Keith Vossel, MD
(he/him) - Memory and Cognitive Disorders Neurology|
- Neurology
About
Dr. Keith Vossel is the Michael M. Minchin, Jr., President, J.D. French Alzheimer’s Foundation Endowed Chair, Director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center - Biomarkers in Neurodegenerative Disease, Director of Dementia Research, Education, and Advancement in Los Angeles (DREAM-LA), Professor of Neurology, and Director of the Katherine and Benjamin Kagan Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Development Program in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He leads a comprehensive program incorporating outreach and engagement to diverse communities, electronic health records, social determinants of health, neuroimaging, neurophysiology, genetics, preclinical and clinical trials, and clinical care to develop new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and achieve equity in recognition and care of dementia. Dr. Vossel received a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and medical degree with highest honors from the University of Tennessee. He completed neurology residency at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he served as a chief resident. Dr. Vossel completed fellowship training in behavioral neurology and dementia research at the University of California, San Francisco and Gladstone Institutes. Dr. Vossel investigates Alzheimer's disease and related dementias with a focus on brain rhythm abnormalities and translational therapies. Key discoveries include the presence of silent epileptic activity, occurring during sleep and accelerating cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, effects of amyloid-β and tau deposition on brain rhythms and related cognitive impairments in Alzheimer’s disease, and novel pathological functions of tau in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. Dr. Vossel led a phase 2a clinical trial showing that low doses of an antiseizure drug can improve memory and problem solving in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and detectable epileptic activity. Dr. Vossel is broadening these studies in Greater Los Angeles and incorporating them into the expanded activities of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in the UCLA Easton Center. The Center has begun an intensive effort to improve recognition of dementia in primary care, including brain health screening tools in the electronic health records, and to improve diversity of patient referrals to Memory Clinic and clinical trials. The Center focuses on health equity, diversity, and inclusion and acknowledges the structural determinants of health and social inequities, and the impact they have on brain health, Alzheimer’s risk, prevalence, and longevity post-diagnosis. Dr. Vossel has written Op-Eds for the Los Angeles Times and has been featured in numerous national and international media outlets including CNN, NPR, The Washington Post, Financial Times, USA Today, STAT, Boston Globe, Daily Mail, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, FOX 11 LA, CBS 2 and KCAL News, KNBC-LA and NBC Channel 4 News, KNX News Radio in LA, Doctor Radio on Sirius XM Radio, and Spectrum News 1 SoCal. Dr. Vossel has received the John Douglas French Alzheimer's Distinguished Research Scholar Award, a Part the Cloud Translational Research Award from the Alzheimer's Association, the Bernese Epilepsy Award from the University of Bern, Switzerland, and the Outstanding Health Care Innovator Award from the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certification
Fellowship
Residency
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
- Outstanding Health Care Innovator, Los Angeles Business Journal
- Bernese Epilepsy Award
- Paul B. Beeson Career Development Award in Aging Research
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Locations
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Medical Services
Areas of Focus
Research
Interests
- Alzheimer's disease
- Tau
- Amyloid-beta
- Dementia with Lewy bodies
- Frontotemporal dementia
- EEG
- MEG
- Epilepsy
- Transient epileptic amnesia
Publications
Selected Publications:
Represented journals include JAMA Neurology, The Lancet Neurology, Science, Neuron, Brain, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Annals of Neurology, Neurology, and Science Translational Medicine.
- Vicente M, Addo-Osafo K, and Vossel K. Latest Advances in Mechanisms of Epileptic Activity in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Frontiers in Neurology 2024. Volume 15. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1277613.
