Lee E. Goldstein, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Background
Dr. Lee Goldstein received a bachelor’s degree in humanities and biology from Columbia University and went on to complete his medical and doctoral training at Yale University. Dr. Goldstein completed an internal medicine internship and residency program in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He was previously an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, as well as the Director of the Molecular Aging & Development Laboratory and Center for Biometals & Metallomics at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston. Dr. Goldstein joined the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, College of Engineering, Photonics Center, and the BU ADC in December 2007. Most notably, in 2018 Dr. Goldstein’s study in the journal Brain identified evidence of early CTE brain pathology after head impact—even in the absence of signs of concussion, providing the best evidence to date that head impact, not concussion, causes CTE.

Research Interests
Dr. Goldstein’s work is focused on understanding the role of abnormal protein aggregation in chronic degenerative disorders of aging. The work in his laboratory concentrates on Alzheimer’s disease, age-related cataracts, and other common diseases of aging that involve pathogenic protein aggregation. His team recently discovered the first evidence of Alzheimer’s disease-associated amyloid pathology outside the brain as well as a new transcription factor that plays a crucial role in cellular differentiation within the lens and brain. He and his laboratory are developing a laser-based diagnostic technology that will hopefully detect Alzheimer’s disease years before the first symptoms emerge.

Awards/Memberships
Dr. Goldstein has received honors from numerous organizations, including the Harvard Medical School, National Institute of Mental Health, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Diseases, Alzheimer’s Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Optical Society of America. He is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Publications

  • Published 4/9/2026

    Howell GR, Territo PR, Aylor D, Goldstein LE. Understanding the contribution of toxicant exposures to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2026 Jun; 98:103192. PMID: 41962176.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/14/2026

    Abdennadher M, Václavu L, Sisto J, Patel S, Petitclerc L, Juttukonda MR, Qureshi MM, Al-Faraj A, Stefanidou M, Barrett J, Alagar I, Jacobellis S, Farris C, Sakai O, Goldstein LE, Guermazi A, Inati SK, Theodore WH, Rosen B, van Osch MJP, Hua N. Arterial spin labeling MRI with multiple post-labeling delays reveals interictal hypo- and hyper-perfusion patterns in epilepsy: A proof of concept. J Neuroradiol. 2026 May; 53(3):101548. PMID: 41839232.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/13/2026

    Nosek SB, Gonzalez Gil S, Abdolmohammadi B, Layden R, Nowinski CJ, Tripodis Y, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Torres A, Dwyer BC, Katz DI, Goldstein LE, Cantu RC, Stern RA, Stein TD, McKee AC, Mez J, Alosco ML, Daneshvar DH. Younger Age of First Exposure to American Football Is Associated with Worse Informant-Reported Clinical Outcomes in Older Age Brain Donors. J Neurotrauma. 2026 Feb 13; 8977151261424707. PMID: 41688863.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/1/2026

    Layden RM, Groh JR, Miner AE, Kidd A, Nosek SB, Gil SG, Abdolmohammadi B, Lenio S, Nowinski CJ, Tripodis Y, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Dwyer BC, Katz DI, Goldstein LE, Cantu RC, Stern RA, Stein TD, McKee AC, Daneshvar DH, Mez J, Alosco ML. CTE neuropathology alone is associated with dementia and cognitive symptoms. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 Jan; 22(1):e71032. PMID: 41589584.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/20/2025

    Hartman S, Aytan N, Nicks R, Hawkins S, Cherry J, Alvarez VE, Meng G, Tripodis Y, Martin B, Palmisano J, Goldstein LE, Katz DI, Dwyer B, Daneshvar DH, Crary JF, Alosco M, Xia W, McKee AC, Mez J, Stein TD. Genetic variation in TMEM106B alters microglial activation and cytokine responses in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol. 2025 Nov 20; 150(1):54. PMID: 41264095.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 95 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Neurology
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Associate Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Associate Professor, Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Director, Molecular Aging & Development Laboratory
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Yale University School of Medicine, MD
  • Yale University, PhD
  • Columbia University, BA

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