Kristen L. Zuloaga

Kristen L. Zuloaga, PhD is a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics department at Albany Medical College. Her research focuses on understanding how sex, aging, and sex hormones influence vascular and metabolic contributions to dementia, with a particular emphasis on developing sex-specific therapeutic strategies to improve cognitive function. Dr. Zuloaga's work integrates neurovascular biology, endocrinology, and neuroimmunology to address sex differences in Alzheimer's disease and vascular cognitive impairment.

• 2017 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Neural Stem Cell Institute
• 2014 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Colorado State University
• 2011 PhD, Oregon Health & Science University

Her recent publications highlight collaborations in sex-specific neuroinflammatory responses, metabolic-neurological interactions, and neuroprotective hormone therapies. Key findings demonstrate how menopause and high-fat diets synergistically impair cognition in mouse models, with distinct vascular and metabolic mechanisms.

Scientific awards include major NIH grants ($4M and $8M) supporting research into age-related neurological diseases. She leads the Zuloaga Lab, which investigates the intersection of hormonal transitions, metabolic health, and cerebrovascular function in dementia pathogenesis.