Robyn Honea

Robyn Honea, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at University of Kansas Medical Center. She directs the Neuroimaging Core of the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Brain Imaging and Neurogenetics Lab.

• Doctoral degree from Oxford University via NIMH Graduate Partnerships Award
• Postdoctoral training in Neurology at KU School of Medicine
• Member of Society for Neuroscience, Human Brain Mapping, KU Women and Medicine, and IStaart

Her research focuses on Alzheimer's disease using multidisciplinary approaches combining brain imaging and genetic analysis. Key areas include:

• Mitochondrial genomics (TOMM40, APOE)
• Neuroimaging biomarkers (FDG-PET, fMRI, VBM)
• Lifestyle interventions (exercise, diet studies)
• Neurodegenerative pathways (tau phosphorylation, amyloid accumulation)

From her 15 most recent publications (2025-2023), Dr. Honea's work demonstrates consistent focus on:

• Mitochondrial DNA effects on Alzheimer's pathology
• Genotype-imaging marker associations
• BDNF and GFAP protein interactions
• Exercise and dietary intervention impacts
• Neurofilament light chain analysis
• Multi-omics neurodegeneration research

Dr. Honea mentors across academic levels, including junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, medical trainees, and undergraduate interns. She secures major funding from:

• National Institutes of Aging (K01 award)
• National Institutes of Health (R01 co-I)
• Alzheimer’s Association
• Dana Foundation
• Kansas City Area Life Sciences Initiative
• Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Her laboratory integrates neurogenetics with brain imaging to explore:

• Mitochondrial gene interactions
• Neurovascular coupling
• Metabolic-neurodegenerative links
• Structural-functional connectivity
• Polygenic risk assessment
• Imaging-genomic data fusion