Jeremy Thompson snuggling a dog.

Down syndrome remains the most common chromosomal condition diagnosed in the United States. Each year, about 6,000 babies born in the United States have Down syndrome, meaning it occurs in about one in every 700 babies.

Dr. Erin Abner in her office.

Erin Abner is a professor of epidemiology at the University of Kentucky's College of Public Health. She's also a researcher at the university's Sanders Brown Center on Aging.  Trump is 77 right now. Biden is 81. We don't know the details of their medical records or mental health status. But generally speaking, what happens to our brains as we age into our seventies eighties and beyond?

Linda Van Eldik working in the lab.
IS YOUR BRAIN ON FIRE?

“I’ve always been intrigued by inflammation,” says Linda Van Eldik, PhD, director of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. She says chronic inflammation may be one of the primary drivers of Alzheimer’s. Dr.

Model of a brain

It's Brain Awareness Week. UK researchers invite participants for studies related to brain health. Learn more and get involved here.

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging building

Kristi Shive, Warren County Cooperative Extension Agent and co-host of the Farm and Home Show, recently interviewed Sanders-Brown Social Worker, Sarah Hatch, about Sanders-Brown and the services they provide. The show was aired on WBKO.

Anika Hartz, Ph.D., has a joint appointment in the colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy. She is also affiliated with the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. Pete Comparoni | UK Photo

Researchers at the University of Kentucky are studying how elements of our natural surroundings can be potential risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease — including chemicals widely used in plastics.

Ela Patel

June 30th is a marked day for Ela Patel, Scientist 2 in the Neuropathology Lab at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. That is the day Patel is retiring, after 39 years of staining brain tissue. She is a cornerstone of the Center, and began her career under the late Dr. William Markesbery in 1985.

We Back Pat UK Women's Basketball Game flyer. UK Wildcats vs Missouri Tigers January 21 2pm Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center UK Staff receive free entry for yourself and one guest by showing your UK ID at the door

JOIN US Sunday, January 21, at 2:00 PM for the UK Women’s Basketball game at Rupp Arena! Sanders-Brown is the official game sponsor for this We Back Pat game, in memory of the late Coach Pat Summit. Sanders-Brown will be recognized in a variety of ways  including t-shirts, digital signage and on-court recognition!

Arial view of UK Campus

The University of Kentucky is well-represented on a list of the most-cited researchers in the world. In a database compiled by Stanford University in a partnership with Elsevier, 140 current UK scientists and scholars appear among the top 2% of the most-cited researchers across 22 disciplines.

Nick Devanney

Before training at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Nick Devanney, PhD, had little connection to The Bluegrass State. He is from New England, and his family currently lives there. 

A field of wheat in the sunlight

Older Black adults who ate more whole grains appeared to have decreased memory loss as they aged, according to a study released Wednesday.

Bernardo Aguzzoli Heberle holding out a wilson basketball

My name is Bernardo Aguzzoli Heberle, and I am a third-year PhD candidate at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, working in the lab of Mark Ebbert, PhD. From a young age, I witnessed the devastating effects of Alzheimer's disease on my family. Both of my grandfathers were diagnosed with this cruel ailment when I was around six years old. The toll it took on my loved ones left a mark on me.

Meghana Gazula

My name is Meghana Gazula, and I am a third-year undergraduate majoring in agricultural and medical biotechnology. I am working in the lab of Maj-Linda Selenica, PhD, to study the effects of TDP-43 proteinopathy on brain metabolism and the blood-brain barrier in the context of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) focusing on frontotemporal dementia, and other related dementias.

GME winners

The following individuals were honored at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Awards Convocation on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Winners included those in Bowling Green, Lexington, Morehead, and Northern Kentucky.

Biomedical Education

Outstanding Graduate Student Award:
Jamila Tucker, MS

Thirteenth Annual Markesbery Symposium on Aging and Dementia banner logo

The 13th annual Markesbery Symposium on Aging and Dementia is set for Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18. The symposium, hosted by UK’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, is named in honor and memory of the late William R. Markesbery, MD, the founding director of Sanders-Brown.

Linda J. Van Eldik working in the lab.

“My mom was the best mom.”

That's how Mallory Martinez describes her mom, Patti Pfiester, to anyone she meets.

“She was my person. If I needed advice about anything, I could talk to her,” said Martinez. “She was just a constant in my life.” 

University of Kentucky Human Resources Elder Care, in partnership with the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, is hosting several events for Dementia Caregivers Week, Nov. 7-10. The theme for the week is "Embracing the Dementia Caregivers Journey." 

Carrie Johnson

My name is Carrie Johnson and I am a fourth-year PhD candidate at the Sander’s Brown Center on Aging in Dr. Paul Murphy’s lab, and a second-year recipient of the TRIAD T32 fellowship. Our research focuses mainly on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and the molecular pathways that are affected by AD pathology.

From left to right: Dr. Rachel Wilson, Lisa Williams, Renee Gallagher, and LeAnn Barber

Burnout is a problem in any profession, but it is rampant in health care. This national problem has been evident recently as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many learners, practitioners, faculty, and staff to the limit.

A report on Alzheimer's disease.  Click here to view the video featuring Sanders-Brown faculty.