Alaina Reagan, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

I am interested in understanding how age, exercise, and genomic factors influence cerebrovascular function in Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.

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Contact me at: 207-288-6000

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About Alaina Reagan, Ph.D.

Often dementia presents with a cerebrovascular component that contributes to the development of the disease. However, this area of research is understudied because few mouse models represent vascular decline in a way that mimics the human disease. Using the Howell lab's expertise in mouse genetics and my background in vascular biology, we are testing whether genetic perturbations in vascular development increase the risk for cognitive impairment and dementia with age. Additionally, we are interested in how exercise influences cerebrovascular reserve, and if its implementation reduces risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Search MagazineJune 18, 2019
Connected through Science
When Isabelle Chen, a senior at The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Conn., met Ann Bresnahan ‘69 during a science alumnae panel discussion at Bresnahan’s 50-year high school reunion, the two knew that they shared a passion for science.
Search MagazineMay 22, 2019
JAX scientists speak out on the crisis of opioid addiction
JAX scientists are intensifying their efforts to shed light on the genetic and neurobiological causes of addiction, along with the impact of environmental influences.
Research HighlightMay 14, 2019
Big data and aging mechanisms
Advances in data resource aggregation and analytics will enable the research community to readily identify convergent molecular evidence for novel mechanisms of aging and other health and disease-related processes.
- Aging
- Aging
Research HighlightApril 11, 2019
Mechanisms of sound perception
A new paper in PNAS offers new insights into the proteins that influence our ability to perceive sound direction and intensity.

Tech CornerJune 17, 2019
The genome of Eve (the mouse)
C57BL/6—aka Black 6—is the most widely used mouse strain in research. Its reference genome was published in 2003 and has been carefully curated over the years since.
Research HighlightMay 20, 2019
Revealing cellular traits, one cell at a time
Scientists have developed an expanded toolkit that enables investigations of cellular traits at the single cell level at an unprecedented level of detail.
Press ReleaseApril 16, 2019
A thorough characterization of structural variants in human genomes
A recent study used multiple advanced technologies to dive deeper into the human genome than ever before to comprehensively characterize the structural variants present in three families, and what their functional consequences might be.
Press ReleaseApril 01, 2019
Premature cellular aging and multiple sclerosis
Research led by the UConn School of Medicine and JAX shows that senescence, a cellular aging process, is associated with an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis (MS). The finding explains a mechanism for MS disease progression as well as indicating a promising avenue for therapy development.
- Multiple sclerosis
- Aging

Alaina Reagan, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

About Alaina Reagan, Ph.D.

Education and experience

Education

Experience

Connected through Science

JAX scientists speak out on the crisis of opioid addiction

Big data and aging mechanisms

Mechanisms of sound perception

The genome of Eve (the mouse)

Revealing cellular traits, one cell at a time

A thorough characterization of structural variants in human genomes

Premature cellular aging and multiple sclerosis