The Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute

Dr. Fotuhi received his MD degree (cum laude) from Harvard Medical School as a member of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and his doctoral degree in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his medical internship and neurology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is currently an adjunct professor of Mind/Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins and at department of Psychology and Brain Sciences at George Washington University. He also lectures on topics related to neuroscience, cognition, brain health, and concussion to medical students at Harvard Medical School as well as at local, national, and international conferences.

In addition to being a nationally-recognized neurologist and a neuroscientist in the field of neuroplasticity, Dr. Fotuhi has dedicated much of his career to educating the public about successful aging and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. In his book, The Memory Cure: How to Protect Your Brain Against Memory Loss and Alzheimer's Disease, he provides clear and concise information about how to prevent dementia. His second book, entitled The New York Times Puzzles to Keep Your Brain Young: The 6-Step Age-Defying Program, was the basis for his PBS program, titled: “Fight Alzheimer’s Early.” His most recent book, Boost Your Brain, teaches people how they can grow the size of the memory parts of their brain (hippocampus) in order to lower their risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. He has also covered these topics in his three TEDx talks.

Dr. Fotuhi has taken a leadership role in the field of medical education and received numerous awards for his innovative and dynamic teaching style. He has been a popular instructor at Harvard Medical School, where he designed and helped to build two 5-foot brain models for his students in neuroanatomy classes. He won the distinguished teaching award from the American Academy of Neurology in 2001. He has presented academic lectures as an honorary visiting professor in Canada, Egypt, China, Israel, and Japan. He also has given presentations for large organizations in 25 countries around the world and continues to teach medical students at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Fotuhi lives with his wife and two daughters in McLean, VA.  His hobbies include ballroom dancing, tennis, scuba diving, skiing, traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family.

Dr. Fotuhi’s initial clinical research at Johns Hopkins focused on the basic brain neurochemistry and on finding effective ways to prevent dementia. More specifically, he worked on longitudinal studies to determine the beneficial role of a combination of vitamins and natural supplements along with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and omega-3 fatty acids in maintaining cognitive function and reducing risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Fotuhi then focused his research on clinical application of the concepts of neuroplasticity in helping patients with memory loss, post-concussion syndrome, and ADHD. He developed a multi-disciplinary brain rehabilitation protocol, called: “Brain Fitness Program.” He found that more than 80% of his patients who completed this program gained remarkable improvements in their cognitive functions, mood, sleep, and stress level. He published his findings Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, Journal of Rehabilitation, and Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports.

