Ksenia Kastanenka

Alzheimer’s disease has traditionally been viewed as a proteinopathy. However, recent evidence highlights circuit impairments as part of the disease progression. Kastanenka Lab implements optogenetics to control activity within neuronal circuits and imaging with multiphoton microscopy to monitor circuit dynamics with the aim to dissect the role neural activity plays in onset and development of Alzheimer’s disease. In an attempt to prevent and/or reverse the disorder, we have partnered with industry leaders to study the effects and mechanisms of action of Alzheimer’s therapeutics. We strongly believe that these translational studies are important for getting effective therapies to patients.