Newswise — Dr. Keith Vossel, who is known for his discovery that many Alzheimer’s patients experience nighttime seizures that disrupt their sleep, is the new director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research at UCLA.
Vossel, who started the position on July 31, first noticed the seizure activity in mice, which led him to investigate whether the same phenomenon might be occurring in people as well. By monitoring patients overnight, he detected the seizures, which appear to accelerate cognitive decline.
He subsequently studied whether antiseizure medication improved learning and memory in mice. He also investigated how the protein tau, which builds up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, plays a role in seizure activity.
“I’ve had the rare privilege to study a scientific question both in animals and humans, and come up with therapies that…