- Vossel K. Putting the Brakes on Accelerated Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease with Epileptic Activity. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2023, 94:1075-1077. doi: 10.3233/JAD-230613. PMC10473065
- Hickman LB, Stern JM, Silverman DH, Salamon N, Vossel K. Clinical, imaging, and biomarker evidence of amyloid- and tau-related neurodegeneration in late-onset epilepsy of unknown etiology. Frontiers in Neurology 2023, Sep 27;14:1241638. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1241638. PMC10565489
- Ranasinghe KG, Kudo K, Hinkley L, Beagle AJ, Lerner H, Mizuiri D, Findlay A, Miller BL, Kramer JH, Gorno-Tempini ML, Rabinovici GD, Rankin KP, Garcia PA, Kirsch HE, Vossel K (co-senior author), Nagarajan SS (co-senior author). Neuronal synchrony abnormalities associated with subclinical epileptiform activity in patients with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Brain 2022, Apr 18;145:744-753. doi: 10.1093/brain/awab442. PMC9630715
- Vossel K, Ranasinghe KG, Beagle AJ, La A, Ah Pook K, Castro M, Mizuiri D, Honma SM, Venkateswaran N, Koestler M, Zhang W, Mucke L, Howell MJ, Possin KL, Kramer JH, Boxer AL, Miller BL, Nagaragan SS, Kirsch HE. Effect of Levetiracetam on Cognition in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease With and Without Epileptiform Activity: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurology 2021, 78:1345-1354. PMC8477304
- Johnson, EL, Krauss GL, Kucharska-Newton A, Albert MS, Brandt J, Walker KA, Yasar S, Knopman DS, Vossel K, Gottesman RF. Dementia in late-onset epilepsy: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Neurology 2020, 95:e3248-e3256. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000011080. PMC7836657
- Peters ST, Fahrenkopf A, Choquette JM, Vermilyea S, Lee MK, Vossel K. Ablating tau reduces hyperexcitability and moderates electroencephalographic slowing in transgenic mice expressing A53T human α-synuclein. Frontiers in Neurology 2020, 11:563. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00563. PMC7316964
- Vossel KA, Tartaglia MC, Nygaard HB, Zeman AZ, Miller BL. Epileptic activity in Alzheimer’s disease: causes and clinical relevance. The Lancet Neurology 2017, 16:311-322. PMC5973551
- Karageorgiou E and Vossel KA. Brain rhythm attractor breakdown in Alzheimer’s disease: functional and pathological implications. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2017, 13:1054-1067. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2017.02.003. PMC5585024
- Vossel KA, Ranasinghe KG, Beagle AJ, Mizuiri D, Honma SM, Dowling AF, Darwish SM, Barnes DE, Mantle M, Roberson ED, Miller BL, Garcia PA, Kirsch HE, Mucke L, Nagarajan SS. Incidence and impact of subclinical epileptiform activity in Alzheimer’s disease. Annals of Neurology 2016, 80:858-870. doi: 10.1002/ana.24794. PMC5177487
In the News
- "A Trial Run for an Alzheimer’s Drug." Dr. Vossel contributed a Letter to the New York Times. February 15, 2024. Read article here
- "Opinion: What we can learn in the ‘era of cognitive challenges,’ when politicians and celebrities suffer from brain disorders." Dr. Vossel contributed article in the Los Angeles Times. December 10, 2023. Read article here
- "Op-Ed: Did aphasia influence Bruce Willis’ career decisions? Every case is unique." Dr. Vossel contributed article in the Los Angeles Times. March 31, 2022. Read article here
- Dr. Vossel contributed article in Los Angeles Times: "Op-Ed: The first treatment for Alzheimer’s taught us some hard lessons." February 19, 2022. Read article here
- Listen to Dr. Vossel’s exclusive interview with KNX News Radio, aired on July 6, 2023, about the FDA’s full approval of the first-in-class Alzheimer’s drug, Lecanemab, for people with early Alzheimer’s; studies showed it to slow progression in cognitive decline. Click here to listen
- Dr. Vossel was interviewed by CNN about a new study showing potential benefit of multivitamins for cognition in older adults. Read article here
- Listen to the Podcast of Dr. Keith Vossel's interview with Kevin McCullough, New York's "Radio Night Live" AM970, on July 13, 2022, discussing the causes and risk factors of Alzheimer's disease and the work of the Easton Center in conducting clinical trials and research to find treatments. Click here to listen: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- L.A. Care
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
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Recognitions
- Outstanding Health Care Innovator, Los Angeles Business Journal
- Bernese Epilepsy Award
- Paul B. Beeson Career Development Award in Aging Research
- John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Distinguished Research Scholar Award
- Alzheimer’s Association Award for Excellence in Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders