Juan Troncoso

Director, Brain Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Juan Troncoso is director of the Brain Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Troncoso’s research focuses on the neuropathology of normal aging and the pathology, pathogenesis and therapy of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

His research encompasses clinical-pathological correlations, morphological studies using unbiased stereology, and investigations of the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders in relevant genetically-engineered mouse models and in vitro systems. In recent years, the work of Dr. Troncoso and his collaborators has focused predominantly on the asymptomatic and early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Videos

Would You Want to Know If You’re at Risk for Alzheimer’s?

Genetic testing is advancing rapidly, and we can now find out our risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s. But without a cure or treatment available, what’s the point?

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3 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

Can Broccoli and B-Vitamins Prevent Alzheimer’s?

Studies have shown that you can boost brainpower and brain resilience with vitamins and exercise, and by not smoking. But lifestyle choices alone can’t prevent Alzheimer’s?

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7 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

Is Alzheimer’s Infectious, and Is a Vaccine Possible?

Alzheimer’s starts in one area and spreads all over the brain, like an infection. Does this mean that it’s possible to develop a vaccine?

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6 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

Is Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic?

Genes such as ApoE4 may signal a risk factor for Alzheimer’s. But how do we separate risk factor from an unalterable sentence for the disease?

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8 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

The Brain Plaques and Tangles That Cause Alzheimer’s

Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles inside the brain are the best explanation we have for how Alzheimer’s develops.

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5 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

Will Everyone Get Alzheimer’s If They Live Long Enough?

Mental decline, on some level, is inseparable from aging. With more people living longer, does this mean everyone will eventually get Alzheimer’s?

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6 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

Can Head Trauma Cause Alzheimer’s?

One of the most robust environmental risk factors identified for Alzheimer’s disease is traumatic brain injury. This is having repercussions for those returning from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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4 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

Why Some People Get Alzheimer’s and Others Don’t

Amyloid buildup in the brain is a key trigger in Alzheimer’s disease, but some people with this plaque live their entire lives without developing the disease.

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7 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

Race, Gender and Alzheimer’s

Are women and African-Americans at a higher risk for Alzheimer’s—as some data suggests—or are there other factors in play?

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3 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

Big Think Panel Discussion on Alzheimer’s Disease

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56 min

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with

Juan Troncoso

Videos

What Is Alzheimer’s?

For much of the past 100 years, little was known about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. But recent research is revealing the neurotransmitter and genetic defects behind the disease.

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5 min

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with

Juan Troncoso