Thor Stein

Background

Dr. Stein completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin- Madison where he earned his MD and PhD (neuroscience) degrees. He completed residency training in pathology and fellowship training in neuropathology at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2011 he became Assistant Professor of Pathology at Boston University School of Medicine.

Research Interests

Dr. Stein’s research interests involve the study of neurodegenerative diseases, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He studies the role of trauma in the development and acceleration of multiple types of neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Stein is the Principle Investigator on numerous grants, including a VA Merit Award on the role of traumatic brain injury in the development of AD and CTE as well as multiple R01s focused on determining the link between epigenetic modifications, lipidomic profiles, and pathological changes in the brain as they relate to cognitive decline. He is Project PI of an NIH U54 grant aimed at determining the role of repetitive head impacts in the development of multiple neurodegenerative pathologies. He has published extensively on the development and modeling of age- and trauma-related neuropathologies. He uses sophisticated statistical modeling to examine the effect of head injury exposure on beta-amyloid and tau deposition in the brain as well as the role of modifiers such as age and common genetic polymorphisms.

CTE Center & ADRC Role

Dr. Stein is the Co-Leader of the Neuropathology Core for Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research and CTE Center. He performs neuropathological workups and diagnoses and is also a neuropathologist for numerous other brain banks, including Framingham Heart Study, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) National ALS Biorepository, as well as the National Veterans Administration ALS, Gulf War Veterans Illnesses, and PTSD biorepositories.

Awards and Memberships

Dr. Stein has won multiple awards, including the American Association of Neuropathologists Moore Award and the Asao Hirano Award. He is a member of the American Association of Neuropathologists and College of American Pathologists. He is an editorial board member of Scientific Reports and the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology.  

Recent Publications

For a full list of publications click here.

• Hsieh T, Vaickus MH, Stein TD, Lussier BL, Kim J, Stepien DM, Duffy ER, Chiswick EL, Remick DG. The Role of Substance P in Pulmonary Clearance of Bacteria in Comparative Injury Models. Am J Pathol. 2016 Dec; 186(12):3236-3245. PMID: 27876152.
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• Cherry JD, Tripodis Y, Alvarez VE, Huber B, Kiernan PT, Daneshvar DH, Mez J, Montenigro PH, Solomon TM, Alosco ML, Stern RA, McKee AC, Stein TD. Microglial neuroinflammation contributes to tau accumulation in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2016 Oct 28; 4(1):112. PMID: 27793189.
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• Alosco ML, Mez J, Kowall NW, Stein TD, Goldstein LE, Cantu RC, Katz DI, Solomon TM, Kiernan PT, Murphy L, Abdolmohammadi B, Daneshvar D, Montenigro PH, Nowinski CJ, Stern RA, McKee AC. Cognitive Reserve as a Modifier of Clinical Expression in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: A Preliminary Examination. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2016 Aug 19; appineuropsych16030043. PMID: 27539377.
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• Armstrong RA, McKee AC, Stein TD, Alvarez VE, Cairns NJ. A quantitative study of tau pathology in eleven cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 2016 Mar 21. PMID: 26998921.
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• Mez J, Solomon TM, Daneshvar DH, Stein TD, McKee AC. Pathologically Confirmed Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in a 25-Year-Old Former College Football Player. JAMA Neurol. 2016 Mar; 73(3):353-5. PMID: 26747562.
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• Huber BR, Alosco ML, Stein TD, McKee AC. Potential Long-Term Consequences of Concussive and Subconcussive Injury. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2016 May; 27(2):503-11. PMID: 27154859.
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• Kanaan NM, Cox K, Alvarez VE, Stein TD, Poncil S, McKee AC. Characterization of Early Pathological Tau Conformations and Phosphorylation in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2016 Jan; 75(1):19-34. PMID: 26671985.
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• McKee AC, Cairns NJ, Dickson DW, Folkerth RD, Keene CD, Litvan I, Perl DP, Stein TD, Vonsattel JP, Stewart W, Tripodis Y, Crary JF, Bieniek KF, Dams-O’Connor K, Alvarez VE, Gordon WA. The first NINDS/NIBIB consensus meeting to define neuropathological criteria for the diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol. 2016 Jan; 131(1):75-86. PMID: 26667418.
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