Associated Lab Members
Dr. Silky Pahlajani is an assistant professor of behavioral neurology in the department of radiology, and an attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Her primary focus is neurodegenerative disorders, specifically Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and autoimmune antibody-mediated encephalitis, including N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, leucine-rich glioma-inactivated/contactin-associated protein-2 (LGI-I/CASPR2) antibody, and glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD-65) antibody, etc. In 2015, Dr. Pahlajani completed her residency training at New York Medical College, where she also served as chief resident. She subsequently completed two fellowships: behavioral neurology/neuropsychiatry at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune disorders at Lenox Hill Hospital, prior to joining the Weill Cornell Memory Disorders Program in September 2017.
When she first joined the Weill Cornell Memory Disorders Program in 2017, Dr. Pahlajani evaluated patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Lewy Body disease and other cognitive disorders. She participated in AD clinical trials including Biogen’s 221AD302: A Phase III trial of aducanumab in mild cognitive impairment due to AD.
Her interest in exploring potential etiopathological mechanisms, and risk factors, contributing to early stages of cognitive impairment prompted a transition to clinical research in AD at the Brain Health Imaging Institute (BHII), directed by Dr. Mony de Leon. Dr. Pahlajani performs neurological assessments for several AD projects. She is the co-director of BHII Clinical Core Operations. Her studies range from investigating various targets for early detection and monitoring of AD using magnetic resonance imaging/positron emission tomography (MRI/PET) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma biomarkers (like inflammation-associated microRNAs), to investigating the role of hypertension and CSF in clearance in AD pathology. She also researches brain amyloid dynamics after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Other promising projects include a multi-site clinical trial, LeUprolide plus Cholinesterase Inhibition to reduce Neurological Decline in Alzheimer's (LUCINDA), which utilizes cognitive endpoints to assess whether administration of Lupron, in conjunction with a cholinesterase inhibitor, can reduce cognitive decline in AD.
Dr. Pahlajani is also a part of the Weill Cornell Women’s Brain Initiative (WBI), directed by Dr. Lisa Mosconi. The mission of the WBI is to understand how sex differences affect brain aging and risk of AD—focusing on the relationship between menopause in women and increased risk of developing AD later in life.
Listen to Dr. Pahlajani’s recent Women’s Brain Health podcast on the Women's Brain Health website.
Dr. Silky Pahlajani is an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry in the department of neurology at Weill Cornell. She is also an Assistant Attending at New-York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She has training in autoimmune/neuroinflammatory brain disorders including...
Dr. Silky Pahlajani discusses Alzheimer's disease: the definition, risk factors, signs and symptoms, diagnostic/confirmation testing, and who can be affected. Learn what is known about prevention, how the condition is currently treated, and what future treatments might become available.
