Title(s)
- Research Biologist, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Pittsburgh Healthcare System
- Co-Director, Neuropathology Core, Alzheimer Disease Research Center
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Ikonomovic’s primary research interests are aging and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), focusing on the mechanisms underlying selective neuronal vulnerability in relation to neuropathology changes and cognitive impairment. These clinical-pathological studies have provided insight into neurotransmitter-specific synaptic changes during mild cognitive impairment and early AD dementia. His research also addresses development and neuropathological validation of novel positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands and blood biomarkers for in vivo detection of pathological protein changes in AD and related disorders characterized clinically by dementia. Dr. Ikonomovic’s laboratory also conducts preclinical and translational research on traumatic brain injury as a risk factor for developing AD later in life, with a goal of identifying novel targets for therapies to improve neurological recovery after brain trauma. Dr. Ikonomovic has published over 150 original peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, review articles, and book chapters. The work in his research lab has been supported by grants from federal agencies (NIH, VA), private foundations, and pharmaceutical companies.
Education & Training
- MD, University of Nis School of Medicine, Yugoslavia
- Research Fellow, Fidia-Georgetown University, Washington DC, Neurosciences
Specialized Areas of Clinical, Research and/or Educational Interests
- Research: Synapse and neurotransmitter dysfunction in aging and Alzheimer’s disease; Chronic effects of traumatic brain injury and neuropathological links with Alzheimer’s disease; Development and validation of PET ligands for in vivo detection of amyloid, tau, and alpha-synuclein aggregates and synaptic changes
- Clinical: Translational neuroscience research
- Education: Mentoring junior faculty, postdoctoral research fellows, medical students, and undergraduate students
Professional Organization Membership
- American Academy of Neurology
- International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment
- Society for Neuroscience
Honors & Awards
- Fellow, American Academy of Neurology
- The Christopher Clark Award for continuing advancement in the field of human amyloid imaging
Selected Recent Publications
Islam T, Hill E, Abrahamson EE, Servaes S, Smirnov DS, Zeng X, Sehrawat A, Chen Y, Kac PR, Kvartsberg H, Olsson M, Sjons E, Gonzalez-Ortiz F, Therriault J, Tissot C, Del Popolo I, Rahmouni N, Richardson A, Mitchell V, Zetterberg H, Pascoal TA, Lashley T, Wall MJ, Galasko D, Rosa-Neto P, Ikonomovic MD, Blennow K, Karikari TK. Phospho-tau serine-262 and serine-356 as biomarkers of pre-tangle soluble tau assemblies in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Med. 2025 Feb;31(2):574-588. PMID: 39930142
Mi Z, Abrahamson EE, Ryu AY, Malek-Ahmadi M, Kofler JK, Fish KN, Sweet RA, Villemagne VL, Schneider JA, Mufson EJ, Ikonomovic MD. Vesicular glutamate transporter changes in the cortical default mode network during the clinical and pathological progression of Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2023;94(1):227-246. PMID: 37212097.
Clark AT, Abrahamson EE, Harper MM, Ikonomovic MD. Chronic effects of blast injury on the microvasculature in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease related Aβ amyloidosis. Fluids Barriers CNS. 2022 Jan 10;19(1):5. PMID: 35012589.
Abrahamson EE, Kofler JK, Becker CR, Price JC, Newell KL, Ghetti B, Murrell JR, McLean CA, Lopez OL, Mathis CA, Klunk WE, Villemagne VL, Ikonomovic MD. 11C-PiB PET can underestimate brain amyloid-β burden when cotton wool plaques are numerous. Brain. 2022 Jun 30;145(6):2161-2176. PMID: 34918018.
Pivtoraiko VN, Racic T, Abrahamson EE, Villemagne VL, Handen BL, Lott IT, Head E, Ikonomovic MD. Postmortem neocortical 3H-PiB binding and levels of unmodified and pyroglutamate Aβ in Down syndrome and sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci. 2021 Aug 13;13:728739. PMID: 34489686.
Abrahamson EE, Stehouwer JS, Vazquez AL, Huang GF, Mason NS, Lopresti BJ, Klunk WE, Mathis CA, Ikonomovic MD. Development of a PET radioligand selective for cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Nucl Med Biol. 2021 Jan;92:85-96. PMID: 32471773.
Abrahamson EE, Ikonomovic MD. Brain injury-induced dysfunction of the blood brain barrier as a risk for dementia. Exp Neurol. 2020 Jun;328:113257. PMID: 32092298.
