Neil W. Kowall, MD
Professor, Neurology
Biography
Dr. Neil W. Kowall was born in Calgary, Canada and graduated with his MD from the University of British Columbia. He moved to Boston for postgraduate training in Internal Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital followed by a Neurology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. After finishing his clinical training, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship and was appointed Assistant Professor of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He moved to the VA and Boston University in 1992 where he is currently Professor of Neurology and Pathology, Chief of Neurology at VA Boston Healthcare System, Director of the VA New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center and Director of the NIH-funded Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He has published over 199 original reports. His major research interests are human neuroanatomy and neuropathology and the use of animal models to test novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Kowall’s research interests include the following: human neuroanatomy, immunocytochemistry and enzyme histochemistry of the brain, neuropathological basis of neurological disorders, animal models of neurological diseases, geriatric neurology, and cognitive decline in the elderly.
Other Positions
- Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
- Director of Alzheimer's Disease Center, Dean’s Office, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
- Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, Boston University
- Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students), Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences
Websites
Education
- University of British Columbia, MD
- University of British Columbia, BS
Publications
- Published on 10/1/2023
McKee AC, Mez J, Abdolmohammadi B, Butler M, Huber BR, Uretsky M, Babcock K, Cherry JD, Alvarez VE, Martin B, Tripodis Y, Palmisano JN, Cormier KA, Kubilus CA, Nicks R, Kirsch D, Mahar I, McHale L, Nowinski C, Cantu RC, Stern RA, Daneshvar D, Goldstein LE, Katz DI, Kowall NW, Dwyer B, Stein TD, Alosco ML. Neuropathologic and Clinical Findings in Young Contact Sport Athletes Exposed to Repetitive Head Impacts. JAMA Neurol. 2023 Oct 01; 80(10):1037-1050. PMID: 37639244.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/20/2023
Groechel RC, Tripodis Y, Alosco ML, Mez J, Qiao Qiu W, Goldstein L, Budson AE, Kowall NW, Shaw LM, Weiner M, Jack CR, Killiany RJ. Biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease in Black and/or African American Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) participants. Neurobiol Aging. 2023 Nov; 131:144-152. PMID: 37639768.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/8/2023
Rajabli F, Benchek P, Tosto G, Kushch N, Sha J, Bazemore K, Zhu C, Lee WP, Haut J, Hamilton-Nelson KL, Wheeler NR, Zhao Y, Farrell JJ, Grunin MA, Leung YY, Kuksa PP, Li D, Lucio da Fonseca E, Mez JB, Palmer EL, Pillai J, Sherva RM, Song YE, Zhang X, Iqbal T, Pathak O, Valladares O, Kuzma AB, Abner E, Adams PM, Aguirre A, Albert MS, Albin RL, Allen M, Alvarez L, Apostolova LG, Arnold SE, Asthana S, Atwood CS, Ayres G, Baldwin CT, Barber RC, Barnes LL, Barral S, Beach TG, Becker JT, Beecham GW, Beekly D, Benitez BA, Bennett D, Bertelson J, Bird TD, Blacker D, Boeve BF, Bowen JD, Boxer A, Brewer J, Burke JR, Burns JM, Buxbaum JD, Cairns NJ, Cantwell LB, Cao C, Carlson CS, Carlsson CM, Carney RM, Carrasquillo MM, Chasse S, Chesselet MF, Chin NA, Chui HC, Chung J, Craft S, Crane PK, Cribbs DH, Crocco EA, Cruchaga C, Cuccaro ML, Cullum M, Darby E, Davis B, De Jager PL, DeCarli C, DeToledo J, Dick M, Dickson DW, Dombroski BA, Doody RS, Duara R, Ertekin-Taner N, Evans DA, Faber KM, Fairchild TJ, Fallon KB, Fardo DW, Farlow MR, Fernandez-Hernandez V, Ferris S, Foroud TM, Frosch MP, Fulton-Howard B, Galasko DR, Gamboa A, Gearing M, Geschwind DH, Ghetti B, Gilbert JR, Goate AM, Grabowski TJ, Graff-Radford NR, Green RC, Growdon JH, Hakonarson H, Hall J, Hamilton RL, Harari O, Hardy J, Harrell LE, Head E, Henderson VW, Hernandez M, Hohman T, Honig LS, Huebinger RM, Huentelman MJ, Hulette CM, Hyman BT, Hynan LS, Ibanez L, Jarvik GP, Jayadev S, Jin LW, Johnson K, Johnson L, Kamboh MI, Karydas AM, Katz MJ, Kauwe JS, Kaye JA, Keene CD, Khaleeq A, Kim R, Knebl J, Kowall NW, Kramer JH, Kukull WA, LaFerla FM, Lah JJ, Larson EB, Lerner A, Leverenz JB, Levey AI, Lieberman AP, Lipton RB, Logue M, Lopez OL, Lunetta KL, Lyketsos CG, Mains D, Margaret FE, Marson DC, Martin ERR, Martiniuk F, Mash DC, Masliah E, Massman P, Masurkar A, McCormick WC, McCurry SM, McDavid AN, McDonough S, McKee AC, Mesulam M, Miller BL, Miller CA, Miller JW, Montine TJ, Monuki ES, Morris JC, Mukherjee S, Myers AJ, Nguyen T, O'Bryant