Tao Ma, PhD
Primary tabs
JAD profile
Associate Editor
Term Expiration:
12/31/2025
Affiliation(s):
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Lab URL:
Areas of Interest:
Alzheimer's disease, aging, signal transduction, synaptic plasticity, electrophysiology, oxidative stress
Biography & Research:
Dr. Ma received his Medical degreee in China and his PhD in Neuroscience from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and New York University in 2008, working with Drs. Robert Blitzer and Emmanuel Landau. From 2008-2010, he was a postdoctoral research fellow with Dr. Gunnar Gouras in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University. From 2010 and 2014, he was an Assistant Research Scientist followed by Research Assistant Professor at the New York University Center for Neural Science, laboratory of Dr. Eric Klann. Dr. Ma is currently a professor with tenure at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (NC, USA), Department of Internal Medicine-Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Ma is a neuroscientist with specialization in learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. His research focuses on novel molecular mechanisms underlying pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and subsequently to identify potential therapeutic targets or biomarkers for AD and other aging-related cognitive impairments. Primary techniques applied in his laboratory include electrophysiology, confocal microscopy, behavioral tests, and molecular approaches in transgenic mouse models. His original research findings on molecular mechanisms in AD have been published in many high-profile peer-reviewed journals including “Journal of Clinical Investigation”, “The journal of Neuroscience” and “Nature Neuroscience”, and garnered international attention. Dr. Ma has won numerous awards. He is a recipient and principal investigator of National Institute of Health/National Institute of Aging K99/R00 research grant, multiple R01 research grants, and the Alzheimer’s Association New Investigator award. He also serves as principal investigator of a research grant from the BrightFocus Foundation. He is associate editor of “Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease”. He is a fellow of “American Neurological Association (ANA)”, member of “Society for Neuroscience” and “New York Academy of Science”.
