Brice McConnell, MD, PhD

Professional Titles

• Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Assistant Professor

Research Interests

My research interests focus on better understanding changes to brain function in aging and among patients with cognitive problems, including dementia and Alzheimer's disease. I lead a research program within the University of Colorado Alzheimer's and Cognition Center with a goal to develop methods that can detect brain changes very early in Alzheimer's disease, prior to the development of cognitive or memory symptoms. I also work with members of our research team to develop and test new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. Ongoing projects in my lab include: 1) development of digital biomarkers for "wearable" devices that detect abnormal brain aging and early neurodegenerative disease risk, 2) assessment of the neuroprotective properties of sleep in the context of aging and neurodegenerative disease, and 3) integrating age-related changes in brain communication to molecular phenotypes that precede the development of classic neurodegenerative pathology.

Publications

• McConnell BV, Kaplan RI, Teale PD, Kronberg E, Broussard JL, Guzetti JR, Sillau SH, Dhanasekaran AR, Kluger BM, Berman BD. Feasibility of home-based automated transcranial electrical stimulation during slow wave sleep. Brain Stimul. 2019 May - Jun;12(3):813-815. PubMed PMID: 30819658
• McConnell, Brice V., et al. "The Aging Slow Wave: A Shifting Amalgam of Distinct Slow Wave and Spindle Coupling Subtypes Define Slow Wave Sleep Across the Human Lifespan." bioRxiv (2020).
• Bettcher BM, Olson KE, Carlson NE, McConnell BV, Boyd T, Adame V, Solano DA, Anton P, Markham N, Thaker AA, Jensen AM, Dallmann EN, Potter H, Coughlan C. Astrogliosis and episodic memory in late life: higher GFAP is related to worse memory and white matter microstructure in healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2021 Jul;103:68-77. PubMed PMID: 33845398
• McConnell BV, Kronberg E, Teale PD, Sillau SH, Fishback GM, Kaplan RI, Fought AJ, Dhanasekaran AR, Berman BD, Ramos AR, McClure RL, Bettcher BM. The Aging Slow Wave: A Shifting Amalgam of Distinct Slow Wave and Spindle Coupling Subtypes Define Slow Wave Sleep Across the Human Lifespan. Sleep. 2021 May 17. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33999194
• Holden SK, Pelak VS, Sooy T, Heffernan KS, McConnell BV, Pressman PS, Bettcher BM. Development of the Colorado posterior cortical questionnaire within an Alzheimer's disease study cohort. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2022 Apr;44(3):226-236. PubMed PMID: 35913095
• McConnell BV, Kronberg E, Medenblik LM, Kheyfets VO, Ramos AR, Sillau SH, Pulver RL, Bettcher BM. The Rise and Fall of Slow Wave Tides: Vacillations in Coupled Slow Wave/Spindle Pairing Shift the Composition of Slow Wave Activity in Accordance With Depth of Sleep. Front Neurosci. 2022;16:915934. PubMed PMID: 35812239
• Pulver RL, Kronberg E, Medenblik LM, Kheyfets VO, Ramos AR, Holtzman DM, Morris JC, Toedebusch CD, Sillau SH, Bettcher BM, Lucey BP, McConnell BV. Mapping sleep's oscillatory events as a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Aug 23. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 37610059
• Thaker AA, McConnell BV, Rogers DM, Carlson NE, Coughlan C, Jensen AM, Lopez-Paniagua D, Holden SK, Pressman PS, Pelak VS, Filley CM, Potter H, Solano DA, Heffernan KS, Bettcher BM. Astrogliosis, neuritic microstructure, and sex effects: GFAP is an indicator of neuritic orientation in women. Brain Behav Immun. 2023 Oct;113:124-135. PubMed PMID: 37394144
• Pulver RL, Kronberg E, Medenblik LM, Kheyfets VO, Ramos AR, Holtzman DM, Morris JC, Toedebusch CD, Sillau SH, Bettcher BM, Lucey BP, McConnell BV. Mapping Sleep's Oscillatory Events as a Biomarker of Alzheimer's Disease. bioRxiv. 2023 Feb 16. PubMed PMID: 36824720

Practice Locations

UCHealth Neurosciences Center - Anschutz Medical Campus
1635 Aurora Ct
4th Floor
Aurora, CO 80045
720-848-2080

CU Memory Disorders Clinic - Central Park
3055 Roslyn Street
Suite 120
Denver, CO 80238
720-848-2080

Hospital Affiliation

• University of Colorado Hospital
• Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Center Affiliations

• Alzheimer's Disease Research and Clinical Center

Specialty Information

Specialties

• Neurology, Board Certification (2016)
• Behavioral Neurology