CENTER FOR NEUROINFLAMMATION AND CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES
The Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases (CNCD) works to improve scientific understanding of the mechanisms of neuroinflammation — findings that will have important clinical implications in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases ranging from hypertension and obesity to Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
Javier Stern, professor of neuroscience, is the founding director of the Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases. Stern’s research lies at the intersection of physiology and neuroscience, and his work has helped improve understanding of communication modalities among the various cells in the brain under physiological conditions as well as during the neuroinflammatory response. He seeks to elucidate how neuroinflammation contributes to cardiometabolic diseases, including hypertension and obesity.
Neuroinflammation is a complex and elaborate process that is a common factor in a wide range of serious health conditions, including cardiometabolic diseases (such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes), neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia) and mood disorders (such as depression). However, the precise mechanisms underlying the neuroinflammatory response, and whether and how neuroinflammation may contribute to these various disorders, remains largely unknown.
The Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases aims to be at the forefront of research in this area, improving our understanding of these diseases and placing a strong emphasis on translating laboratory findings into clinical tools.