Thor D. Stein, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Background:
Dr. Stein is Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Leader of the Neuropathology Core at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. He is also staff neuropathologist at VA Boston and VA Bedford Healthcare Systems. He completed his MD/PhD training at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison and his residency and fellowship training in neuropathology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Research Interests:
His research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He investigates the molecular and pathological underpinnings of these conditions, particularly how trauma contributes to their onset and progression. He has published extensively on the development and modeling of age- and trauma-related neuropathologies. Some of these studies include the most comprehensive analysis to date on beta-amyloid deposition, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, Lewy body disease, and TDP-43 pathology following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. He works on the epigenetic and gene network mechanisms involved in the development of neuropathology. Dr. Stein is the Principal Investigator on numerous grants, including VA Merit Awards on the role of traumatic brain injury in the development of AD, ALS, and CTE as well as multiple NIH R01s focused on determining the link between epigenetic modifications, lipidomic profiles, and pathological changes in the brain as they relate to cognitive decline.

Dr. Stein leads the Neuropathology Core at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research and CTE Center, where he oversees neuropathological analyses and diagnoses. He manages the processing, preservation, and storage of brain tissue for research studies worldwide. He is also a neuropathologist for numerous other brain banks, including Framingham Heart Study, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) National ALS Biorepository, as well as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ALS, Gulf War Veterans Illnesses, and PTSD biorepositories.

Publications

  • Published 5/1/2026

    Tao Q, Han J, Ang TFA, Hou L, Liu C, Murabito JM, Lunetta KL, Mez J, Alosco ML, Stein TD, Zhang X, Au R, Farrer L, Palmisano JN, Hamburg NM, Qiu WQ. Peripheral vascular function, including endothelium-dependent measures, and dementia risk: The Framingham Heart Study. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 May; 22(5):e71396. PMID: 42050369.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/9/2026

    Calderazzo SM, Butler MLMD, Breen K, Kanner H, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, Holtzman DM, Cherry JD, Huber BR, McKee AC. Meningeal and infiltrating T-cells are associated with repetitive head trauma and tau-mediated neurodegeneration in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2026 Apr 09. PMID: 41957675.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/16/2026

    Huang J, Rehman H, Doan C, Stein TD, Mez J, Ang TFA, Tao Q, Au R, Farrer LA, Zhang X, Qiu WQ. Corrigendum to 'Circulating C-reactive protein influences polygenic risk of inflammatory genes expressed in brain endothelia for Alzheimer's disease' Neurobiology of Disease 219 (2026) Article Number 107257. Neurobiol Dis. 2026 May; 222:107348. PMID: 41846151.

    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 2/2/2026

    Aaronson A, Badlam G, Mulayi SC, Tuz-Zahra F, Goostrey KJ, Tripodis Y, Cole-French WS, Roebuck M, Schneider G, Pine BN, Palmisano JN, Martin BM, Zavitz KH, Katz DI, Nowinski CJ, McKee AC, Stein TD, Mackin RS, McClean MD, Weuve J, Mez J, Weiner MW, Nosheny RL, Stern RA, Alosco ML. Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Function in Former American Football Players. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Feb 02; 9(2):e2560077. PMID: 41758517.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 218 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Investigator
    Framingham Heart Study
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • University of Wisconsin Madison, MD
  • University of Wisconsin Madison, PhD
  • University of Wisconsin Madison, BS

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