The research goals of our laboratory are to characterize the cognitive and brain changes that occur during aging, as well as to develop behavioral, pharmacological, and dietary strategies to attenuate mnemonic and neurobiological age-related alterations using animal models. Towards this goal, one of our primary interests is to determine the roles that sex, hormones, and brain chemistry play in brain function and cognition in young versus aged animals. Our interests incorporate these goals with relevance to Alzheimer’s disease-related variables.

One of our primary goals is to determine the effects that clinically used ovarian hormone therapies have on the brain and its function. For example, we have been studying the effects of estradiol, Premarin and progestins on cognition and neurobiology, using several types of rodent models of menopause. Please see "Publications" for our recently published research, and feel free to look around our lab website by clicking on the topics to the left.

Jazmin Acosta, from the Bimonte-Nelson laboratory, defended her PhD August 21, 2009.

Her dissertation was entitled "The Etiology of Menopause Impacts Cognition"

Congratulations to Dr. Acosta!

Our lab in the news! To see a recent news story regarding an exciting finding with our collaborator Dr. Huentelman at TGEN, go to the following link, and click the arrow on the video clip to the right: http://www.abc15.com/content/living/yourhealth/story/ASU-TGen-discover-b.... To see the written news release: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-02/ttgr-taa013009.php
 

Bimonte-Nelson Lab 2009:

Bimonte-Nelson Lab 2007-2008:

                                       Heather with the graduate students in the Bimonte-Nelson lab, 2008

We are proud that in 2007, Dr. Bimonte-Nelson received the "Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium Outstanding Young Investigator Award” and the "Woodside Sustained Community Service Award" for bringing Brain Awareness to schools in the Valley.

Our beloved friend, colleague and mentor, Dr. Victor Denenberg, passed away on Saturday, July 19, 2008. For many of his students, he will be remembered as one of the critical figures that changed their lives. He was truly a visionary and philosopher, and will be deeply missed. Click here for remembrances.