Mike Pappolla


Mike Pappolla
MD, PhD


• Board-certified in Pain Medicine, Neurology, Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology and Neuropathology
• Over 20 years of consulting for the NIH (National Institutes of Health)
• • Former Chairman of Neurology and Director of Neurosciences.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Pappolla’s training includes medical residencies and fellowships training in Neurology and Pain Medicine (Anesthesia based) and also in Clinical Pathology, Anatomic Pathology, and Neuropathology. This training required 10 additional years of formal medical education (following graduation from Medical School) all pursued in programs accredited by the American Board of Medical Specialties, considered the “gold-standard” in physician education in the United States. Dr. Pappolla holds active board-certifications in 5 disciplines of Medicine (Pain Management, Neurology, Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology and Neuropathology). He has also been serving the public at large for over 20 years as a consultant for the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and a full Professor or Faculty at several of the most prestigious medical schools in the USA (LSU New Orleans, Mount Sinai Medical School in New York City, University of Texas at Houston) where he taught Neurosciences to medical students and medical residents for over 20 years. Dr. Pappolla has also served as Chairman of Neurology and Director of Neurosciences in one of the largest tertiary care centers in Mississippi, till about the time when his practice was disrupted by hurricane Katrina. His scientific work includes more than 100 publications and book chapters in neuroscience. Dr. Pappolla’s research is cited in thousands of textbooks worldwide (please view some of the research cited by clicking: here).

Dr. Pappolla has been among the very first investigators to identify evidence of oxidative stress in Alzheimer’s disease brain. This has led to neuroprotective strategies worldwide currently under development. Along with Dr. Larry Refolo, Dr Suzana Petanceska at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and others, he conducted groundbreaking research on cholesterolemia as an early risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. As a neuropathologist, he described several unique neuropathologic lesions including the colloid body of Parkinson’s disease (later renamed “pale body”) and the ubiquitinilated “dot like inclusions” in the aged brain. One other area of research is the development of neuroprotective drugs. He produced several patents; one of these drugs is currently on phase 2 clinical trial for Friedriech’s ataxia (OX1, a melatonin analog) and melatonin related analogs for Alzheimers disease. In the area of pain, his interest is focused in mechanisms and risk factors for central (“brain”) pain as observed in the group of “chronic overlapping pain conditions”.