Leyla deToledo-Morrell, Ph.D. Jean Schweppe Armour Professor of Neurological Sciences Director, Graduate Program in Neuroscience
		Education B.A. (1961) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada M.A. (1963) – McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Ph. D. (1968) – McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Contact Information Address: Department of Neurological Sciences Rush University 1653 W. Congress Parkway Chicago, IL 60612 Business Phone: (312) 942-5399 Business FAX: (312) 942-2238 E-mail Address: ldetoled@rush.edu or Leyla_D_Toledo-Morrell@rush.edu Research Interests Research in Dr. deToledo-Morrell’s laboratory is concentrating on age and disease induced alterations in hippocampal and entorhinal structure and function, in addition to those of other brain regions vulnerable to the aging process. Investigations using animal models and those involving patients with selective hippocampal lesions have demonstrated that the hippocampal formation is critical for the normal acquisition of certain types of new information. This brain region is especially vulnerable to the aging process and, as is the case with the entorhinal cortex, is affected pathologically during the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. In humans, quantitative, high resolution structural imaging techniques allow the detailed visualization of brain anatomy in vivo and the quantitation of age or disease induced changes in the volume of given brain structures. In addition to the detection of volumetric changes, the use of diffusion tensor imaging makes it possible to quantify microstructural alterations in white matter. Using such imaging technology, Dr. deToledo-Morrell and her colleagues are investigating brain-behavior relations in: a) healthy aged individuals compared to young controls, b) individuals who are evaluated for memory complaints, but who do not meet clinical criteria for AD (i.e., those with mild cognitive impairment), and c) individuals with very mild AD. These groups of aged participants are being followed longitudinally with yearly MRI scans and behavioral testing in order to develop anatomical markers of AD and to define the anatomical progression of the disease. Our latest findings indicate that the volume of the entorhinal cortex can predict who among patients with mild cognitive impairment will convert to AD within three years of baseline evaluation. Such early detection of the disease is of utmost importance for the development of interventional strategies. In addition to anatomical markers of early or incipient AD, the laboratory is also concentrating on the development of non-invasive electrophysiological markers that can differentiate those at risk for AD from healthy aged individuals. An additional imaging project involves stroke patients who are followed longitudinally with high resolution MRI scans, diffusion tensor imaging and cognitive testing in order to develop MRI-derived anatomical markers that can differentiate those who are at risk for post-stroke dementia. The laboratory is equipped to carry out experiments in animal models of aging using behavioral testing and electrophysiological models of plasticity such as long term potentiation. In addition, Dr. deToledo-Morrell is interested in experimental models of epileptogenicity and in age-related alterations in the susceptibility to kindling (i.e., the development of a "mirror focus") in animals and humans. Using MRI techniques, changes in hippocampal structure and its relation to function are being investigated in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Young Aged (control) Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Mild Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) Age and Disease Related Changes in Hippocampal Anatomy Unilateral Hippocampal Atrophy in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Representative Publications Geinisman Y, deToledo-Morrell L, Morrell F and Heller R. Hippocampal markers of age related memory dysfunction: Behavioral, electrophysiological and morphological perspectives. Progress in Neurobiology 1995;45:223-252. Morrell F, deToledo-Morrell L, Sullivan M, Bergen D, Kanner AM, Pierre-Louis SJC, Ristanovic R, Smith MC and Whisler WW. Direct intraoperative recordings from the hippocampal formation: Relation with quantitative volumetric MRI. In: Electroencephalography: Current Trends and future Perspectives (EEG Suppl. 48). L.F. Quesney, C.D. Binnie and G.-E. Chatrian (Eds.). Amsterdam: Elsevier Press, 1998:112-122. deToledo-Morrell L, Dickerson B, Sullivan MP, Spanovic C, Wilson RS and Bennett, DA. Hemispheric differences in hippocampal volume predict verbal and spatial memory performance in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Hippocampus 2000;10:136-142. deToledo-Morrell L, Goncharova I, Dickerson B, Wilson RS and Bennett DA. From healthy aging to early Alzheimer’s disease: In vivo detrection of entorhinal cortex atrophy. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2000;911:240-253. Dickerson BC, Goncharova I, Sullivan MP, Forchetti C, Wilson RS, Bennett DA, Beckett LA and deToledo-Morrell L. MRI-derived entorhinal and hippocampal atrophy in incipient and very mild AD. Neurobiology of Aging 2001;22:747-754.