Hussein Yassine, MD

Dr. Yassine is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The Yassine lab (www.yassinelab.com) specializes in how changes in lipid metabolism and nutrition affect cognition and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The lab has an interest in studying how carrying the APOE4 allele, strongest genetic risk factors for developing AD, affects lipid metabolism, the response to the diet; combining basic science, clinical trials and brain imaging studies.

Dr. Yassine directs the Roybal AD Research program focused on understanding how obesity, diabetes and vascular risk factors in Los Angeles’s Latinx population affect cognition and AD risk using longitudinal studies with cerebrospinal fluid and brain imaging biomarkers.

Dr. Yassine runs the Lipid Clinic at Roybal Healthcare Center in East LA, providing care for a large population of complex lipid and diabetes disorders that are referred from all LA county clinics.

• Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 18 Outstanding Research Award, 2009
• Presidential Poster Award, Endocrine Society, 2009
• Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH : Resident Teacher of the Year Award, 2007
• Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon : Dean’s Honor List on graduation, 2003
• Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon : Dean’s Distinguished Student Medicine Day Award, 2002

• Can the gut microbiome inform the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation trials on cognition? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2024 Mar 01; 27(2):116-124.. View in PubMed
• Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of 22-[18F]Fluorodocosahexaenoic Acid as a Positron Emission Tomography Probe for Monitoring Brain Docosahexaenoic Acid Uptake Kinetics ACS Chem Neurosci. 2023 Dec 20; 14(24):4409-4418. . View in PubMed
• State of the Science on Brain Insulin Resistance and Cognitive Decline Due to Alzheimer’s Disease Aging Dis. 2023 Aug 17. . View in PubMed
• Associations of ApoE4 status and DHA supplementation on plasma and CSF lipid profiles and entorhinal cortex thickness J Lipid Res. 2023 06; 64(6):100354. . View in PubMed
• The small HDL particle hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimers Dement. 2023 02; 19(2):391-404. . View in PubMed
• APOE e4 and Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis associated differences in L-carnitine, GBB, TMAO, and acylcarnitines in blood and brain Curr Res Transl Med. 2023 Jan-Mar; 71(1):103362. . View in PubMed
• An association of CSF apolipoprotein E glycosylation and amyloid-beta 42 in individuals who carry the APOE4 allele Alzheimers Res Ther. 2023 05 23; 15(1):96. . 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
• Nutritional metabolism and cerebral bioenergetics in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias Alzheimers Dement. 2022 Dec 08. . View in PubMed
• Uncovering mechanisms of brain inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease with APOE4: Application of single cell-type lipidomics Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2022 12; 1518(1):84-105. . View in PubMed
• Radiosynthesis of 20-[18F]fluoroarachidonic acid for PET-MR imaging: Biological evaluation in ApoE4-TR mice Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2022 11; 186:102510. . View in PubMed
• Associations between cognitive function and endogenous levels of estradiol and testosterone in adults with type 2 diabetes J Diabetes Complications. 2022 09; 36(9):108268. . View in PubMed
• Cognitive and neuroimaging correlates of financial exploitation vulnerability in older adults without dementia: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 09; 140:104773. . View in PubMed
• Personalized nutrition for dementia prevention Alzheimers Dement. 2022 07; 18(7):1424-1437. . View in PubMed
• Nutrition state of science and dementia prevention: recommendations of the Nutrition for Dementia Prevention Working Group Lancet Healthy Longev. 2022 07; 3(7):e501-e512. . 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
• Why pharmacological dementia risk reduction trials haven’t lived up to expectations, and where do we go from here? Alzheimers Dement. 2022 03; 18(3):507-512.. View in PubMed
• Lipids and brain inflammation in APOE4-associated dementia Curr Opin Lipidol. 2022 02 01; 33(1):16-24. . View in PubMed
