Edward Zamrini, M.D.

Professor of Neurology
Director of Clinical Trials, Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging and Research (CACIR)
Member, The Brain Institute at The University of Utah

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Improving Alzheimer’s Treatments

As Director of Clinical Trials at the University of Utah Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging and Research (CACIR), Dr. Zamrini leads the way in testing promising new treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. He has gained a broad expertise through over 20 years of clinical experience with Alzheimer's, and as an investigator in more than 50 clinical studies.

Detecting Alzheimer's before symptoms appear is one of Dr. Zamrini's primary goals. "Research into early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention can help us to lessen the impact of the disease and, ultimately, delay or prevent it," he says. He urges people not to wait if they suspect that something is awry, because early diagnosis can enable application of more effective therapies and management.

Academic History

In 2006, Dr. Zamrini joined the University of Utah Department of Neurology, where he is also Director of Clinical Trials at the Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging and Research (CACIR). He is an active member of the Brain Institute at the University of Utah.

Dr. Zamrini received his M.D. from the University of Beirut in Lebanon. After his internship at the Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, he completed his residency at New York's North Shore University Hospital, where he was chief resident of Neurology. Dr. Zamrini completed fellowships in Epilepsy and in Neurogeriatrics and Behavioral Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, before going on to direct the Geriatric Neuropsychiatry Program at Augusta's VA Medical Center.

Prior to joining the University of Utah in 2006, Dr. Zamrini served as Director of the Clinical and Information Transfer Cores of the NIH-funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dr. Zamrini is an affiliate of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS), a national research consortium funded by the NIA to conduct multi-center studies. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, American College of Physicians, and New York Academy of Sciences. He is actively involved in the Salt Lake community, and participates in educational programs offered by the Alzheimer's Association, AARP, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and Brain Institute at the University of Utah.

Research Interests

Dr. Zamrini's research has focused primarily on clinical drug trials, imaging studies using PET and MEG, and the clinical features and pathophysiology of Alzheimer's and related neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Zamrini and his colleagues are currently studying novel compounds to aid in early detection and measuring the extent of disease. He is also involved in numerous ongoing clinical drug trials, which explore new therapies in various stages of the disease.

Click here to view Dr. Zamrini's NIH Biosketch.

Selected Publications

• Zamrini E, McGwin G, Roseman JM. (2004). Association between statin use and Alzheimer's disease. Neuroepidemiology, 23(1-2), 94-8.
• Zamrini E, Parrish JA, Parsons D, Harrell LE. (2004). Medical comorbidity in black and white patients with Alzheimer's disease. South Med J, 97(1), 2-6.
• Zamrini E, De Santi S, Tolar M. (2004). Imaging is superior to cognitive testing for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging, 25(5), 685-91.
• Zamrini EY. (2006). Emerging Drug Therapies for Dementia. Geriatrics and Aging, 9(2), 107,110-113.
• Rahman A, Baker PS, Allman RM, Zamrini E. (2007). Dietary Factors And Cognitive Impairment In Community-Dwelling Elderly. Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, 11(1), 49-54.
• Okonkwo OC, Griffith HR, Copeland JN, Belue K, Lanza S, Zamrini EY, Harrell LE, Brockington JC, Clark D, Raman R, Marson DC. (2008). Medical decision-making capacity in mild cognitive impairment: a 3-year longitudinal study. Neurology, 71(19), 1474-80.
• Zamrini E. (2004). Alzheimer's Disease [Book Chapter]. In Faught RE (Ed), Year in Neurology, 2004. Oxford, Clinical Publishing Services.
• Zamrini EY, Quicino M. (2009). Other Dementias [Book Chapter]. In Weiner MF, Lipton AM (Eds.), The Dementias: Diagnosis, Treatment and Research. Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

View a more complete list of Dr. Zamrini's publications here, at PubMed.