Ricardo M. Osorio Suarez, MD

My research centers on understanding how age-related changes in sleep contribute to healthy brain development and how they may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias, late-life depression, and obstructive sleep apnea. I focus on unraveling the connections between sleep quality, cognitive performance, and neurodegenerative pathways, with a particular emphasis on identifying early markers of disease risk.

Through longitudinal community-based studies, I use diverse methodologies—such as home sleep monitoring, neuroimaging (MRI and PET/MR), and biofluid assays (plasma and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers)—to explore how disruptions in sleep architecture may accelerate neurodegeneration. One key area of interest is slow wave sleep (SWS): I investigate how its loss can heighten the brain’s vulnerability to Alzheimer’s pathology, potentially by influencing amyloid and tau levels. In parallel, I study the role of sleep spindles, which may provide clues to how tau accumulates in key sleep-regulating centers.

As principal investigator of several NIH-funded projects, I work closely with multidisciplinary teams to track sleep-dependent memory consolidation, evaluate racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk, and identify imaging biomarkers of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, I am co-leading investigations into the locus coeruleus to better understand its connection to tau pathology and how this might be harnessed for earlier detection and intervention.

In my role as Director of the Biomarker Core at the NYU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, I lead the collection, management, and in-depth bioanalysis of all neurodegenerative disease biosamples, ensuring rigorous quality control and overseeing the development of cutting-edge biomarker assays. Through these complementary efforts—ranging from epidemiologic studies to advanced molecular diagnostics—I aim to leverage sleep as both a clinical window and an actionable target to delay or prevent neurodegenerative disorders.