Sydney Nagy

Program: Neurosciences

Current advisor: Tammie L.S. Benzinger, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: Stanford University, 2023

Enrollment year: 2024

Research summary
My research focuses on the use of clinical multimodal molecular imaging (PET/MR/CT) to better understand, diagnose, and treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer disease.

The Benzinger Lab uses novel positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images to investigate biomarkers in aging and very early neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer disease (AD) is preceded by at least a decade of clinically silent brain changes (termed “preclinical AD”) that ultimately result in declines in memory and thinking. My projects use novel brain MR and PET imaging tests to examine structural and molecular changes during the stages of preclinical and clinical AD.

Graduate publications
Madani Neishaboori A, Agarwal M, Kalinsky A, Lofaso JP, Rampilla G, Kras EA, Nagy SC, Cooper JG, Ai S, Zhang CK, Friedrichsen K, Brier M, Chaney AM. 2026 Evaluating the Clinical Utility of TSPO-PET in MS and the Influence of Methodological Heterogeneity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm, 13(6):e200658. PMCID: PMC13626720