Helena Chang Chui, MD

Chair and Professor of Neurology

Raymond and Betty McCarron Chair in Neurology

Websites

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Overview

Dr. Chui is internationally recognized for her research in Alzheimer disease and vascular cognitive impairment. She is the principal investigator for the NIA-funded Alzheimer Disease Research Center, as well as a multi-institutional program project on vascular dementia.

Dr. Chui is the author of over 120 publications and has served on the editorial board for Stroke, Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, and Archives of Neurology. She holds the Raymond and Betty McCarron endowed Chair at the Keck School of Medicine and serves as the Chair of the Department of Neurology.

Awards

Pasadena Magazine: Top Doctor, 2011

Research Funding

Asian Cohort for Alzheimer's Disease (ACAD)
NIH · U19AG079774 · Jul 1, 2023 – Jun 30, 2028 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Quantitative cerebral blood vessel imaging biomarkers for AD and VCID
NIH · R01AG072490 · Apr 1, 2021 – Mar 31, 2027 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Quantitative cerebral blood vessel imaging biomarkers for AD and VCID
NIH · RF1AG072490 · Apr 1, 2021 – Mar 31, 2024 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Asian Cohort for Alzheimer's Disease (ACAD)
NIH · R56AG069130 · Sep 30, 2020 – May 31, 2022 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers
NIH · P30AG066530 · Sep 1, 2020 – Mar 31, 2030 · Role: Principal Investigator
Model-based cerebrovascular markers extracted from hemodynamic data for diagnosing MCI or AD and predicting disease progression.
NIH · R01AG058162 · Sep 1, 2018 – May 31, 2024 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
The Aging Brain: Vasculature, Ischemia, and Behavior
NIH · P01AG012435 · Sep 30, 1994 – May 31, 2016 · Role: Principal Investigator
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND CEREBRAL AMYLOID ANGIOPATHY
NIH · R01AG007624 · Jan 1, 1989 – Dec 31, 1994 · Role: Principal Investigator
Alzheimer Disease Research Center
NIH · P50AG005142 · Sep 28, 1984 – Mar 31, 2021 · Role: Principal Investigator
STUDY SECTION CHAIRMANS FUND (NIH)
NIH · U09AG005389 · Aug 15, 1984 – Jul 31, 2005 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
HISTOPATHOLOGY OF SENILE DEMENTIA
NIH · K07NS000794 · Jul 1, 1983 – Jun 30, 1988 · Role: Principal Investigator
Core A Administrative Core
NIH · P50-31 · Role: Principal Investigator

