UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center

UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center Please note, the information we share is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical treatment or diagnosis.

The UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center cares for people with cognitive issues, researches brain diseases, and educates communities about aging and brain health. The UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center, part of the UCSF Department of Neurology, has been dedicated for over 20 years to transforming brain health through compassionate care, pioneering research, and educat

ion. We provide expert care for individuals experiencing memory and cognitive challenges, conduct innovative research to uncover the causes and treatments of neurodegenerative diseases, and empower patients, families, and healthcare providers with knowledge. Our multidisciplinary team includes specialists in neurology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, speech pathology, genetic counseling, nursing, pharmacology, social work, and more, all working together to improve lives and advance scientific discovery. Always consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider with any questions about your health.

What were the biggest Alzheimer's research stories from AAIC 2026?In a new JAMA interview, UCSF's Dr. Gil Rabinovici dis...
08/04/2026

What were the biggest Alzheimer's research stories from AAIC 2026?

In a new JAMA interview, UCSF's Dr. Gil Rabinovici discusses advances in blood-based biomarkers, emerging Alzheimer's therapies, lifestyle approaches to brain health and the future of dementia research.

Read the interview or listen to the podcast:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2852494

This Medical News article is an interview with neurologist Gil Rabinovici, MD, about research presented at the recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London.

Could just 1-2 minutes of speech help improve the diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA)?A new study from the UC...
08/03/2026

Could just 1-2 minutes of speech help improve the diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA)?

A new study from the UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center, published in JAMA Neurology, found that automated analysis of a brief speech sample accurately distinguished PPA variants and reflected known brain and pathology patterns. The findings suggest this approach could help support diagnosis and monitoring, especially in settings where specialized speech-language expertise is limited.

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.2520

This cross-sectional study investigates if automated analysis of connected speech can distinguish primary progressive aphasia variants and reflect neuroanatomical and neuropathologic substrates.

How can AI help more people access expert dementia care?A new Nature Aging Perspective from UCSF and collaborators envis...
07/30/2026

How can AI help more people access expert dementia care?

A new Nature Aging Perspective from UCSF and collaborators envisions AI that supports—not replaces—clinicians. By learning from specialist-reviewed cases over time, these systems could help extend expertise while keeping clinicians at the center of every diagnosis and care decision.

Read more:

In this Perspective, the authors envision that agentic AI systems may in the future support clinical workflows for neurodegenerative disease diagnosis and care. They propose a system for scaling specialist-level dementia care via synergistic collaborations between humans and an AI-driven continuousl...

New research from the UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center helps clarify the relationship between FTLD-TDP and LATE-NC. Usi...
07/23/2026

New research from the UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center helps clarify the relationship between FTLD-TDP and LATE-NC. Using one of the largest FTLD-TDP brain bank cohorts, researchers found that although these diseases can share important clinical and pathological features, the overall evidence supports them as distinct conditions.

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.70411

INTRODUCTION Similarities between frontotemporal lobar degeneration with transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) (FTLD-TDP) and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopat...

What role can music, art and creativity play in healing?A recent PBS News Hour story highlights how UCSF Health integrat...
07/23/2026

What role can music, art and creativity play in healing?

A recent PBS News Hour story highlights how UCSF Health integrates the arts into patient care—from music therapy for infants in the NICU to Art for Recovery classes that provide a creative outlet for adults navigating cancer treatment and survivorship.

The feature showcases how artists, therapists and clinicians work together to support patients' emotional well-being alongside their medical care. As research in arts and health continues to grow, these programs offer meaningful opportunities for expression, connection and resilience.

Watch the story:

As the impact of art on better health outcomes is being studied more and more, some hospital systems are now focusing on even the youngest of patients. Special correspondent Mike Cerre took a look at one approach for all ages. It's part of our ongoing coverage of health and arts for our CANVAS serie...

Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has publicly shared that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.I...
07/17/2026

Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has publicly shared that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

In his announcement, he thanked his physician, Gil Rabinovici, MD, of UCSF, for helping him better understand the impact of Alzheimer's disease and reflected on the courage needed to face this new challenge.

We are grateful for Capt. Sullenberger's willingness to share his story. Public conversations like these can help reduce stigma, encourage early evaluation, and highlight the importance of continued research and compassionate care.

Read his statement: https://www.sullysullenberger.com/statement-from-capt-sully-sullenberger-july2026

Learn more about the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center: https://memory.ucsf.edu

My doctor, Dr. Gil Rabinovici with UCSF Medical Center, has opened my eyes to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s. This disease, he has told me, spares no age group and impacts millions of people around the world. It is the unwanted visitor at the door.

“I like to give the analogy of cancer,” said Dr. Adam Boxer, the lead investigator of the UCSF trial. “In cancer you don...
07/15/2026

“I like to give the analogy of cancer,” said Dr. Adam Boxer, the lead investigator of the UCSF trial. “In cancer you don’t use just one drug, you use multiple drugs to target what’s going on in any given individual.”

UCSF just launched one of the first trials to test whether attacking two proteins simultaneously can slow or stop Alzheimer’s before serious symptoms appear.

When you think of Alzheimer's disease, memory loss is probably the first symptom that comes to mind. But that's not alwa...
07/10/2026

When you think of Alzheimer's disease, memory loss is probably the first symptom that comes to mind. But that's not always how it begins.

For some people with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, the first signs may include trouble finding words, changes in vision or spatial awareness, difficulty planning or solving problems, or changes in behavior.

In this interview with Being Patient, Dr. Gil Rabinovici of the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center explains why recognizing these less common symptoms is important and how advances in brain imaging and biomarkers are helping improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Read the full interview:

Memory loss is not always the first sign of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Dr. Gil Rabinovici explains the lesser-known symptoms.

Did you know that moments of awe may benefit emotional well-being?We're excited to see Virginia Sturm, PhD, of the UCSF ...
06/29/2026

Did you know that moments of awe may benefit emotional well-being?

We're excited to see Virginia Sturm, PhD, of the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center featured in TIME's latest article exploring the growing science of awe.

The story highlights Dr. Sturm's research on how experiences of awe may help people feel more connected to others by encouraging compassion and gratitude. It also features her "awe walk" study, which invites people to slow down, engage their senses, and notice the beauty in everyday surroundings.

Whether it's the changing leaves, a meaningful conversation or a beautiful sunset, moments of awe can often be closer than we think.

Read the article:

You don’t need to wait for an eclipse. Noticing a swirl of milk in your coffee might be enough.

Tau PET scans allow clinicians and researchers to visualize Alzheimer’s disease biology in the living brain. But sometim...
03/09/2026

Tau PET scans allow clinicians and researchers to visualize Alzheimer’s disease biology in the living brain. But sometimes the scans may show signals that are not caused by tau tangles alone.

New UCSF research, co-led by Gil Rabinovici, MD, and Lea Gringberg, MD, PhD, found that other biological processes — such as iron deposits and markers of neuroinflammation — can influence signals from a commonly used tau PET tracer.

By combining PET imaging with detailed postmortem brain mapping and AI-enabled analysis, the team showed how these factors may lead scans to “light up” more broadly than expected.

The findings could help clinicians interpret tau PET scans more accurately and improve how they are used for diagnosis, prognosis and Alzheimer’s clinical trials.

Tau proteins play an important role in our normal brain function, mainly by helping to stabilize neurons in the brain. But in Alzheimer’s disease, tau proteins can misfold and tangle inside neurons. These tangles spread across the brain forming toxic clumps that impair neuronal function and ultima...

Address

675 Nelson Rising Lane, Ste 190
San Francisco, CA
94158

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14153532057

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The University

Send a message to UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center:

Shortcuts

Share