Miranka Wirth

Dr. Miranka Wirth serves as Group Leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Dresden, Germany, where she directs translational research on brain aging and Alzheimer's disease prevention. Her work integrates collaborations with TU Dresden's Faculty of Psychology, DZNE Magdeburg, UCL London, INSERM Caen, and McGill University to advance multimodal approaches for neuroprotection.

Her research program centers on three interconnected pillars:

• Characterizing brain vulnerability through vascular, structural, and functional neuroimaging biomarkers
• Investigating neurobiological mechanisms of protective lifestyle factors including physical/cognitive activity
• Developing dance-based movement, musical, and mindfulness interventions for at-risk older adults

This work leverages large-scale datasets (ADNI, DELCODE) to translate environmental enrichment principles into human applications for promoting brain plasticity.

Dr. Wirth's team actively engages in public outreach through the DD-Concept Scientific Area Network 'Processes of Ageing' and the European 'Medit-Ageing' consortium, directly communicating research findings to older populations to encourage participation in prevention studies and disseminate healthy aging strategies.