Leah R. Hanson, PhD
Senior Director, Neuroscience Research, and Senior Investigator, HealthPartners Institute
About

Education and training: PhD, neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Overview/research interests: The prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders; how lifestyle changes, including exercise of the body and mind, can prevent memory loss associated with aging.

Current research activities and funding: The Minnesota Memory Project.
Overview
geographic focus
  • Minnesota  State or Province
    • Affiliation
    positions
    Publications While At HealthPartners
    selected publications
    Journal Article
  • Confidence in diagnosing and managing care for cognitive impairment in primary care: a survey comparing barriers by primary care clinician type. 
    Family Practice. 2024
  • Identifying racial and ethnic disparities in acute inpatient rehabilitation. 
    Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2024
  • Implementation of a clinic-based yoga program for chronic pain. 
    Pain Management Nursing. 2024
  • Improving access to yoga for chronic pain in a Spanish-speaking community: a quality improvement initiative. 
    Pain Management Nursing. 2024
  • Implementation and review of the care ecosystem in an integrated healthcare system. 
    BMC Geriatrics. 2023
  • Potentially preventable readmissions after acute inpatient rehabilitation. 
    American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2023
  • Stroke characteristics in a cohort of Hmong American patients. 
    Journal of the American Heart Association. 2023
  • A phase II, single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety and therapeutic efficacy of intranasal glulisine in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and probable mild Alzheimer's disease. 
    Drugs and Aging. 2021
  • Barriers to achieving target door-to-needle time in patients treated with IV thrombolysis. 
    Healthc Res J. 2021
  • Losartan improves memory, neurogenesis and cell motility in transgenic Alzheimer's mice. 
    Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2021
  • Nasal oxytocin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders and pain: achieving meaningful brain concentrations. 
    Translational psychiatry. 2021
  • Double-blind placebo-controlled pilot investigation of the safety of a single dose of rapid-acting intranasal insulin in Down syndrome. 
    Drugs in R&D. 2020
  • Intranasal deferoxamine can improve memory in healthy C57 mice, suggesting a partially non-disease-specific pathway of functional neurologic improvement. 
    Brain and behavior. 2020
  • Intranasal delivery of low-dose insulin ameliorates motor dysfunction and dopaminergic cell death in a 6-OHDA rat model of Parkinson's Disease. 
    Neuroscience Letters. 2020
  • Transforming dementia care through pragmatic clinical trials embedded in learning healthcare systems. 
    Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2020
  • Feasibility trial of a 10-week adaptive yoga intervention developed for chronic pain patients. 
    Pain Management Nursing. 2019
  • From A to D: a unique case report of recovery after longitudinal myelitis related to lupus. 
    American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2019
  • Intranasal coadministration of a diazepam prodrug with a converting enzyme results in rapid absorption of diazepam in rats. 
    Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2019
  • Quantifying intranasally administered deferoxamine in rat brain tissue with mass spectrometry. 
    ACS Chemical Neuroscience. 2019
  • Solitary bone plasmacytoma compression injury disguised as back pain: a case report
    2019
  • Unique case report of a meningeal sarcoma arising during ongoing treatment for progressing intraparenchymal glioma
    2019
  • Pharmacokinetics in rat of P8, a peptide drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: stability and delivery to the brain. 
    Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports. 2018
  • Rescue therapies for seizure emergencies: new modes of administration. 
    Epilepsia. 2018
  • Screening positive for cognitive impairment: impact on healthcare utilization and provider action in primary and specialty care practices. 
    Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2018
  • Intranasal adeno-associated virus mediated gene delivery and expression of human iduronidase in the central nervous system: a noninvasive and effective approach for prevention of neurologic disease in mucopolysaccharidosis Type I. 
    Human Gene Therapy. 2017
  • Intranasal deferoxamine affects memory loss, oxidation, and the insulin pathway in the streptozotocin rat model of Alzheimer's disease. 
    Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2017
  • Intranasal delivery of a novel amnion cell secretome prevents neuronal damage and preserves function in a mouse multiple sclerosis model. 
    Scientific Reports. 2017
  • Oxytocin enhances observational fear in mice. 
    Nature communications. 2017
  • Research priorities to advance the health and health care of older adults with multiple chronic conditions. 
    Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2017
  • Food consumption and activity levels increase in rats following intranasal Hypocretin-1. 
    Neuroscience Letters. 2016
  • Routine cognitive screening in a neurology practice: effect on physician behavior. 
    Neurology. Clinical practice. 2016
  • Can biomarkers differentiate pain and no pain subgroups of nonverbal children with cerebral palsy? A preliminary investigation based on noninvasive saliva sampling. 
    Pain Medicine. 2015
  • Intranasal deferoxamine engages multiple pathways to decrease memory loss in the APP/PS1 model of amyloid accumulation. 
    Neuroscience Letters. 2015
  • . 2008;157:908-25]. 
    Neuroscience. 2014
  • . 2012 Jan 11;8:3]. 
    Molecular Pain. 2014
  • A single-dose pilot trial of intranasal rapid-acting insulin in apolipoprotein e4 carriers with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease. 
    CNS drugs. 2014
  • Intranasally-administered deferoxamine mitigates toxicity of 6-OHDA in a rat model of Parkinsons disease. 
    Brain Research. 2014
  • Intranasal administration of CNS therapeutics to awake mice. 
    Journal of visualized experiments. 2013
  • Mindfulness-based stress reduction for family caregivers: a randomized controlled trial. 
    The Gerontologist. 2013
  • Comparison of central versus peripheral delivery of pregabalin in neuropathic pain states: . 
    Molecular Pain. 2012
  • Intranasal deferoxamine improves performance in radial arm water maze, stabilizes HIF-1alpha, and phosphorylates GSK3beta in P301L tau transgenic mice. 
    Experimental Brain Research. 2012
  • Intranasal delivery of deferoxamine reduces spatial memory loss in APP/PS1 mice. 
    Drug delivery and translational research. 2012
  • Intranasal delivery of growth differentiation factor 5 to the central nervous system. 
    Drug delivery. 2012
  • Intranasal delivery of insulin via the olfactory nerve pathway. 
    Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 2012
  • Intranasal delivery of siRNA to the olfactory bulbs of mice via the olfactory nerve pathway. 
    Neuroscience Letters. 2012
  • Lysosomal enzyme can bypass the blood-brain barrier and reach the CNS following intranasal administration. 
    Molecular Genetics and Metabolism. 2012
  • Subacute intranasal administration of tissue plasminogen activator increases functional recovery and axonal remodeling after stroke in rats. 
    Neurobiology of Disease. 2012
  • Intranasal phosphoramidon increases beta-amyloid levels in wild-type and NEP/NEP2-deficient mice. 
    Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. 2011
  • Motor end plate innervation loss in diabetes and the role of insulin. 
    Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. 2011
  • Recruiting and retaining family caregivers to a randomized controlled trial on mindfulness-based stress reduction. 
    Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2011
  • Intranasal delivery of neurotrophic factors BDNF, CNTF, EPO, and NT-4 to the CNS. 
    Journal of Drug Targeting. 2010
  • Protective effects of intranasal losartan in the APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer disease. 
    Rejuvenation research. 2010
  • Trigeminal pathways deliver a low molecular weight drug from the nose to the brain and orofacial structures. 
    Molecular Pharmaceutics. 2010
  • Intranasal deferoxamine provides increased brain exposure and significant protection in rat ischemic stroke. 
    Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2009
  • Intranasal drug targeting of hypocretin-1 (orexin-A) to the central nervous system. 
    Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2009
  • Novel vasoconstrictor formulation to enhance intranasal targeting of neuropeptide therapeutics to the central nervous system. 
    Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2009
  • Delivery of interferon-beta to the monkey nervous system following intranasal administration. 
    Neuroscience. 2008
  • Intranasal tat alters gene expression in the mouse brain J Neuroimmune Pharmacol
    2007
  • Intranasal administration of interferon beta bypasses the blood-brain barrier to target the central nervous system and cervical lymph nodes: a non-invasive treatment strategy for multiple sclerosis. 
    Journal of Neuroimmunology. 2004
  • The window of opportunity for treatment of focal cerebral ischemic damage with noninvasive intranasal insulin-like growth factor-I in rats. 
    Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases. 2004
    • Editorial Article
  • The AGING Initiative experience: a call for sustained support for team science networks [editorial]. 
