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Alzheimer's & Dementia Research Symposium of Southeast Texas - October 20, 2026
In-Person Attendance Only.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research Symposium of Southeast Texas
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
An educational and scientific event sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association for Southeast Texas AD researchers, the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research Symposium of Southeast Texas is the perfect opportunity for scientists, clinicians, and trainees to present their work and network with local experts.
Join us on October 20, 2026 at the Houston Methodist Research Institute located in the Texas Medical Center to hear talks by AD researchers from institutions across the southeast region of Texas. Submit an abstract by September 25, 2026 to be considered for an oral or poster presentation. Selected posters will be orally presented in a Data Blitz Session.
Up to three posters will be selected to win a Distinguished Award in Neurodegeneration Research, which includes a certificate and monetary prize, to be announced at the end of the conference.
The highly successful Data Blitz Session will be returning this year!
Abstracts (1 page) MUST include:
- Name, title/position, institution, and email address of presenting author
- Abstract title
- Author list with presenting author listed first and indicated with an asterisk
- Institution(s)
- Abstract body (maximum 350 words)
- Funding source(s)
- Indicate if you would like to be considered for a potential Data Blitz Session
Submit your abstracts by September 25, 2026 by emailing them to [email protected]
There is no fee to submit an abstract. Presentations will be confirmed by email no later than October 2, 2026.
| REGISTRATION TYPE | FEE |
|---|---|
| Physician (Houston Methodist SPG/PCG, HMCC ACO PCP, HMPAQ) | Complimentary |
| Physician (Private, non-Houston Methodist physician located within the Greater Houston Area)* | $150 |
| Physician (Private, non-Houston Methodist physician located within the Greater Houston Area; NO CE) | Complimentary Click here to register! |
| Physician (Private, non-Houston Methodist physician located outside the Greater Houston Area) | Complimentary |
| All Others | Complimentary |
* In compliance with HM’s policy on Physician Non-Monetary Compensation regarding “Stark Law,” private physicians who reside and/or practice medicine within the Greater Houston Area are required to pay the full Fair Market Value registration fee.
Target Audience
Researchers, Clinicians, Trainees
Learning Objectives
- Discuss interaction between neuro-immune crosstalk in AD pathology from model systems to humans
- Learn novel approaches to drug development strategies for AD treatment
- Explore strategies for prevention and cognitive resilience in AD
Course summary
- 4.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Houston Methodist is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Houston Methodist designates this Live activity for a maximum of 4.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- 4.25 Attendance
Alzheimer's & Dementia Research Symposium of Southeast Texas | ||
AGENDA | Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | ||
TIME | PRESENTATION | SPEAKER(S) |
8:00 AM | Registration, Breakfast and Poster Session Set up | |
9:00 AM | Welcome and Opening Remarks | Joseph C. Masdeu, MD, PhD |
9:10 AM | Interactome Analysis of Seeding-Competent Tau Reveals Molecular Determinants of Pathogenicity in Alzheimer’s Disease | Cristian Lasagna-Reeves, PhD |
9:30 AM | Emulating physical activity and multidomain modifications from midlife on cognitive outcomes | Jingkai Wei, PhD |
9:50 AM | Poster Elevator Pitch Blitz I | Presenters listed below |
10:10 AM | Alzheimer’s Association Funding Programs and Scientific Initiatives | Heather Snyder, PhD |
10:40 AM | Poster Elevator Pitch Blitz I | Presenters listed below |
11:00 AM | Poster Session I and Networking | |
11:35 AM | LUNCH | |
12:00 PM | Updates from the National Institute on Aging | Kenneth Santora, PhD |
1:10 PM | Poster Session II | |
