Our lab studies aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

We are interested in understanding the interplay of factors that contribute to healthy or pathological brain aging. In particular, the effect of factors that contribute to or protect against the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
We use a number of tools in our research, including cognitive testing, MRI, PET, and CSF analysis, to determine how risk factors for Alzheimer’s affect the brain, particularly in mid-life.

Our NIA funded research program is focused on characterizing the early effects of Alzheimer’s disease on brain myelin and axons, in addition to determining the role of preclinical inflammation in cell and dendritic damage.
Together with collaborators both on and off of the UW campus, the lab is also studying the impact of modifiable factors that may affect trajectories of aging. These include the effect of mid-life metabolic disorders (obesity and insulin resistance), sleep, diet, and microbial influences.
Understanding early brain changes in people who may go on to develop cognitive decline is expected to lead to earlier diagnosis, prevention, and the development of new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Barbara Bendlin’s Mendeley profile.
Bendlin Lab News
Congratulations Nick Vogt, PhD!
Congratulations to Dr. Nick Vogt on successfully defending his thesis titled “Microbes and microstructure: using emerging technologies to better understand Alzheimer’s disease.” Nick has been a graduate student in the Bendlin Lab for the past …
April 24, 2020Congratulations Jack Hunt, PhD!
A huge congratulations to Dr. Jack Hunt, PhD for his successful defense of this thesis titled, “Micro to Macro in Nervous System Disorders: Using Fragile X Syndrome Stem Cells as a Drug Discovery Platform and …
April 10, 2020Kao Lee Awarded Professional Development Grant
Assistant researcher Kao Lee Yang was awarded an academic professional development can’t to attend the Human Amyloid Imaging annual conference in January. Congratulations Kao Lee!
December 17, 2019Yuetiva Robles – Paper Spotlight
Yuetiva Robles, a postdoc in the Bendlin Lab, was chosen for an interview by the American Society of Human Genetics in regards to her new article published in Science Translational Medicine this past August. Her …
October 29, 2019- More Bendlin Lab News posts