S, Olichney JM, Ory M, Palmer R, Parisi JE, Paulson HL, Pavlik V, Paydarfar D, Perez V, Peskind E, Petersen RC, Pierce A, Polk M, Poon WW, Potter H, Qu L, Quiceno M, Quinn JF, Raj A, Raskind M, Reiman EM, Reisberg B, Reisch JS, Ringman JM, Roberson ED, Rodriguear M, Rogaeva E, Rosen HJ, Rosenberg RN, Royall DR, Sager MA, Sano M, Saykin AJ, Schneider JA, Schneider LS, Seeley WW, Slifer SH, Small S, Smith AG, Smith JP, Sonnen JA, Spina S, St George-Hyslop P, Stern RA, Stevens AB, Strittmatter SM, Sultzer D, Swerdlow RH, Tanzi RE, Tilson JL, Trojanowski JQ, Troncoso JC, Tsuang DW, Van Deerlin VM, van Eldik LJ, Vance JM, Vardarajan BN, Vassar R, Vinters HV, Vonsattel JP, Weintraub S, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Whitehead PL, Wijsman EM, Wilhelmsen KC, Williams B, Williamson J, Wilms H, Wingo TS, Wisniewski T, Woltjer RL, Woon M, Wright CB, Wu CK, Younkin SG, Yu CE, Yu L, Zhu X, Kunkle BW, Bush WS, Wang LS, Farrer LA, Haines JL, Mayeux R, Pericak-Vance MA, Schellenberg GD, Jun GR, Reitz C, Naj AC. Multi-ancestry genome-wide meta-analysis of 56,241 individuals identifies LRRC4C, LHX5-AS1 and nominates ancestry-specific loci PTPRK , GRB14 , and KIAA0825 as novel risk loci for Alzheimer's disease: the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium. medRxiv. 2023 Jul 08. PMID: 37461624.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/20/2023
Daneshvar DH, Nair ES, Baucom ZH, Rasch A, Abdolmohammadi B, Uretsky M, Saltiel N, Shah A, Jarnagin J, Baugh CM, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Cherry JD, Alvarez VE, Huber BR, Weuve J, Nowinski CJ, Cantu RC, Zafonte RD, Dwyer B, Crary JF, Goldstein LE, Kowall NW, Katz DI, Stern RA, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, McClean MD, Alosco ML, McKee AC, Mez J. Leveraging football accelerometer data to quantify associations between repetitive head impacts and chronic traumatic encephalopathy in males. Nat Commun. 2023 Jun 20; 14(1):3470. PMID: 37340004.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/10/2023
Groechel RC, Tripodis Y, Alosco ML, Mez J, Qiu WQ, Mercier G, Goldstein L, Budson AE, Kowall NW, Killiany RJ. Annualized changes in rate of amyloid deposition and neurodegeneration are greater in participants who become amyloid positive than those who remain amyloid negative. Neurobiol Aging. 2023 Jul; 127:33-42. PMID: 37043881.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/6/2023
Alosco ML, Ly M, Mosaheb S, Saltiel N, Uretsky M, Tripodis Y, Martin B, Palmisano J, Delano-Wood L, Bondi MW, Meng G, Xia W, Daley S, Goldstein LE, Katz DI, Dwyer B, Daneshvar DH, Nowinski C, Cantu RC, Kowall NW, Stern RA, Alvarez VE, Mez J, Huber BR, McKee AC, Stein TD. Decreased myelin proteins in brain donors exposed to football-related repetitive head impacts. Brain Commun. 2023; 5(2):fcad019. PMID: 36895961.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/20/2022
Choi SH, Yousefian-Jazi A, Hyeon SJ, Nguyen PTT, Chu J, Kim S, Kim S, Ryu HL, Kowall NW, Ryu H, Lee J. Modulation of histone H3K4 dimethylation by spermidine ameliorates motor neuron survival and neuropathology in a mouse model of ALS. J Biomed Sci. 2022 Dec 20; 29(1):106. PMID: 36536341.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/21/2022
Morrison MS, Aparicio HJ, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Ashton NJ, Karikari TK, Tripodis Y, Martin B, Palmisano JN, Sugarman MA, Frank B, Steinberg EG, Turk KW, Budson AE, Au R, Goldstein LE, Jun GR, Kowall NW, Killiany R, Qiu WQ, Stern RA, Mez J, McKee AC, Stein TD, Alosco ML. Ante-mortem plasma phosphorylated tau (181) predicts Alzheimer's disease neuropathology and regional tau at autopsy. Brain. 2022 Oct 21; 145(10):3546-3557. PMID: 35554506.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/1/2022
Atherton K, Han X, Chung J, Cherry JD, Baucom Z, Saltiel N, Nair E, Abdolmohammadi B, Uretsky M, Khan MM, Shea C, Durape S, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Farrell K, Nowinski CJ, Alvarez VE, Dwyer B, Daneshvar DH, Katz DI, Goldstein LE, Cantu RC, Kowall NW, Alosco ML, Huber BR, Tripodis Y, Crary JF, Farrer L, Stern RA, Stein TD, McKee AC, Mez J. Association of APOE Genotypes and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. JAMA Neurol. 2022 Aug 01; 79(8):787-796. PMID: 35759276.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/4/2022
Colvin LE, Foster ZW, Stein TD, Thakore-James M, Salajegheh MK, Carr K, Spencer KR, Abdul Rauf N, Adams L, Averill JG, Walker SE, Robey I, Alvarez VE, Huber BR, McKee AC, Kowall NW, Brady CB. Utility of the ALSFRS-R for predicting ALS and comorbid disease neuropathology: The Veterans Affairs Biorepository Brain Bank. Muscle Nerve. 2022 Aug; 66(2):167-174. PMID: 35585776.
Read at: PubMed
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