Media

Keck News: A New Era in USC Medicine, 2009

Publications

CNS target engagement of high-dose DHA supplementation in older adults at risk for dementia: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. EBioMedicine. 2026 Jul; 129:106316.. View in PubMed
PRBS Gas Challenges Reveal Impaired Chemoreflex and Cholinergic Dynamics in MCI. Ann Biomed Eng. 2026 Jun 10.. View in PubMed
Elevated levels of circulating plasma sPDGFRβ in cognitively impaired APOE4 carriers. Geroscience. 2026 Jun; 48(3):3649-3657.. View in PubMed
Multimodal Free-Water Imaging Links Cardiometabolic Risk to Periarterial Dysfunction and Amyloid Accumulation in Early Alzheimer’s. Res Sq. 2026 May 07.. View in PubMed
Segmentation and morphometry of intracranial internal carotid artery calcification in relation to brain atrophy. Neuroradiology. 2026 Apr; 68(4):911-926.. View in PubMed
Evidence for cPLA2 activation in Alzheimer’s disease synaptic pathology. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2026 Feb 12; 14(1).. View in PubMed
Cerebrovascular regulation dynamics and Alzheimer’s neuroimaging phenotypes. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 Feb; 22(2):e71146.. View in PubMed
High Prevalence of Cerebrovascular Calcifications and Clinical Correlates in Indigenous Bolivian Forager-Horticulturalists: A Population-Based Observational Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2026 Feb 03; 15(3):e043028.. View in PubMed
Association between late-life air pollution exposure and medial temporal lobe atrophy in older women. Neurotoxicology. 2026 Jan; 112:103378.. View in PubMed
Protocol for the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) Study. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2025 Oct-Dec; 11(4):e70189.. View in PubMed
Automatic detection of arterial input function for brain DCE-MRI in multi-site cohorts. Magn Reson Med. 2025 Dec; 94(6):2732-2744.. View in PubMed
High inter-rater reliability in consensus diagnoses and overall assessment in the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease Study. NPJ Dement. 2025; 1(1):18.. View in PubMed
Dysregulation of cerebral perfusion dynamics is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2025 Jul-Sep; 17(3):e70134.. View in PubMed
Multi-ancestry genome-wide meta-analysis of 56,241 individuals identifies known and novel cross-population and ancestry-specific associations as novel risk loci for Alzheimer’s disease. Genome Biol. 2025 Jul 17; 26(1):210.. View in PubMed
Cerebral hypoperfusion, brain structural integrity, and cognitive impairment in older APOE4 carriers. Geroscience. 2025 06; 47(3):4973-4986.. View in PubMed
Evidence for cPLA2 activation in Alzheimer’s Disease Synaptic Pathology. bioRxiv. 2025 Apr 01.. View in PubMed
Cellular senescence induced by cholesterol accumulation is mediated by lysosomal ABCA1 in APOE4 and AD. Mol Neurodegener. 2025 Feb 04; 20(1):15.. View in PubMed
Amyloid-β predominant Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologic change. Brain. 2025 Feb 03; 148(2):401-407.. View in PubMed
Early Motor Signs in Pathologically Verified Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Disease. Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2025 Jun; 12(6):754-763.. View in PubMed
X-chromosome-wide association study for Alzheimer’s disease. Mol Psychiatry. 2025 Jun; 30(6):2335-2346.. View in PubMed
WMH Contributions to Cognitive Impairment: Rationale and Design of the Diverse VCID Study. Stroke. 2025 Mar; 56(3):758-776.. View in PubMed
Decreased functional connectivity is associated with increased levels of Cerebral Spinal Fluid soluble-PDGFRβ, a marker of blood brain barrier breakdown, in older adults. Brain Imaging Behav. 2024 Dec; 18(6):1343-1354.. View in PubMed
Cellular senescence induced by cholesterol accumulation is mediated by lysosomal ABCA1 in APOE4 and AD. Res Sq. 2024 May 14.. View in PubMed
20-year depressive symptoms, dementia, and structural neuropathology in older women. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 05; 20(5):3472-3484.. View in PubMed
Assessment of arterial pulsatility of cerebral perforating arteries using 7T high-resolution dual-VENC phase-contrast MRI. Magn Reson Med. 2024 08; 92(2):605-617.. View in PubMed
Whole genome-wide sequence analysis of long-lived families (Long-Life Family Study) identifies MTUS2 gene associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 04; 20(4):2670-2679.. View in PubMed
Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) pilot study on genetic and non-genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease among Asian Americans and Canadians. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 03; 20(3):2058-2071.. View in PubMed
Use of the Spanish English Neuropsychological Assessment Scale in older adult Latines and those at risk for autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2023 08; 45(6):553-569.. View in PubMed
Etiology of White Matter Hyperintensities in Autosomal Dominant and Sporadic Alzheimer Disease. JAMA Neurol. 2023 12 01; 80(12):1353-1363.. View in PubMed
Association between late-life air pollution exposure and medial temporal lobe atrophy in older women. medRxiv. 2023 Nov 29.. View in PubMed
Alzheimer’s Related Neurodegeneration Mediates Air Pollution Effects on Medial Temporal Lobe Atrophy. medRxiv. 2023 Nov 29.. View in PubMed
Association Between Self- and Proxy-Reported Depression and Quality of Life in Mild-Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024 01; 32(1):58-67.. View in PubMed
White matter hyperintensity volume modifies the association between CSF vascular inflammatory biomarkers and regional FDG-PET along the Alzheimer’s disease continuum. Neurobiol Aging. 2023 12; 132:1-12.. View in PubMed
Multi-ancestry genome-wide meta-analysis of 56,241 individuals identifies LRRC4C, LHX5-AS1 and nominates ancestry-specific loci PTPRK , GRB14 , and KIAA0825 as novel risk loci for Alzheimer’s disease: the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium. medRxiv. 2023 Jul 08.. View in PubMed
