Overview
Costantino Iadecola, M.D. is the Director and Chair of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute and the Anne Parrish Titzell Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine. His research focuses on the basic mechanisms of neurovascular function and on the cellular and molecular alterations underlying ischemic brain injury, neurodegeneration and other conditions associated with cognitive impairment.
A pioneer in establishing the concept of neurovascular unit, Dr. Iadecola has championed the involvement of neurovascular dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases, and the role of innate immunity and the microbiome in ischemic brain injury. He has published over 390 papers in peer-reviewed journals and plays a leadership role in research organizations and funding agencies in the US and abroad. He has been involved, as editor or editorial board member, in several journals including Circulation research, Stroke, Hypertension, the Journal of Neuroscience, and the Annals of Neurology. Dr. Iadecola has received the McHenry Award from the American Academy of Neurology, two Jacob Javits Awards from the National Institutes of Health, the Willis Award-the highest honor in stroke research bestowed by the American Heart Association (AHA), the Zenith Fellow Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Excellence Award in Hypertension Research (Novartis) from the Hypertension Council of the AHA, and the Chancellor’s Award in Neuroscience from Louisiana State University. In 2015, he was elected to the Association of American Physicians. In 2019 Dr. Iadecola was selected Distinguished Scientist by the AHA and in 2021 he received the Basic Science Prize from the AHA. Clarivate Analytics lists Dr. Iadecola as one of world’s “Highly Cited Researchers” for ranking in the top one percent of the most-cited authors in the field of neuroscience and behavioral sciences. Dr. Iadecola's career was featured in Nature Neuroscience in December 2023.
Highlights
- 1Nature neuroscience · 2023
- 2Nature neuroscience · 2024
- 3Nature neuroscience · 2020
Publications
Funding
Active
13 grants- PIVCID-UMD-26-1518850Arterial hypertension at the crossroad of VCID and ADAlzheimer's Association National Office · 2026–2029
- Co-IR01NS097805-06tPA and cerebrovascular regulation in a model of ß-amyloid pathologyNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2018–2028· 2 renewals
- PIR01NS037853-28Alzheimer Pathology and Neurovascular DysfunctionNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2012–2027· 3 renewals
- PICAF 263649-01ApoE4 and TRPM2 in Border-Associated Macrophages as Key Drivers of Cerebral Amyloid AngiopathyCure Alzheimer’s Fund · 2026–2027
- KPR01NS130045-01Gut Immunity, Neurovascular dysregulation and Cognitive ImpairmentNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2022–2027
- MPIR01NS128947-03High-Speed Imaging of Cortical and White Matter Microvascular Flow in AD/ADRD ModelsNINDS · 2022–2027 · via NIH RePORTER
- PIR01NS095441-10Dietary sodium, neurovascular dysfunction and cerebrovascular riskNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2015–2027· 2 renewals
- Co-IR01NS128034-01Role of prohibitin nitrosylation in its neuroprotective functionsNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2022–2027
- PIR01NS126467-05ApoE4, neurovascular injury and cognitive impairmentNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2022–2027
- PICAF 243348-02Hypertension, tau and neurodegenerationCure Alzheimer’s Fund · 2024–2027
- Co-ICAF 233018-02Tau-induced postsynaptic dysfunction in tauopathy modelsCure Alzheimer’s Fund · 2023–2026
- MPIRF1NS128947-02High-speed imaging of cortical and white matter microvascular flow in ADRD modelsNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2022–2026 · via Cornell University - Ithaca
- KPBF A2023014FNeurovascular and neuronal network dysfunction in tauopathy mouse modelsBrightFocus Foundation · 2023–2026
Completed grants (26)
- Co-IR01HL144541-05MRI Detection of CarotId Plaques as a mecHanism for Embolic strokes of undeteRmined source (MRI DECIPHER)National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · 2019–2025
- KPBFF 221712-01Role of perivascular macrophages in ApoE4-induced neurovascular dysfunctionBrightFocus Foundation · 2022–2025
- Co-IR01NS109588-05Role of CaMKII-alpha ubiquitination in ischemic strokeNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2018–2024
- MPIAHA 899387:Role of perivascular macrophages in ApoE4-induced neurovascular dysfunctionAmerican Heart Association · 2022–2023
- KPK22NS123507-01Neuroimmune Mechanisms of Cognitive Impairment in Salt-sensitive HypertensionNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2021–2023
- KPR01HL135498-04Hypothalamic Cytokines, Glutamate Receptor Plasticity, and Blood PressureNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · 2017–2023
- PIAddgene 696261Addgene 696261Addgene, Inc. · 2022–2023
- PIR37NS089323-07Hypertension and neurovascular dysfunctionNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2015–2023· 2 renewals
- PIR01NS034179-26No Synthase Gene Expression and Cerebral Ischemic DamageNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2012–2023· 2 renewals
- Co-ICAF 211776-01Gut microbiota, endothelial dysfunction and tau-mediated cognitive impairmentCure Alzheimer’s Fund · 2021–2023
- Co-IR56NS067078-11A1Role of prohibitin in ischemic brain injuryNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2020–2022
- PIR01NS100447-05ApoE4 and Mechanisms of Diffuse White Matter InjuryNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2016–2022
- Co-IR01NS095692-03Estrogen Receptor Beta and Mitochondrial Permeability Transition in Ca2+-Induced Neuronal InjuryNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2016–2022
- KP20POST35120063Pathological tau and neurovascular dysfunctionAmerican Heart Association · 2020–2021
- MPIR01AG049952-05Stalled Capillary Flow: A Novel Mechanism for Hypoperfusion in Alzheimer DiseaseNational Institute on Aging · 2015–2021 · via Cornell University - Ithaca
- Co-ICAF 184491-01Dietary Salt, tau phosphorylation and cognitive impairmentCure Alzheimer’s Fund · 2018–2020
- PIR13NS098718-01Alzheimer's Disease Viewed as a Neurovascular Inflammatory DisorderNINDS · 2016–2017 · via NIH RePORTER
- PIR01NS073666-05Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia, Neurovascular Dysfunction and StrokeNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2011–2016
- KPR01HL098351-01A1Menopausal Changes in Hypothalamus and Hypertension SusceptibilityNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · 2011–2016
- KPR01NS067078-03Role of Prohibitin in Ischemic Brain InjuryNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2009–2015
- PIR01NS035806-13Role of COX-2 Gene Expression in Ischemic Brain DamageNINDS · 1997–2011 · via NIH RePORTER
- MPIP01HL018974-30Hypertension, Angiotensin and Neurovascular RegulationNHLBI · 1986–2009 · via NIH RePORTER
- MPIP01NS031318-09NEURAL REGULATION OF MICROVASCULAR BLOOD FLOW IN CEREBELLAR CORTEXNINDS · 1997–2003 · via NIH RePORTER
Honors & distinctions
- Member · Association of American Physicians
News mentions
- Hypertension Affects the Brain Much Earlier than ExpectedNovember 14, 2025
Hypertension impairs blood vessels, neurons and white matter in the brain well before the condition causes a measurable rise in blood pressure, according to a new preclinical study from Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.
