First Hawaii Site recognized and designated nationally as ALZ-NET site to support Evidence Based Care of Alzheimer's Disease in US

Memory Loss and When to be Concerned?

Various conditions can cause short-term.......

What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?

Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental.....

How is Alzheimer’s Diagnosed?

To diagnose Alzheimer’s, physicians may use.......

What is Alzheimer’s dementia?

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that affects....

What are the Treatment Options for Alzheimer’s?

There's no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are.....

How Biomarkers Help Diagnose Dementia?

Biomarkers are measurable indicators of what’s......

Lifestyle Changes to Improve Brain Health

Researchers around the globe are exploring how to.....

US POINTER Study Brain Health Recipe

Results from the U.S. POINTER clinical trial found that....

Hawaii Memory Disorders Center & Alzheimer’s Research Unit is Hawaii’s only nationally designated ALZ-NET site to care for patients with memory disorders and part of a network to collaborate and work with other national and global Alzheimer’s centers to improve clinical care to improve detection, diagnosis, and access to treatments and advance innovative research in Alzheimer’s disease.

The center is recognized internationally as well as locally for –

-Dedicated to caring for patients with memory loss by a fully integrated multidisciplinary team of specialists and researchers

-Funded by NIH to conduct research on Alzheimer’s Disease

-Partner with global partners to conduct research to develop better treatments for Alzheimer’s

-First in Hawaii to offer patients any new drugs approved by FDA like Aduhelm and Leqembi (since 2019) and successfully treated and monitor patients for safety

-First in Hawaii to offer patients groundbreaking innovative research treatments in phase I, II, III and IV clinical trials Clinical Trials available at Alzheimer’s Research Unit

-Leader in educating other physicians, residents, medical students, and community in this field Publications by Specialists & Researchers

The evaluation at the memory center will be directed by memory neurologist Dr. Liow working with a multidisciplinary team. Each patient is unique, and medical workups will vary depending on the patient’s medical history and clinical presentation. Once the evaluation for the patient is complete, the multidisciplinary team will discuss the findings with the patient and family. Together we formulate an individualized plan for treatment and management. We understand the challenges of facing these issues. Therefore, we work closely with and support Hawaii’s local support group to be sure you do not feel alone in this journey.

Michael Sonson, M.D.

Neurology

Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Director, Memory Disorders Center

Education & Training

Doctor of Medicine (MD) – New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Residency in Neurology – New York University Langone Health, New York, New York
Fellowship Behavioral Neurology – Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Alzheimer's Updates for Hawaii

NBC News Producer Personal Journey – It’s all AboutEarly Detection & Prevention – Hawaii First Alzheimer’sPrevention Trial – PrevenTRON now Accepting Patients

Now Accepting Patients NBC News Producer Personal Journey – It’s all About Early Detection & Prevention – Hawaii First Alzheimer’s Prevention Trial – PrevenTRON now Accepting Patients PrevenTRON, Phase 3 Prevention Trial of Trontinemab in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals at High Risk for Alzheimer using Novel Trontinemab Engineered with Brainshuttle™ Technology with Rapid Amyloid Clearance and […]

First Hawaii Alzheimer’s Prevention Trial Now Accepting Patients

Honolulu, September 2026 The neurologists, research staff and coordinators of the Hawaii Memory Disorders Center & Alzheimer’s Research Unit. Hawaii’s first Alzheimer’s prevention trial is now accepting patients. Hawaii Pacific Neuroscience has been selected as the Hawaii site for PrevenTRON, a global Phase 3 study testing whether trontinemab can delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease in […]

UH Professor & Hawaii Neurologist Joins ISTAART Council

Honolulu, July 2026 A University of Hawai‘i professor and Hawaii neurologist has been asked to serve on the Advisory Council of the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART), the professional society of the Alzheimer’s Association. The appointment brings a voice from Hawaii and the Pacific Islands to an international body dedicated to […]