Proteomics of brain, CSF, and plasma identifies molecular signatures for distinguishing sporadic and genetic Alzheimer’s disease. Sci Transl Med. 2023 07 05; 15(703):eabq5923.. View in PubMed
Location of pathogenic variants in PSEN1 impacts progression of cognitive, clinical, and neurodegenerative measures in autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Aging Cell. 2023 08; 22(8):e13871.. View in PubMed
The relationship of history of psychiatric and substance use disorders on risk of dementia among racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Front Psychiatry. 2023; 14:1165262.. View in PubMed
The association between white matter hyperintensities and amyloid and tau deposition. Neuroimage Clin. 2023; 38:103383.. View in PubMed
Brain volume, energy balance, and cardiovascular health in two nonindustrial South American populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 03 28; 120(13):e2205448120.. View in PubMed
Decreased functional connectivity is associated with increased levels of Cerebral Spinal Fluid soluble-PDGFRβ, a marker of blood brain barrier breakdown, in older adults. Res Sq. 2023 Mar 07.. View in PubMed
Characterization of spastic paraplegia in a family with a novel PSEN1 mutation. Brain Commun. 2023; 5(2):fcad030.. View in PubMed
Microstructural mapping of dentate gyrus pathology in Alzheimer’s disease: A 16.4 Tesla MRI study. Neuroimage Clin. 2023; 37:103318.. View in PubMed
Baseline Findings of PreventE4: A Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial Testing High Dose DHA in APOE4 Carriers before the Onset of Dementia. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2023; 10(4):810-820.. View in PubMed
Autosomal dominant and sporadic late onset Alzheimer’s disease share a common in vivo pathophysiology. Brain. 2022 10 21; 145(10):3594-3607.. View in PubMed
Metabolomic and lipidomic signatures in autosomal dominant and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease brains. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 05; 19(5):1785-1799.. View in PubMed
White matter degradation near cerebral microbleeds is associated with cognitive change after mild traumatic brain injury. Neurobiol Aging. 2022 12; 120:68-80.. View in PubMed
Alzheimer’s disease after mild traumatic brain injury. Aging (Albany NY). 2022 07 12; 14(13):5292-5293.. View in PubMed
Brain age estimation reveals older adults’ accelerated senescence after traumatic brain injury. Geroscience. 2022 10; 44(5):2509-2525.. View in PubMed
Calcium-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A2 activation is implicated in neuroinflammation and oxidative stress associated with ApoE4. Mol Neurodegener. 2022 06 15; 17(1):42.. View in PubMed
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease Risk: Role of Exposure to Ambient Fine Particles. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 05 05; 77(5):977-985.. View in PubMed
The small HDL particle hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 02; 19(2):391-404.. View in PubMed
Prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in indigenous Bolivian forager-horticulturalists. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 01; 19(1):44-55.. View in PubMed
Circular RNA detection identifies circPSEN1 alterations in brain specific to autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2022 03 04; 10(1):29.. View in PubMed
Retraction Note: Calcium-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A2 activation is implicated in neuroinflammation and oxidative stress associated with ApoE4. Mol Neurodegener. 2022 02 04; 17(1):14.. View in PubMed
Air quality improvement and cognitive decline in community-dwelling older women in the United States: A longitudinal cohort study. PLoS Med. 2022 02; 19(2):e1003893.. View in PubMed
Ambient air pollution exposure and increasing depressive symptoms in older women: The mediating role of the prefrontal cortex and insula. Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jun 01; 823:153642.. View in PubMed
B vitamin intakes modify the association between particulate air pollutants and incidence of all-cause dementia: Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. Alzheimers Dement. 2022 11; 18(11):2188-2198.. View in PubMed
Association of improved air quality with lower dementia risk in older women. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 01 11; 119(2).. View in PubMed
Adherence to a MIND-Like Dietary Pattern, Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution, and MRI-Based Measures of Brain Volume: The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study-MRI. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 12; 129(12):127008.. View in PubMed
Locus coeruleus integrity is related to tau burden and memory loss in autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2022 04; 112:39-54.. View in PubMed
Older age, male sex, and cerebral microbleeds predict white matter loss after traumatic brain injury. Geroscience. 2022 02; 44(1):83-102.. View in PubMed
Brain energy failure in dementia syndromes: Opportunities and challenges for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. Alzheimers Dement. 2022 03; 18(3):478-497.. View in PubMed
Ambient Air Pollution and Long-Term Trajectories of Episodic Memory Decline among Older Women in the WHIMS-ECHO Cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 09; 129(9):97009.. View in PubMed
Segregation of functional networks is associated with cognitive resilience in Alzheimer’s disease. Brain. 2021 08 17; 144(7):2176-2185.. View in PubMed
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-related Inflammation Presenting With a Cystic Lesion in Young-onset Alzheimer Disease. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2021 Jul-Sep 01; 35(3):265-268.. View in PubMed
Calcium-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A2 activation is implicated in neuroinflammation and oxidative stress associated with ApoE4. Mol Neurodegener. 2021 04 16; 16(1):26.. View in PubMed