- Dr. Teresa Sanchez Awarded the Established Investigator Award from the American Heart AssociationJune 12, 2025
Dr. Teresa Sanchez, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and associate professor of neuroscience in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded the highly competitive Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association.
- Brain Macrophages with ApoE4 Play a Key Role in Damaging Blood Vessels and NeurodegenerationSeptember 18, 2024
A new study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers helps explain why having ApoE4—the gene variant most closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease—increases the risk of neurodegeneration and white matter damage.
- Immune Protein May Induce Dementia Unrelated to High Blood PressureDecember 4, 2023
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have found that controlling high blood pressure may not be enough to prevent associated cognitive declines. The findings point to an immune protein called cytokine IL-17 as a culprit for inducing dementia and suggest new approaches to prevent damage to brain cells.
- New Culprit in Amyloid Beta Accumulation and NeurodegenerationNovember 7, 2023
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have demonstrated how amyloid beta, a peptide associated with Alzheimer’s disease, can interact with a protein receptor on immune cells in the brain triggering a reaction that damages blood vessels and leads to neurodegeneration.
Show 10 more mentions
- Awards and Honors – May 31, 2022May 31, 2022
Awards, honors, prizes and achievements for the month of May.
- Dr. Costantino Iadecola Wins the American Heart Association’s 2021 Basic Research PrizeNovember 3, 2021
Dr. Costantino Iadecola, director and chair of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute and the Anne Parrish Titzell Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded the 2021 Basic Research Prize from the American Heart Association (AHA).
- Salt Sense: Scientists at the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute Investigate the Link Between a High-Sodium Diet and DementiaMarch 18, 2021
On its face, the logic seems straightforward. Eating too much salt can lead to high blood pressure; numerous studies have shown that having hypertension in midlife makes it more likely that you’ll develop certain forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, in later years.
- Mind & Body: From Cognitive Deficits to Stroke, Some COVID Patients Face Serious Neurological SymptomsMarch 4, 2021
Last spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City with full force, Dr. Daniel MacGowan, a neurologist specializing in neuromuscular disease, was asked to consult in a COVID recovery ward.
- In Brief: Understanding the Neurological Complications Linked to COVID-19September 25, 2020
Neurological complications ranging from headache, malaise and loss of smell to confusion and disabling strokes have been a disturbing consequence of COVID-19.
- Alzheimer’s-Related Tau Protein Can Disrupt Blood Flow in the Brain, Long Before Neurodegeneration Sets InAugust 10, 2020
Abnormal forms of a brain-cell protein called tau, which have long been implicated in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders, may contribute to neurodegeneration earlier than was previously understood, by interfering with the normal dynamics of blood flow in the brain.
- Dr. Costantino Iadecola Named Distinguished Scientist by the American Heart AssociationNovember 21, 2019
Dr. Costantino Iadecola, director of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute and the Anne Parrish Titzell Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been recognized as a 2019 Distinguished Scientist by the American Heart Association for his outstanding contributions to cardiovascular, stroke and dementia research.
- High-Salt Diet Promotes Cognitive Impairment Through the Alzheimer-Linked Protein TauOctober 23, 2019
A high-salt diet may negatively affect cognitive function by causing a deficiency of the compound nitric oxide, which is vital for maintaining vascular health in the brain, according to a new study in mice from Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.
- Prior Stroke and Other Cerebrovascular Risk Factors Linked with Parkinson’s DiseaseAugust 29, 2019
Medical conditions and health habits that affect blood flow in the brain—or cerebrovascular risk factors—are associated with a subsequent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.
- Awards and Honors Across Weill Cornell Medicine - February 28, 2019February 28, 2019
Awards, honors, prizes and achievements for the month of February.
Media highlights
- Network Of Tiny Conduits Flushes Fluid From The BrainAlzforum · October 19, 2026
- APOE4 Transforms Pericytes, Trapping Amyloid At Blood VesselsAlzforum · September 28, 2026
- Lecanemab Tells Brain Immune Cells To Call Up Support From PeripheryAlzforum · September 25, 2026
- How Specialized Macrophages Defend The Brain’s BordersAlzforum · August 21, 2026
Mentoring
External relationships
Advisory/Scientific Board Member
Broadview Ventures Inc. · Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research · Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy)
Other
Fondation Leducq