Dr. Milner Receives 5-Year, R01 Grant

Congratulations to SDBRI’s very own Richard Milner, Ph.D. for receiving a 5 year, R01 grant from the National Institute of Health to continue his ongoing research on neurological disease! Dr. Milner’s research will focus on the vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) which can arise after a stroke and is the second leading cause of dementia.

Dr. Milner aims to test: 1) if low oxygen levels (hypoxia) will trigger vascular leak and micro-hemorrhaging in the brain leading to cognitive decline and how age, hypertension, and gender influence this, 2) whether immune cells in the brain (microglia) protect against vascular disruption, and 3) whether manipulation of microglial activation state can reduce hypoxia-induced vascular leak. By answering these questions, Dr. Milner aims to inform on the therapeutic potential of manipulating microglial behavior to reduce cognitive impairment.