Faculty

Tharick Pascoal, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Pascoallab.org
Assistant
Firoza Lussier
lussierfz@upmc.edu

Education & Training

MD
Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil
PhD
Neuroscience, McGill University
Neurology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Neurodegenerative Diseases, Douglas Hospital, McGill University
Neuroscience, McGill University

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Academy of Neurology
Member, Alzheimer's Association's International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment

Research Interests

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias; Biomarkers; Aging
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Rohden F, Ferreira PCL, Bellaver B, Ferrari-Souza JP, Aguzzoli CS, Soares C, Abbas S, Zalzale H, Povala G, Lussier FZ, Leffa DT, Bauer-Negrini G, Rahmouni N, Tissot C, Therriault J, Servaes S, Stevenson J, Benedet AL, Ashton NJ, Karikari TK, Tudorascu DL, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Zimmer ER, Souza D, Rosa-Neto P, Pascoal TA. Glial reactivity correlates with synaptic dysfunction across aging and Alzheimer's disease. Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 1;16(1):5653. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60806-1. PMID: 40593718 Free PMC article.
  2. Leffa DT, Povala G, Bellaver B, Ferrari-Souza JP, Ferreira PCL, Lussier FZ, Schaffer Aguzzoli C, Soares C, Zalzale H, Rohden F, Bauer-Negrini G, Abbas S, Schneider M, Therriault J, Lopez OL, Villemagne VL, Klunk WE, Tudorascu DL, Cohen AD, Rosa-Neto P, Zimmer ER, Karikari TK, Rohde LA, Molina BSG, Pascoal TA, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Impact of the polygenic risk scores for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Feb;21(2):e70003. doi: 10.1002/alz.70003.PMID: 39998851 Free PMC article.
  3. Bellaver B, Povala G, Ferreira PCL, Ferrari-Souza JP, Leffa DT, Lussier FZ, Benedet AL, Ashton NJ, Triana-Baltzer G, Kolb HC, Tissot C, Therriault J, Servaes S, Stevenson J, Rahmouni N, Lopez OL, Tudorascu DL, Villemagne VL, Ikonomovic MD, Gauthier S, Zimmer ER, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Aizenstein HJ, Klunk WE, Snitz BE, Maki P, Thurston RC, Cohen AD, Ganguli M, Karikari TK, Rosa-Neto P, Pascoal TA. Astrocyte reactivity influences amyloid- effects on tau pathology in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Nat Med. 2023 May 29;. doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02380-x. PMID: 37248300.
  4. Pascoal TA, Benedet AL, Ashton NJ, Kang MS, Therriault J, Chamoun M, Savard M, Lussier FZ, Tissot C, Karikari TK, Ottoy J, Mathotaarachchi S, Stevenson J, Massarweh G, Schll M, de Leon MJ, Soucy JP, Edison P, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Gauthier S, Rosa-Neto P. Microglial activation and tau propagate jointly across Braak stages. Nat Med. 2021 Sep;27(9):1592-1599. doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01456-w. Epub 2021 Aug 26. PubMed PMID: 34446931.
  5. Ferrari-Souza JP, Bellaver B, Ferreira PCL, Benedet AL, Povala G, Lussier FZ, Leffa DT, Therriault J, Tissot C, Soares C, Wang YT, Chamoun M, Servaes S, Macedo AC, Vermeiren M, Bezgin G, Kang MS, Stevenson J, Rahmouni N, Pallen V, Poltronetti NM, Cohen A, Lopez OL, Klunk WE, Soucy JP, Gauthier S, Souza DO, Triana-Baltzer G, Saad ZS, Kolb HC, Karikari TK, Villemagne VL, Tudorascu DL, Ashton NJ, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Zimmer ER, Rosa-Neto P, Pascoal TA. APOEe4 potentiates amyloid effects on longitudinal tau pathology. Nat Aging. 2023 Oct;3(10):1210-1218. doi: 10.1038/s43587-023-00490-2. Epub 2023 Sep 25. PubMed PMID: 37749258.

Clinical Interests

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias; Cognitive disorders
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Pascoal TA, Aguzzoli CS, Lussier FZ, Crivelli L, Suemoto CK, Fortea J, Rosa-Neto P, Zimmer ER, Ferreira PCL & Bellaver B. Insights into the use of biomarkers in clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease. EBioMedicine. 2024 Oct;108:105322. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105322. Epub 2024 Oct 3. Review. PubMed PMID: 39366844.
  2. Pascoal TA, Chamoun M, Mohades S, Shin M, Wu L, Gauthier S, et al. Siblings with a fatal cause of rapidly progressive dementia. Case Studies in Dementia: Common and Uncommon Presentations. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2021a. p. 136.
  3. Pascoal TA, Shin M, Chamoun M, Gauthier S & Rosa-Neto P. A devoted wife with an atypical finding. Case Studies in Dementia: Common and Uncommon Presentations. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2021b. P. 18.

Education Interests

Selected Education Publications & Products
  1. Rosa-Neto P, Gauthier S & Pascoal TA. Predicting Alzheimers disease dementia: It takes two to tango. World Alzheimers Report Global Perspective, March 2017
  2. Pascoal TA, Cohen A & Villemagne V. Tau PET for the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimers disease. World Alzheimers Report 2021: journey through the diagnosis of dementia

Pitt Psychiatry Research Published in Alzheimer's & Dementia

Investigators

Pitt Psychiatry investigators have recently published studies in Alzheimer's & Dementia. Below is a summary of recent original research on neural factors underlying cognitive and depressive symptoms in late life, sleep and rest–activity rhythms across different cognitive aging pathways, and the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Altered Triple Network Model...

Three Psychiatry Postdoctoral Research Trainees Receive University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Association Awards

Drs. Ligia Antezana, Carolina Soares and Lindsay Taraban

Congratulations to Ligia Antezana, PhD; Carolina Soares, PhD; and Lindsay Taraban, PhD, who received Best Poster Presentation Awards at the University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Association 2025 Postdoctoral Data & Dine Symposium. Dr. Antezana, Dr. Soares, and Dr. Taraban were counted among 11 total award recipients selected from 130 submissions. Dr. Antezana is a clinical psychologist who conducts research in the...

Nature Medicine: Phospho-tau Serine-262 and Serine-356 as Biomarkers of Pre-tangle Soluble Tau Assemblies in Alzheimer’s Disease

Thomas Karikari, PhD

Neurofibrillary tangles are a defining neuropathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease with little or no quantifiable insoluble brain tau neurofibrillary tangle pathology demonstrate stronger clinical benefits of therapies than those with advanced neurofibrillary tangles. The formation of neurofibrillary tangles can be prevented by targeting the intermediate soluble tau...

JAMA Network Open: Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Microglial Activation in Patients with Alzheimer Disease

Image of Brain

Neuropsychiatric symptoms including irritability, nighttime disturbances, and agitation are highly prevalent in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Although neuropsychiatric symptoms are clinically well characterized in individuals with Alzheimer’s, scientists have more to learn regarding these symptoms’ neurobiological underpinnings. Investigators including Cristiano Schaffer Aguzzoli, MD (former Pitt...

Alzheimer's & Dementia and Nature Aging: New Alzheimer's Disease Research

Ferrari-Souza et al. Nature Aging 2023 Authors

The Pascoal Lab (PI: Tharick Pascoal, MD, PhD; Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology) and colleagues have published recent research findings in Alzheimer's & Dementia and Nature Aging examining biomarkers and pathophysiological progression of Alzheimer's disease. “These two publications contribute to our understanding of the biomarkers and pathophysiological processes associated with the progression of...