• Eicosanoid lipidome activation in post-mortem brain tissues of individuals with APOE4 and Alzheimer’s dementia Alzheimers Res Ther. 2022 10 11; 14(1):152. . View in PubMed
• Effect of the ABCA1 agonist CS-6253 on amyloid-ß and lipoprotein metabolism in cynomolgus monkeys Alzheimers Res Ther. 2022 06 24; 14(1):87. . View in PubMed
• The omega-3 index in Alzheimer’s disease: Ready for prime time? Am J Clin Nutr. 2022 12 19; 116(6):1474-1475.. View in PubMed
• APOE alleles modulate associations of plasma metabolites with variants from multiple genes on chromosome 19q133. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022; 14:1023493. . 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
• An Association Between Saturated Fatty Acid-Containing Phosphatidylcholine in Cerebrospinal Fluid with Tau Phosphorylation J Alzheimers Dis. 2022; 87(2):609-617. . 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
• Editorial: Lipid Metabolism and Transport in CNS Health and Disease Front Physiol. 2021; 12:768417. . View in PubMed
• Understanding the Exchange of Systemic HDL Particles Into the Brain and Vascular Cells Has Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases Front Physiol. 2021; 12:700847. . View in PubMed
• THE PREVALENCE OF PROBABLE FAMILIAL CHYLOMICRONEMIA SYNDROME IN A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA POPULATION Endocr Pract. 2021 Jan; 27(1):71-76. . View in PubMed
• Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2021; 7(1):e12202. . View in PubMed
• Distinct patterns of apolipoprotein C-I, C-II, and C-III isoforms are associated with markers of Alzheimer’s disease J Lipid Res. 2021; 62:100014. . View in PubMed
• Sex-related differences in cognitive trajectories in older individuals with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2021; 7(1):e12160. . 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
• Brain delivery of supplemental docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial EBioMedicine. 2020 Sep; 59:102883. . View in PubMed
• Do menopausal status and APOE4 genotype alter the long-term effects of intensive lifestyle intervention on cognitive function in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus? Neurobiol Aging. 2020 08; 92:61-72.. View in PubMed
• Sex-Related Differences in Brain Volumes and Cerebral Blood Flow Among Overweight and Obese Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Exploratory Analyses From the Action for Health in Diabetes Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2020 03 09; 75(4):771-778. . View in PubMed
• APOE Alleles and Diet in Brain Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Front Aging Neurosci. 2020; 12:150. . View in PubMed
• Simple and Fast Assay for Apolipoprotein E Phenotyping and Glycotyping: Discovering Isoform-Specific Glycosylation in Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid J Alzheimers Dis. 2020; 76(3):883-893. . View in PubMed
• Effect of APOE Genotype on Plasma Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, and Hippocampal Volume in the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study-Sponsored DHA Clinical Trial J Alzheimers Dis. 2020; 74(3):975-990. . View in PubMed
• ApoC-III Glycoforms Are Differentially Cleared by Hepatic TRL (Triglyceride-Rich Lipoprotein) Receptors Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2019 10; 39(10):2145-2156. . View in PubMed
• Low-Density Lipoprotein Particle Size Subfractions and Cerebral Amyloidosis J Alzheimers Dis. 2019; 68(3):983-990. . View in PubMed
• Development of a delayed-release nutrient for appetite control in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes and initial clinical testing in a single dose randomized controlled trial Nutr Diabetes. 2019 07 15; 9(1):20. . View in PubMed
• ApoE4 Alters ABCA1 Membrane Trafficking in Astrocytes J Neurosci. 2019 11 27; 39(48):9611-9622. . View in PubMed
• DHA brain uptake and APOE4 status: a PET study with [1-11C]-DHA Alzheimers Res Ther. 2017 Mar 23; 9(1):23. . View in PubMed
• Association of Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation With Alzheimer Disease Stage in Apolipoprotein E e4 Carriers: A Review JAMA Neurol. 2017 Mar 01; 74(3):339-347. . View in PubMed
• Targeting prodromal Alzheimer’s disease: too late for prevention? Lancet Neurol. 2017 12; 16(12):946-947.. View in PubMed
• Lessons from the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial Lancet Neurol. 2017 08; 16(8):585-586. . View in PubMed