    Health research policy and systems.  16. 2018
    • Conference Paper
  • Changes in physical activity and nutrition in a behavioral intervention pilot study: Passport to Brain Wellness
    2010
  • Improvement of spatial memory in aged APP/PS1 mice with intranasal administration of deferoxamine
    2007
    • Conference Poster
  • Outcomes of an embedded resource and education program for patients and families with memory loss [poster]
    2017
  • Performance on cognitive screening is associated with increased retrospective healthcare utilization [poster]
    2015
  • Pharmacokinetics of a diazepam prodrug/enzyme combination following nasal administration in rats for treatment of seizure emergencies [poster]
    2015
  • Routine cognitive screening in a neurology practice: impact on physician behavior [poster]
    2015
  • The Minnesota Memory Project: baseline data from a longitudinal observational study of aging [poster]
    2015
  • Failure on cognitive screening predicts increased healthcare utilization [poster]
    2014
  • Routine cognitive screening in a general neurology clinic: impact on physician behavior [poster]
    2014
  • Detection of deferoxamine using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization [poster]
    2013
  • Intranasally administered deferoxamine induces neuroprotection in a 6-OHDA model of Parkinson's disease [poster]
    2013
  • Lavender essential oil improved sleep in residents of a memory care assisted living facility [poster]
    2013
  • The effect of intranasal rapid acting insulin on ApoE4 carriers with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease [poster]
    2013
  • Feasibility of the mini-cog as a standardized cognitive screen in HealthPartners patients aged 70 and older [poster]
    2012
  • Intranasal deferoxamine treatment in a rat model of Parkinsons disease: preliminary results [poster]
    2012
  • Pedicle screw fixation in cervical trauma [poster]
    2012
  • Specific types of memory complaints may provide an early warning sign of cognitive impairment in community dwelling older adults [poster]
    2012
  • The 6th Vital Sign Project: does cognitive screening in the elderly population improve clinical care [poster]?
    2012
  • Tractography of the human cervical spine nerve roots [poster]
    2012
  • Nasal delivery of lidocaine decreases carrageenan-induced orofacial pain [poster]
    2011
  • Changes in cognitive function and plasma biomarkers in a pilot trial of a multi-domain intervention to prevent cognitive decline [poster]
    2010
  • Clinical features of autopsy confirmed cases of early and late onset Alzheimer's disease [poster]
    2010
  • Intranasal deferoxamine improves memory and decreases GSK3B activity in C57 mice [poster]
    2010
  • Intranasal lidocaine blocks orofacial pain with few behavioral side effects [poster]
    2010
  • MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) for caregivers of people with dementia: the Balance Study [poster]
    2010
  • The Minnesota Memory Project [poster]
    2010
    • Review
  • Brain glucose hypometabolism and iron accumulation in different brain regions in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases [review]. 
    Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2022
  • Mechanisms of intranasal deferoxamine in neurodegenerative and neurovascular disease [review]. 
    Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2021
  • Intranasal insulin: a treatment strategy for addiction [review]. 
    Neurotherapeutics. 2020
  • Oxytocin and migraine headache [review]. 
    Headache. 2017
  • Intranasal treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and stroke [review]. 
    Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition). 2012
  • Intranasal delivery to the central nervous system: mechanisms and experimental considerations [review]. 
    Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2010
  • Intranasal delivery bypasses the blood-brain barrier to target therapeutic agents to the central nervous system and treat neurodegenerative disease [review]. 
    BMC Neuroscience. 2008
  • Strategies for intranasal delivery of therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of neuroAIDS [review article] J NeuroImmune Pharmacol
    2007
  • Strategies for intranasal delivery of therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of neuroAIDS [review]. 
    Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology. 2007
    • Abstract
  • IMPACT Learning Health Network: transforming care through embedded pragmatic clinical trials in health care settings that serve people with dementia [abstract]. 
    Journal of patient-centered research and reviews. 2021
  • The NIA IMPACT Collaboratory: transforming dementia care rhrough embedded pragmatic clinical trials [abstract]
    2020
  • Implementation of a mindfulness based dementia-care program within a healthcare system [abstract]. 
    Innovation in aging. 2019
  • Chord Study: the power of music through participation in the giving voice chorus [abstract]. 
