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.

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.