• Changes in low-density lipoprotein size phenotypes associate with changes in apolipoprotein C-III glycoforms after dietary interventionsJ Clin Lipidol. 2017 Jan – Feb; 11(1):224-233. e2. . View in PubMed
• Ex vivo instability of glycated albumin: A role for autoxidative glycation Arch Biochem Biophys. 2017 09 01; 629:36-42. . View in PubMed
• Development of quantitative mass spectrometric immunoassay for serum amyloid A Biomarkers. 2016 Dec; 21(8):743-751. . View in PubMed
• Association of Cystatin C Proteoforms with Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Clin Mass Spectrom. 2016 Nov; 1:27-31. . View in PubMed
• Association of Serum Docosahexaenoic Acid With Cerebral Amyloidosis JAMA Neurol. 2016 Oct 01; 73(10):1208-1216. . View in PubMed
• Posttranslational modifications of apolipoprotein A-II proteoforms in type 2 diabetes J Clin Lipidol. 2016 Jul-Aug; 10(4):808-815. . View in PubMed
• ABCA1-Mediated Cholesterol Efflux Capacity to Cerebrospinal Fluid Is Reduced in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Feb 12; 5(2). . View in PubMed
• Disialylated apolipoprotein C-III proteoform is associated with improved lipids in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes J Lipid Res. 2016 05; 57(5):894-905. . View in PubMed
• The association of plasma cystatin C proteoforms with diabetic chronic kidney disease Proteome Sci. 2016; 14:7. . View in PubMed
• The effect of APOE genotype on the delivery of DHA to cerebrospinal fluid in Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimers Res Ther. 2016 06 30; 8:25. . View in PubMed
• Site specific modification of the human plasma proteome by methylglyoxal Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2015 Dec 01; 289(2):155-62. . View in PubMed
• Serum amyloid a truncations in type 2 diabetes mellitus PLoS One. 2015; 10(1):e0115320. . View in PubMed
• The Association of Human Apolipoprotein C-III Sialylation Proteoforms with Plasma Triglycerides PLoS One. 2015; 10(12):e0144138. . View in PubMed
• The Application of Multiple Reaction Monitoring to Assess Apo A-I Methionine Oxidations in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Transl Proteom. 2014 Dec 01; 4-5:18-24. . View in PubMed
• Elevated plasma albumin and apolipoprotein A-I oxidation under suboptimal specimen storage conditions Mol Cell Proteomics. 2014 Jul; 13(7):1890-9. . View in PubMed
• Enhanced cholesterol efflux to HDL through the ABCA1 transporter in hypertriglyceridemia of type 2 diabetes Metabolism. 2014 May; 63(5):727-34. . View in PubMed
• A case report of defective endogenous vitamin D: a new clinical entity Clin Cases Miner Bone Metab. 2014 May; 11(2):142-4. . View in PubMed
• The application of multiple reaction monitoring and multi-analyte profiling to HDL proteins Lipids Health Dis. 2014 Jan 08; 13:8. . View in PubMed
• Mass spectrometric immunoassay and MRM as targeted MS-based quantitative approaches in biomarker development: potential applications to cardiovascular disease and diabetes Proteomics Clin Appl. 2013 Aug; 7(7-8):528-40. . View in PubMed
• Proteomic and functional annotation analysis of injured peripheral nerves reveals ApoE as a protein upregulated by injury that is modulated by metformin treatment Mol Pain. 2013 Mar 26; 9:14. . View in PubMed
• The use of metformin is associated with decreased lumbar radiculopathy pain J Pain Res. 2013; 6:755-63. . View in PubMed
• Erlotinib-associated exacerbation of hypothyroidism with pericardial tamponade Endocr Pract. 2012 Sep-Oct; 18(5):e111-3. . View in PubMed
• Adjusting for Urinary Creatinine Overestimates Arsenic Concentrations in Diabetics Cardiorenal Med. 2012 Feb; 2(1):26-32. . View in PubMed
• New site(s) of methylglyoxal-modified human serum albumin, identified by multiple reaction monitoring, alter warfarin binding and prostaglandin metabolism Chem Biol Interact. 2011 Jun 30; 192(1-2):122-8. . View in PubMed
• Clinical determinants of aspirin resistance in diabetes Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010 Oct; 90(1):e19-21. . View in PubMed
• Effect of glucose or fat challenge on aspirin resistance in diabetes Int J Endocrinol. 2010; 2010:820876. . View in PubMed
• Effects of exercise and caloric restriction on insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors in older obese adults–a randomized clinical trial J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009 Jan; 64(1):90-5. . View in PubMed

• Aisen, Paul
• Zlokovic, Berislav
• Schneider, Lon
• Thompson, Paul
• Toga, Arthur
• Chui, Helena
• Ringman, John