Neurodegenerative diseases and Aging – Daniel Ferreira Research Group

Our goal is to understand how pathologies affect the human brain, causing neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. The pathologies we primarily focus on are Lewy Body disease, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular brain injury. We are interested in both biological mechanisms and clinical applications. We develop and employ methods to understand the effects of aging and disease, including brain imaging techniques, fluid biomarkers, cognitive tests, and genetics

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Our mission is to understand how pathologies affect the human brain, causing neurodegeneration and changes in cognition, behavior and emotions.

The pathologies we primarily focus on are Lewy body disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cerebrovascular disease.

We are interested in both biological mechanisms and clinical applications.

We develop and employ methods to understand the effects of aging and disease, including brain imaging techniques, fluid biomarkers, cognitive tests, clinical questionnaires, and genetics.

With our research, we aim to eventually contribute to:

  • An earlier detection of neurodegenerative diseases, helping people access the right care sooner.
  • Improve the quality of life of individuals living with these diseases.
  • Make healthcare more efficient by improving patient flow and reducing costs.
  • Increase awareness and understanding of neurodegenerative diseases among healthcare professionals and society at large.

Staff and contact

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Research projects

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) 

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is a type of neurodegenerative dementia which is often difficult to diagnose. The underlying pathology is present in around a fourth of dementia cases. We conduct world-leading research in DLB, with a focus on both biological and clinical questions. Our research includes international collaborations, but we also conduct local projects including data collection at Karolinska University Hospital within the "Find-DLB" project. The purpose of “Find-DLB” is to improve methods for detecting DLB in clinical practice. We have also started the Swedish Lewy Body Network together with Elisabet Londos (senior physician, professor at Lund University), to raise awareness and the knowledge about DLB across professionals, patients, relatives, and the Swedish society at large. 

Featured publications:  

1 Oltra et al https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38131463 

2 Peña-Bautista et al https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37266333  

3 Ferreira et al https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39804619  

Advanced neuroimaging of the cholinergic system  

Neurons in the brain communicate with each other using neurotransmitters. One of them is acetylcholine. The group of neurons that use acetylcholine form the cholinergic system and are central for cognitive functions such as attention and memory. The cholinergic system is heavily affected in DLB and Alzheimer's disease. We have developed an innovative and advanced method to assess the human cholinergic system in vivo. By using a specific type of brain imaging that measures the movement of water molecules, we evaluate the integrity of the cholinergic pathways (e.g. projections of cholinergic neurons towards other parts of the brain). We have shown that this method can be an early marker of future disease development. We are now working on translating this method into clinical use.  

Featured publications:  

1 Nemy et al 2020 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32035186  

2 Cedrés et al 2022 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35918153  

3 Nemy et al 2023 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36288546  

Cognitive Aging, Subjective Cognitive Decline, and Cognitive Reserve 

Cognition refers to a set of mental capacities such as memory, language, and spatial orientation. We investigate cognitive decline in “normal” aging but also in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, we investigate how cognitive performance is linked to biomarkers of brain pathology, degeneration of the brain, and clinical measures. We use objective cognitive tests but are also interested in how people self-perceive any cognitive decline even before tests show an objective decline. This is called “subjective cognitive decline”, which can signal very early phases of neurodegenerative diseases. We also investigate protective factors against cognitive decline such as cognitive reserve and brain compensatory mechanisms. 

Featured publications:  

1 Zapater-Fajari et al 2023 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37708068  

2 Rennie et al 2023 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37269645  

3 Gonzalez-Burgos et al 2021 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33866353  

Collaborations

We have established collaborations with researchers at national, European, and international levels, fostering highly interdisciplinary partnerships. We also work closely with clinical, academic, and industry partners to facilitate translation of our findings into patient care and drug development.

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Publications

Funding

  • Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, grants 2022-00916 and 2025-02984)
  • Center for Innovative Medicine (CIMED, grants 20200505 and FoUI-988826)
  • The regional agreement on medical training and clinical research of Stockholm Region (ALF Medicine, grants FoUI-962240, FoUI-987534, and FoUI-1023640)
  • Swedish Brain Foundation (Hjärnfonden, grants FO2021-0131, FO2022-0175, FO2023-0261, and FO2025-0214)
  • Swedish Alzheimer Foundation (Alzheimerfonden, grants AF-968032, AF-980580, AF-994058, AF-1010553, and AF-1031740)
  • Swedish Alois Alzheimer Foundation (grant dnr 4-538/2026)
  • Swedish Dementia Foundation (Demensfonden)
  • Stiftelsen för Gamla Tjänarinnor (Foundation for Old Servants)
  • Gun och Bertil Stohnes Foundation
  • Åke Wiberg Stiftelse
  • Strategic Research Programme in Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet (StratNeuro) Bridging Grant
  • Swedish Parkinson Foundation (Parkinsonfonden)
  • Hans-Gabriel och Alice Trolle-Wachtmeisters Stiftelse
  • Greta och Johan Kocks Stiftelse
  • Funding for Research from Karolinska Institutet
  • Neurofonden
  • Foundation for Geriatric Diseases at Karolinska Institutet
  • DISA Foundation for Biomedical Research