PM2.5 Associated With Gray Matter Atrophy Reflecting Increased Alzheimer Risk in Older Women. Neurology. 2021 02 22; 96(8):e1190-e1201.. View in PubMed
Assessment of carotid stiffness by measuring carotid pulse wave velocity using a single-slice oblique-sagittal phase-contrast MRI. Magn Reson Med. 2021 07; 86(1):442-455.. View in PubMed
Longitudinal Accumulation of Cerebral Microhemorrhages in Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Disease. Neurology. 2021 03 23; 96(12):e1632-e1645.. View in PubMed
Early neuroinflammation is associated with lower amyloid and tau levels in cognitively normal older adults. Brain Behav Immun. 2021 05; 94:299-307.. View in PubMed
Past, present and future role of retinal imaging in neurodegenerative disease. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2021 07; 83:100938.. View in PubMed
Novel Alzheimer Disease Risk Loci and Pathways in African American Individuals Using the African Genome Resources Panel: A Meta-analysis. JAMA Neurol. 2021 01 01; 78(1):102-113.. View in PubMed
Associations Between Air Pollution Exposure and Empirically Derived Profiles of Cognitive Performance in Older Women. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021; 84(4):1691-1707.. View in PubMed
Volumetric distribution of perivascular space in relation to mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiol Aging. 2021 03; 99:28-43.. View in PubMed
Outdoor air pollution exposure and inter-relation of global cognitive performance and emotional distress in older women. Environ Pollut. 2021 Feb 15; 271:116282.. View in PubMed
Reaction time and response inhibition in autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Cogn. 2021 02; 147:105656.. View in PubMed
Air Pollution and the Dynamic Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Memory in Oldest-Old Women. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 02; 69(2):474-484.. View in PubMed
Associations between Vascular Function and Tau PET Are Associated with Global Cognition and Amyloid. J Neurosci. 2020 10 28; 40(44):8573-8586.. View in PubMed
Emotional detachment, gait ataxia, and cerebellar dysconnectivity associated with compound heterozygous mutations in the SPG7 gene. Neurocase. 2020 10; 26(5):299-304.. View in PubMed
Brain delivery of supplemental docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. EBioMedicine. 2020 Sep; 59:102883.. View in PubMed
Erythrocyte omega-3 index, ambient fine particle exposure, and brain aging. Neurology. 2020 08 25; 95(8):e995-e1007.. View in PubMed
Correction: Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness predicts CSF amyloid/tau before cognitive decline. PLoS One. 2020; 15(7):e0236379.. View in PubMed
Cerebroarterial pulsatility and resistivity indices are associated with cognitive impairment and white matter hyperintensity in elderly subjects: A phase-contrast MRI study. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021 03; 41(3):670-683.. View in PubMed
Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness predicts CSF amyloid/tau before cognitive decline. PLoS One. 2020; 15(5):e0232785.. View in PubMed
APOE4 leads to blood-brain barrier dysfunction predicting cognitive decline. Nature. 2020 05; 581(7806):71-76.. View in PubMed
A novel sensitive assay for detection of a biomarker of pericyte injury in cerebrospinal fluid. Alzheimers Dement. 2020 06; 16(6):821-830.. View in PubMed
Urine dicarboxylic acids change in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease and reflect loss of energy capacity and hippocampal volume. PLoS One. 2020; 15(4):e0231765.. View in PubMed
Particulate matter and episodic memory decline mediated by early neuroanatomic biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. Brain. 2020 01 01; 143(1):289-302.. View in PubMed
Exposure to fine particulate matter and temporal dynamics of episodic memory and depressive symptoms in older women. Environ Int. 2020 02; 135:105196.. View in PubMed
Undetectable gadolinium brain retention in individuals with an age-dependent blood-brain barrier breakdown in the hippocampus and mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimers Dement. 2019 12; 15(12):1568-1575.. View in PubMed
ApoE4 Alters ABCA1 Membrane Trafficking in Astrocytes. J Neurosci. 2019 11 27; 39(48):9611-9622.. View in PubMed
Frequency of the TREM2 R47H Variant in Various Neurodegenerative Disorders. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2019 Oct-Dec; 33(4):327-330.. View in PubMed
Author Correction: Genetic meta-analysis of diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease identifies new risk loci and implicates Aβ, tau, immunity and lipid processing. Nat Genet. 2019 Sep; 51(9):1423-1424.. View in PubMed
Psychometric Characteristics of Cognitive Reserve: How High Education Might Improve Certain Cognitive Abilities in Aging. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2019; 47(4-6):335-344.. View in PubMed
Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE): consensus working group report. Brain. 2019 06 01; 142(6):1503-1527.. View in PubMed
Particulate Air Pollutants and Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Older Women. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019 10; 27(10):1083-1096.. View in PubMed
General and domain-specific cognitive reserve, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia risk in older women. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2019; 5:118-128.. View in PubMed
Genetic meta-analysis of diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease identifies new risk loci and implicates Aβ, tau, immunity and lipid processing. Nat Genet. 2019 03; 51(3):414-430.. View in PubMed
Blood-brain barrier breakdown is an early biomarker of human cognitive dysfunction. Nat Med. 2019 02; 25(2):270-276.. View in PubMed
Vascular dysfunction-The disregarded partner of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2019 01; 15(1):158-167.. View in PubMed