Haakon Berge Nygaard MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neurology

---

Departments & Organizations

Neurology: Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia and Neuro-degenerative Disorders

---

Biography

Dr. Nygaard received his M.D. from Creighton University, and his PhD in Investigative Medicine from Yale University, focusing on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology. He completed intership in Internal Medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital, followed by Neurology residency at the same institution. He was elected chief resident in neurology his final year as a trainee.

Dr. Nygaard is board certified in Neurology (ABPN), and in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry (UCNS). He is co-director of the Yale Memory Clinic, and the Associate Chief of the Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders in the Department of Neurology.

Dr. Nygaard’s laboratory focuses mainly on the link between neuronal hyperexcitability and Alzheimer’s disease. During his work on the interaction between prion protein and amyloid-beta (Aβ), he found that blocking the action of Aβ also prevented the emergence of seizures and epileptiform discharges in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. These findings added to a growing body of work suggesting an important role of neuronal hyperexcitability and seizures in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Nygaard’s laboratory is currently investigating whether reducing this hyperexcitability in various mouse models, can ameliorate or even reverse the cardinal symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.