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    Christopher van Dyck, MD

    Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry and of Neurology and Neuroscience
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    Additional Titles

    Director, Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit

    Director, Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

    Director, Division of Aging and Geriatric Psychiatry

    About

    Titles

    Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry and of Neurology and Neuroscience

    Director, Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit; Director, Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Center; Director, Division of Aging and Geriatric Psychiatry

    Biography

    Christopher H. van Dyck, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neuroscience; Director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit; Director, Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Center; Director, Division of Aging and Geriatric Psychiatry.

    His research focuses on neuroimaging and therapeutic studies of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and brain aging. His current imaging research utilizes positron emission tomography (PET) to study the beta-amyloid (Aβ) and tau proteins, as well as the synaptic targets SV2A and mGluR5. He and his team are examining the full spectrum of AD, including AD-dementia, the prodromal condition of amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), and preclinical AD—in individuals at high familial and genetic risk.

    He also has extensive experience in the conduct and leadership of therapeutic trials in AD. Since 1991 he has led or participated in approximately 90 clinical trials for AD, including the prodromal or preclinical stages. He currently serves on the Steering and Executive Committees and Co-Chairs the Protocol Evaluation Committee of the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC). His research accomplishments have been recognized by receipt of the 1996 Junior Investigator Award of the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, the 2005 Compassion and Cure Award of the Alzheimer’s Association, and the 2017 Leader in Advancing Research Award of the Alzheimer’s Association.

    Appointments

    Other Departments & Organizations

    Education & Training

    MD
    Northwestern University (1984)
    BA
    Yale University (1978)
    Resident
    Yale-New Haven Hospital
    Fellow
    Yale University School of Medicine

    Research

    Overview

    Neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s Disease and Brain Aging.

    The current research focus of Dr. van Dyck and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit (ADRU) is PET imaging of molecular targets of interest for Alzheimer’s disease across the full spectrum of disease from presymptomatic to symptomatic stages. These targets include the amyloid and tau proteins, glucose metabolism and synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) as an index of synaptic density. In particular, our team has led the development of SV2A PET in characterizing synaptic changes in Alzheimer’s disease and their relationships with amyloid and tau pathogenesis, glucose metabolism, and fluid biomarkers of synaptic and axonal integrity. The ability to characterize these changes in vivo has also permitted the study of associations with neuropsychological function. Our latest research is moving to the pre-symptomatic stages of Alzheimer’s disease —to investigate the earliest neurobiological changes, including their longitudinal sequence.


    Therapeutic Studies of Alzheimer’s Disease and Brain Aging.

    Dr. van Dyck has led or participated in more than 100 clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, including the prodromal or preclinical stages. His extensive work in therapeutics culminated in 2023 in the lead authorship of the publication of the first disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (N. Engl. J. Med. 2023). Of particular interest is the intersection of neuroimaging and therapeutics and the use of SV2A PET as an outcome measure for trials of disease-modifying therapies.

    Medical Research Interests

    Aging; Alzheimer Disease; Drug Therapy; Genetics; Neurobiology; Neuroimaging; Neurology; Positron-Emission Tomography; Psychiatry

    Research at a Glance

    Yale Co-Authors

    Frequent collaborators of Christopher van Dyck's published research.

    Publications

    2024

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    Clinical Trials

    Current Trials

    Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

    • honor

      “Leader in Advancing Research” Award

      National AwardAlzheimer’s Association
    • honor

      Best Doctors in New York (Top 2%), as Featured in New York Magazine

      National AwardCastle Connolly
    • honor

      “Compassion and Cure” Award

      National AwardAlzheimer’s Association
    • honor

      Junior Investigator Award

      National AwardAmerican Association for Geriatric Psychiatry

    Clinical Care

    Overview

    Christopher H. van Dyck, MD, is a psychiatrist specializing in the study and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and brain aging. He directs the Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit, the Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and the Division of Aging and Geriatric Psychiatry.

    Dr. van Dyck's expertise lies in neuroimaging and therapeutic studies for Alzheimer’s disease. He has developed several imaging advancements that have significantly impacted understanding the progression of Alzheimer’s disease from its earliest stages.

    Dr. van Dyck has participated in more than 100 clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, from early-stage to advanced research. He was the lead author on the study that established lecanemab as the first disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Lecanemab, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), targets amyloid plaques in the brain, slowing cognitive and functional decline in early-stage Alzheimer’s patients.

    “It’s very exciting because this is the first treatment in our history that shows an unequivocal slowing of decline in Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. van Dyck says.

    Also the Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. van Dyck completed his medical training at Northwestern University and postdoctoral training at Yale School of Medicine. He has received numerous accolades, including the Leader in Advancing Research Award from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

    Clinical Specialties

    Geriatric Psychiatry; Memory Disorders & Cognitive Neurology

    Fact Sheets

    Board Certifications

    • Psychiatry

      Certification Organization
      AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
      Original Certification Date
      1991

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    Yale School of Medicine

    One Church Street

    New Haven, CT 06510

    United States

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