2:15 PM | Beyond the Hippocampus: Corticostriatal Dysfunction Underlying Cognitive Inflexibility in Early AD and Its Remodeling by Alcohol | Jun Wang MD, PhD |
2:35 PM | Choline as a preventative treatment for APOE4+ AD | Jim Ray, PhD |
2:55 PM | Advancing Therapeutic Development for Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease | Fernanda Laezza, MD, PhD |
3:15 PM | Coffee Break/Networking/Poster | |
3:35 PM | Targeting HMGB1 to control senescence, inflammaging and cognitive deficits | Sagar Gaikwad, PhD |
3:55 PM | IL-2 plus GLP-1 RA Combination Therapy to Target Inflammation in AD | Alireza Faridar, MD |
4:15 PM | From Multisensory Maps to Multisensory Therapy: Advancing Cognitive Health and Dementia Prevention | Jokubas Ziburkas, PhD |
4:35 PM | Awards | Jeannie Chin, PhD |
4:50 PM | Closing Remarks | Jim Ray, PhD |
Poster Elevator Pitch Blitz Presenters
Presenter | Poster Title |
Enrique Chimal-Juárez | Tau Ablation Rewires Brain Cell Programs in Health |
Mikiko Oka | Elucidating the roles of TM2D3 in Alzheimer’s disease using Drosophila |
Nourhan Abdelfattah | Female-Biased STAT3 Signaling and Microglial Remodeling in Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia |
Eshani Yeragi, BDS, MDS | Progressive behavioral and cognitive decline in Drosophila harboring AD-associated APOE4 variants |
Ananya | Interactive AI and Virtual Reality Technologies to Support Individuals with Cognitive Impairment |
Eric Peng | The Mouth-Brain Axis: Dementia-Associated Differences in Oral Health Behaviors, Outcomes and Care |
Runzhou Yang | Ketamine Anesthesia Reveals an Early Thalamocortical Circuit Vulnerability in Alzheimer's Disease |
Thai Nguyen | Tau Oligomers from Alzheimer’s Disease and Non-Demented Individuals with Alzheimer’s Neuropathology |
Presenter | Poster Title |
Johnny Zaatar, MD | Precision Neurology for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: Clinical, Genomic, and Biomarker Findings from a Diverse Cohort |
Sailee Sham Lavekar | Enhanced astrocyte phagocytosis rescues network dysfunction in AD |
Samaneh Biglari | High-Sugar Diet Unmasks Age-Dependent Vulnerability in a Humanized APOE4 Drosophila Model of Alzheimer’s Disease |
Hannah Smith | Temporal Immune Remodeling During Chronic Circadian Dysregulation Precedes Overt Cognitive Decline |
Joshua Adekunle Babalola | Conformationally Distinct Aβ Fibrils Elicit Divergent Cytotoxic and Inflammatory Responses in Primary Microglia |
Jordy Sepulveda | Enhanced Pannexin1 mediated ATP release increases Microglial calcium dynamics in early-stage AD pathology |
Jordan A. Hartmann, MMSc | A novel non-toxic tau oligomer polymorph associated with cognitive resilience to AD-related neuropathology |
Abbigael E. A. Blemings | Decoding Heteromeric Amyloids Between Tau and RNA Binding Proteins in Alzheimer’s Disease |
In-person attendance will be held in the Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Avenue, Houston, Texas 77030.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Houston Methodist and The Alzheimer’s Association Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter. Houston Methodist is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Available Credit
- 4.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Houston Methodist is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Houston Methodist designates this Live activity for a maximum of 4.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- 4.25 Attendance
Price
FEES
| REGISTRATION TYPE | FEE |
|---|---|
| Physician (Houston Methodist SPG/PCG, HMCC ACO PCP, HMPAQ) | Complimentary |
| Physician (Private, non-Houston Methodist physician located within the Greater Houston Area)* | $150 |
| Physician (Private, non-Houston Methodist physician located within the Greater Houston Area; NO CE) | Complimentary Click here to register! |
| Physician (Private, non-Houston Methodist physician located outside the Greater Houston Area) | Complimentary |
| All Others | Complimentary |
* In compliance with HM’s policy on Physician Non-Monetary Compensation regarding “Stark Law,” private physicians who reside and/or practice medicine within the Greater Houston Area are required to pay the full Fair Market Value registration fee.