January 18, 2006

411th Brookhaven Lecture, 1/18

‘Shining Light on the Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease’

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, reason, communicate, and carry out daily activities. An estimated 4.5 million Americans have it, a number that is expected to triple over the next 50 years. Today, one in ten people aged 65 and half of people over 85 are affected.

Lisa Miller

The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is thought to involve the formation of “plaques” — tiny aggregates of a naturally occurring, but misfolded or misshapen protein — in the brain. Recently, the formation of these plaques has been associated with the binding of metal ions such as iron, copper, and zinc. Yet the function of these metal ions and the misfolded proteins in the disease process is not well understood.

Now, synchrotron infrared and x-ray microscopes are used to image the protein structure and metal content in the Alzheimer’s-affected brain tissue, providing a better understanding of how the disease occurs and potential ways of preventing it in the future.

Biophysical chemist Lisa Miller of the National Synchrotron Light Source Department (NSLS) gave the 411th Brookhaven Lecture on this research in her talk “Shining Light on the Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease,” on January 18, 2006 in Berkner Hall.

Lisa Miller obtained her B.S. in chemistry from John Carroll University in 1989, her M.S. degree in chemistry from Georgetown University in 1992, and her Ph.D. in biophysics from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1995. Rejoining Albert Einstein in a faculty position, she worked with BNL scientists to develop new tools using synchrotron light to study biological and medical problems. She joined the NSLS in 1999 and uses x-ray and infrared imaging to study diseases such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s. She is also an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook University, and she heads the NSLS Information Outreach Office, which communicates NSLS science to other scientists, government officials, and the community.