1. Wise RA, Fotuhi M, Cole LM. Facilitation of feeding by nucleus accumbens amphetamine injections: Latency and speed measures. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 1989; 32(3):769–72.
2. Dawson TM, Bredt DS, Fotuhi M, Hwang PM, Snyder SH. Nitric oxide synthase and neuronal NADPH diaphorase are identical in brain and peripheral tissues. Proceedings National Academy of Sciences USA 1991; 88(17):7797–801.
3. Bredt DS, Glatt CE, Hwang PM, Fotuhi M, Dawson TM, Snyder SH. Nitric oxide synthase protein and mRNA are discretely localized in neuronal populations of the mammalian CNS with NADPH diaphorase. Neuron 1991; 7(4):615–24.
4. Steiner JP, Dawson TM, Fotuhi M, Glatt CE, Snowman AM, Cohen N, Snyder SH. High brain densities of the immunophilin FKBP colocalized with calcineurin. Nature 1992; 358(6387):584–7.
5. Sharp AH, Dawson TM, Ross CA, Fotuhi M, Mourey RJ, Snyder SH. Inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptors: immunohistochemical localization of discrete areas of rat central nervous system. Neuroscience 1993; 53(4):927–42.
6. Hwang PM, Fotuhi M, Bredt DS, Cunningham AM, Snyder SH. Contrasting immunolocalization in rat brain of two novel K+ channels of the Shab subfamily. Journal of Neuroscience 1993; 13(4):1569–76.
7. Fotuhi M, Sharp AH, Glatt CE, Hwang PM, von Krosigk M, Snyder SH, Dawson TM. Differential localization of phosphoinositide-linked metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR1) and the inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor in rat brain. Journal of Neuroscience 1993; 13(5):2001–12.
8. Fotuhi M, Dawson TM, Sharp AH, Martin LJ, Graybiel AM, Snyder SH. Phosphoinositide second messenger system is enriched in striosomes: Immunohistochemical demonstration of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptors and phospholipase C beta and gamma in primate basal ganglia. Journal of Neuroscience 1993; 13(8):3300–8.
9. Fotuhi M, Standaert DG, Testa CM, Penney JB Jr., Young AB. Differential expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex of the rat. Molecular Brain Research 1994; 21(3–4):283–92.
10. Dawson TM, Steiner JP, Lyons WE, Fotuhi M, Blue M, Snyder SH. The immunophilins, FK 506 biding protein, and cyclophilin are discretely localized in the brain: Relationship to calcineurin. Neuroscience 1994; 62(2):569–80.
11. Steiner JP, Dawson TM, Fotuhi M, Snyder SH. Immunophilin regulation of neurotransmitter release. Molecular Medicine 1996; 2(3):325–33.
12. Brotman D, Fotuhi M. Syphilis and orthostatic shaking limbs. Lancet 2000; 356:1734.
13. Hayden KM, Zandi P, Khachaturian AS, Fotuhi M, Norton MC, Tschanz JT, Pieper CF, Corcoran C, Lyketsos C, Breitner JCS, Welsh-Bohmer KA. Does NSAID use modify cognitive trajectory in the elderly? The Cache County Study. Neurology 2007; 69(3):275–82.
14. Wengreen, HJ, Munger RG, Corcoran CD, Zandi P, Hayden KM, Fotuhi M, Skoog I, Norton MC, Tschanz JT, Breitner JCS, Welsh-Bohmer KA. Antioxidant intake and cognitive function of elderly men and women. Journal of Nutrition Health Aging 2007; 11(3)230–7.
15. Fotuhi M, Zandi P, Hayden K M, Khachaturian AS, Wengreen H, Munger R, Norton MC, Tschanz JT, Lyketsos K, Breitner JCS, Welsh-Bohmer KA. Better cognitive performance in elderly taking anti-oxidant vitamins E and C in combination with NSAIDs. Alzheimer’s and Dementia 2008; 4(3):223–7.
16. Fotuhi M, Mohassel P, Yaffe K. Fish consumption, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, and risk of cognitive decline or Alzheimer disease: A complex association. Nature Clinical Practice Neurology 2009; 5(3):140–52.
17. Fotuhi M, Glaun B, Quan WY, Sofare T. Vestibular migraine: A critical review of treatment trials. Journal of Neurology 2009; 256(5):711–6. (Epub March 2009).
18. Fotuhi M, Hachinski V, Kivipelto M, Whitehouse P. Factors associated with resistance to dementia despite high Alzheimer disease pathology. Neurology May 21, 2009.
19. Fotuhi M. Tips for preserving memory. Practical Neurology 2009; 8(3):34–40.
20. Fotuhi M, Hachinski V, Whitehouse P. Changing perspectives regarding late-life dementia. Nature Reviews Neurology 2009; 5(12):649–58. (Epub Nov. 17, 2009).
21. Fotuhi M. How accurate is Alzheimer’s diagnosis among patients over the age of 80. Practical Neurology 2009; 8(8):42–5.
22. Fotuhi M, Do D, Jack C. Modifiable factors that alter the size of hippocampus with aging. Nature Reviews Neurology 2012; 8(4) 68-72.
23. Fotuhi M, Lubinski B, Riloff T, Trullinger M, Ghasemi M. Evaluation of a multi-disciplinary Brain Fitness Program for treatment of cognitive impairment in elderly. JSM Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia 2014; 1(1) http://www.jscimedcentral.com/AlzheimersDisease/alzheimersdisease-1-1002.pdf
24. Fotuhi M, Lubinski B, Riloff T, Trullinger M, Hauserman N, Hadadi M, Raji C. "A Personalized 12-week "Brain Fitness Program" for Cognitive Improvement, Brain Wave Normalization, and Hippocampal Volume Expansion in Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease; 3(3):133-137 http://dx.doi.org/10.14283/jpad.2016.92
25. Fotuhi, M, Dwivedy, P, Yeom, L, Nadeem, I, Ebadi, A, Miles, M., & Tittle, R. K. (2020). Retrospective Analysis of a Comprehensive Concussion Recovery Program. The Journal of Rehabilitation, 86(1), 20. https://www.neurogrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Fotuhi-JOR-published-2020.pdf
26. Fotuhi, M, Mian, A, Meysami, S, & Raji, C. (2020). Neurobiology of COVID-19. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Preprint(Preprint), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-200581
27. Fotuhi, M, Khorrami, N, & Raji, C. (2023). Benefits of a 12-Week Non-Drug “Brain Fitness Program” for Patients with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, Post-Concussion Syndrome, or Memory Loss. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports, 7(1): 675-697. https://doi.org/3233/ADR-220091