomarkers. Imaging Core faculty also provide tools to assist Stanford investigators using imaging data from the national Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initative.
Elizabeth Mormino, PhD
Assistant Professor (Research) of Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Imaging Core Leader
Dr. Mormino obtained her doctorate in neuroscience at the University of California at Berkeley and completed postdoctoral fellowship training in neuroimaging at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is a neuroscientist who uses multimodal brain imaging to understand the development of Alzheimer’s disease in older adults without dementia. This work involves amyloid PET imaging, tau PET imaging, structural MRI, and functional MRI. Her research may help to identify people at risk before widespread neuronal damage has occurred. Many older adults without cognitive impairment have brain amyloid. Dr. Mormino has found great variability in the rate of decline among those who eventually progress to Alzheimer's disease, and she is examining genetic factors that influence the risk of decline.
Michael Greicius, MD, MPH
Iqbal Farrukh and Asad Jamal Professor of Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Imaging Core Associate Leader
Dr. Greicius is the Iqbal Farrukh and Asad Jamal Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He attended medical school at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, did his neurology residency at the Harvard Partners program, and completed a behavioral neurology fellowship at UCSF. He first came to Stanford in 2000 as a postdoctoral fellow and joined the faculty in 2007. Dr. Greicius is currently the director of the Stanford Center for Memory Disorders and leads a research team studying the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease. Current efforts in the Greicius lab are focused on identifying novel genetic variants in two groups of subjects: healthy older people carrying the high risk APOE4 genetic variant and early age-at-onset Alzheimer’s patients who do not carry the high risk APOE4 genetic variant. The goal is to identify rare but powerful genetic mutations that either protect against or cause Alzheimer’s disease, respectively in these two groups. These genetic variants will then be characterized in detail to understand how they impact disease risk and how their related molecular pathways can be targeted for novel drug development.
Guido Davidzon, MD, SM
Clinical Associate Professor of Radiology - Rad/Nuclear Medicine
Dr. Davidzon is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology at Stanford University. His clinical specialties include early diagnostic imaging of cancer, coronary artery disease, and dementias using molecular probes as well as the treatment of cancer for which he employs targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy.
Dr. Davidzon investigates the use of machine learning in medical imaging to improve clinical outcomes, he is involved in the professional Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. He serves as a peer reviewer for multiple medical journals. Dr. Davidzon is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina and has lived in the U.S. for over a decade. He travels to Argentina frequently, with his wife and three sons.
Gregory Zaharchuck, MD, PhD
Professor of Radiology (Neuroimaging and Neurointervention)
After finishing a neuroradiology fellowship at UCSF in 2006, Dr. Zaharchuk began his faculty position at Stanford where he has played a key role in several Stroke Center research studies. His research interests include imaging of cerebral hemodynamics with MR arterial spin labeling and CT perfusion, noninvasive oxygenation measurement with MRI, simultaneous PET/MRI, and the use of deep learning artificial intelligence methods to improve medical image quality and stroke lesion prediction.
Michael M Zeineh, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Radiology (Neuroimaging and Neurointervention)
Dr. Michael Zeineh received a B.S. in Biology at Caltech in 1995 and obtained his M.D.-Ph.D. from UCLA in 2003. After internship also at UCLA, he went on to radiology residency and neuroradiology fellowship both at Stanford. He has been an assistant professor of radiology since 2010. Combining clinical acumen in neuroradiology with advanced MRI acquisition and image processing as well as histologic validation, Dr. Zeineh hopes to advance the care of patients with neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, he is interested in Alzheimer's disease, sports-related mild traumatic brain injury, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Additionally, he is specifically interested and has over 20 years of experience studying hippocampal anatomy and pathology.
Hillary Vossler
Research Assistant
Hillary graduated from Trinity College in 2017 with a major in neuroscience and a minor in history. At Trinity, she executed an independent research project studying interventions for patients with mild cognitive impairment. Before coming to Stanford, she worked on the US POINTER Study, a behavioral trial that aims to assess whether an intensive lifestyle intervention can protect cognitive function in older adults who are at increased risk for cognitive decline and dementia. She joined the Mormino lab in June 2021 to further explore her interests in neuroimaging and to investigate the early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Skylar Weiss
Research Assistant
Skylar graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2022 with a B.S. in Public Health and a minor in Statistics. At Cal Poly, she worked with Dr. Keadle's lab on StandUPTV, an NIH-funded project optimizing interventions for reducing sedentary screen time among adults. She discovered her passion for biomarker detection of preclinical Alzheimer's disease while working as a summer intern in the Biostatistics group at USC's Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute. In September 2023, she joined the Mormino Lab to expand her knowledge of neurodegenerative diseases as a neuroimaging coordinator.