HPN & Advanced Brain Monitoring Present EEG Biomarker Study at AAIC 2026

Hawaii Memory Center & Alzheimer’s Research Unit to Present EEG Biomarker Research at the 2026 London AAIC Our team is proud to collaborate with Advanced Brain Monitoring to present new findings at the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in London, United Kingdom, July 12–16, 2026. Each year the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference brings together […]

University of Hawaii Professor & Researcher Publishes Buntanetap Study in Nature — A Novel Oral Therapy Targeting APP and Tau in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Research · Hawaii Memory & Alzheimer’s Research Unit · Published in Nature 2026 University of Hawaii Professor & Researcher Publishes Buntanetap Study in Nature — A Novel Oral Therapy Targeting APP and Tau in Alzheimer’s Disease npj Dementia, Nature · April 2026 · Hawaii Memory & Alzheimer’s Research Unit A landmark study co-authored by […]

Utilizing ZIP Code-Based Choropleth Maps to Improve Equity in Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Recruitment in Hawai‘i

Matthew Kobylinski 1 2, Nina Krupa 1 2, Hollis Tam 1, Linda Nguyen 1, Julia R Jahansooz 1 2, Kylie Herndon 1 3, Kaelyn Pacpaco 1 4, Masako Matsunaga 2, Samuel Toh Kim 1, Qi Zhi 1, Michael Sonson 1, 5, Chathura Siriwardhana 2, Enrique Carrazana 2, Kore Liow 1 2 1Memory Disorders Center and […]

Debunking Myths and Misinformation About Alzheimer’s Disease

Blood Biomarkers, Latest Treatments, and Brain Health Insights Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most talked-about—and misunderstood—neurological conditions today. With constant news headlines, social media discussions, and emerging research, patients and families are often left confused about what is true, what is still being studied, and what actually helps. In a recent episode of KHON2’s […]

‘Knowledge is power:’Healthy brain habits w/Dr. Kore Liow | Unscripted

DEBUNKING MYTHS, MISINFORMATION, CONTROVERSIES ON ALZHEIMER’S BLOOD BIOMARKERS, LATEST TREATMENTS & BRAIN HEALTH TIPS from US POINTER STUDY. This week on KHON2’s Working For Hawaii: Unscripted, we sat down with Dr. Kore Liow, a neurologist and Alzheimer’s expert, for an educational and insightful conversation to answer the many questions about the disease.

Hawaii Memory & Alzheimer’s Research Joins National Centers to Investigate VHB937 for Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Hawaii Memory & Alzheimer’s Research has joined leading academic institutions—including UCSF, UC San Diego, and the Cleveland Clinic—in a multicenter clinical trial investigating VHB937, a novel TREM2-stabilizing monoclonal antibody engineered to cross the blood–brain barrier and reduce neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease. This collaboration represents an important step in advancing immune-targeted therapies for early Alzheimer’s disease […]

ERP Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease: Real-World Evidence from CTAD 2025

ERP Biomarkers of Cognitive Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease: Real-World Evidence Supporting Translational Clinical Trial Endpoints Advances in neuroscience and digital biomarkers are transforming how clinicians and researchers detect, monitor, and study Alzheimer’s disease (AD). At the 2025 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) Conference in San Diego, researchers presented compelling evidence demonstrating how event-related potentials […]

Brainshuttle TM Launched in Hawaii!

Brainshuttle™ Launched in Hawaii! Novel Alzheimer’s Drug Trontinemab with Brainshuttle™ Technology A new Alzheimer’s clinical study using the investigational drug trontinemab, engineered with Brainshuttle™ technology, is now accepting participants in Hawaii. This approach aims to achieve rapid amyloid clearance with a favourable safety and tolerability profile, including low rates of ARIA (Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormalities). […]

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Patient Experience

Dr Kore Liow is a compassionate doctor, who to my knowledge runs the only research institute in the state of Hawaii for neuroscience issues, particularly related to dementia He has been overseeing my husband's care for the past four years with great attention and concern He assisted us in getting into a two-year clinical trial that I found to have valuable efficacy for my husband's condition He stays on top of all of the national research and technology related to dementia and I am grateful that he maintains the Hawaii Pacific Neuroscience memory disorder center

Laura Greenwood Hawaii