Kevin Conley, PhD, directs the Translational Center for Metabolic Imaging at the University of Washington Medical Center. His training is in biophysics, physiology and quantitative image analysis, which together have been used to develop innovative non-invasive methods for studying human metabolism over three decades. His specialty is using magnetic resonance spectroscopic methods to identify specific brain markers of mitochondrial (dys)function and redox state (oxidative stress), two properties that change with age and neurodegenerative disease.

Recent work has demonstrated reduction of markers of mitochondrial content and function in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and in Huntington’s disease (HD). New advances, in collaboration with Dr. Laurie Mischley, include detection of the anti-oxidant buffer glutathione (GSH) with high-time resolution so that brain levels can be followed with nasal administration of exogenous GSH in Parkinson’s disease. Funding for these brain metabolite studies has come from the National Institutes of Health (MCI) and the CHDI Foundation (HD).