    Alzheimer's & dementia. 2018
  • Correlation between evaluation and documentation of neurologic deficit by EMS and ED of patients with acute ischemic stroke [abstract]. 
    Neurology. 2018
  • Analysis of run sheets of EMS serving a metropolitan comprehensive stroke center [abstract]. 
    Neurology. 2017
  • Clinical characteristics and healthcare utilization of Hmong patients presenting with stroke [abstract]. 
    Neurology. 2017
  • Clinical characteristics of Hmong patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke [abstract]. 
    Stroke. 2017
  • Cognitive screening results from the Medicare annual wellness visit in a primary care practice [abstract]. 
    Alzheimer's & dementia. 2017
  • Mindfulness for early Alzheimer's Disease: a pilot study [abstract]. 
    Alzheimer's & dementia. 2017
  • Minnesota memory project: use of the Alberta Smell Test in a longitudinal aging cohort [abstract]. 
    Alzheimer's & dementia. 2016
  • Outcomes from routine cognitive screening in a health care system [abstract]. 
    Alzheimer's & dementia. 2016
  • Outcomes of a dementia resource and education program imbedded in a health care system [abstract]. 
    Alzheimer's & dementia. 2016
  • Delivery of therapeutics via the intranasal route for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases [abstract]. 
    Neurotherapeutics. 2015
  • Changes in physical activity and nutrition in a behavioral intervention pilot study - passport to brain wellness [abstract]. 
    Clinical Medicine & Research. 2010
  • Impact of mind-body and education-based interventions on physiologic markers of chronic stress in family caregivers of dementia patients [abstract]. 
    Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2009
  • Recruitment and retention of caregivers for patients with dementia: the Balance Study [abstract]. 
    Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2009
  • Intranasally administered deferoxamine improves spatial memory in APP/PS1 mice [abstract] Alzheimers Deme
    2007
    • Document
  • Intranasal delivery of GDF5 lipid nanosphere formulation
    2007
    • Patent
  • Methods for protecting and treating traumatic brain injury and concussion with intranasal insulin
    2021
  • Methods for protecting and treating traumatic brain injury, concussion and brain inflammation with intranasal insulin
    2021
  • Methods for protecting and treating traumatic brain injury, concussion and brain inflammation with intranasal insulin
    2021
  • Methods for treating patients with impaired awareness of hypoglycemia
    2021
  • Pharmaceutical compositions and methods for enhancing targeting of therapeutic compounds to the central nervous system
    2017
  • Lipid growth factor formulations
    2014
  • Method of treating Parkinson's disease comprising administering deferoxamine (DFO) to the upper one-third of the nasal cavity
    2014
  • Treatment of central nervous system disorders by intranasal administration of immunoglobulin g
    2014
    • presentations
    Presentation
  • Challenges in recruiting family caregivers to a clinical trial on MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) for stress reduction [presentation], Gerontological Society of America 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting
  • Identification of multiple chronic conditions that yield the highest impact of cognitive screening [presentation], HMO Research Network (HMORN) 21st Annual Conference: Care Improvement Research: Partnering with Patients, Providers and Operational Leaders
  • Intranasal deferoxamine improves spatial memory through a non-amyloid mechanism in APP/PS1 mice [presentation], Society of Neuroscience Meeting
  • Intranasal deferoxamine prevents memory loss in the intracerebroventricular streptozotocin rat [presentation], International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease Annual Meeting
  • Lavendar essential oil improved sleep in residents of a memory care assisted-living facility [presentation], Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC)
  • Mindfulness-based stress reduction for caregivers: a randomized controlled pilot study [presentation], International Congress on Complementary Medicine Research (5th)
  • Proteomic approach to the study of neuroprotection following intranasal deferoxamine [presentation], Society of Neuroscience Meeting
  • The Passport Study: a multi-domain lifestyle intervention to promote healthy brain aging [presentation], International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) (12th)
  • The new HMORN-OAICs AGING initiative [presentation], HMO Research Network (HMORN) 21st Annual Conference: Care Improvement Research: Partnering with Patients, Providers and Operational Leaders
    • Contact
    full name
  • Leah R. Hanson, PhD
    • primary email
  • Leah.R.Hanson@healthpartners.com
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