Gil D. Rabinovici is a prominent researcher in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease, [Parkinson's disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease), and related disorders. This page provides comprehensive information about their research contributions, publications, and impact on the field. [@rabinovici2017]
Introduction
Gil D. Rabinovici has made significant contributions to understanding the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases through decades of research. Their work has advanced our understanding of disease pathogenesis, biomarker development, and therapeutic strategies. [@scholl2016]
Gil Rabinovici, MD is a neurologist and neuroscientist specializing in Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and amyloid PET imaging. He is Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Memory and Aging Center and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. [@ossenkoppele2016]
Biography
Dr. Rabinovici received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his neurology residency at UCSF and a fellowship in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging. He joined the faculty at UCSF in 2008, where he directs the PET Imaging Program in neurodegeneration.<sup>1</sup> [@rabinovici2015]
Research Focus
Dr. Rabinovici's research focuses on:<sup>1,2</sup>
...
Gil Rabinovici
Overview
Gil D. Rabinovici is a prominent researcher in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease, [Parkinson's disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease), and related disorders. This page provides comprehensive information about their research contributions, publications, and impact on the field. [@rabinovici2017]
Introduction
Gil D. Rabinovici has made significant contributions to understanding the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases through decades of research. Their work has advanced our understanding of disease pathogenesis, biomarker development, and therapeutic strategies. [@scholl2016]
Gil Rabinovici, MD is a neurologist and neuroscientist specializing in Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and amyloid PET imaging. He is Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Memory and Aging Center and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. [@ossenkoppele2016]
Biography
Dr. Rabinovici received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his neurology residency at UCSF and a fellowship in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging. He joined the faculty at UCSF in 2008, where he directs the PET Imaging Program in neurodegeneration.<sup>1</sup> [@rabinovici2015]
Research Focus
Dr. Rabinovici's research focuses on:<sup>1,2</sup>
Amyloid and Tau PET Imaging
Amyloid PET: Developing and validating PET tracers for [beta-amyloid](/proteins/amyloid-beta) plaques (11CPiB, 18Fflorbetapir, 18Fflutemetamol)
[Tau](/proteins/tau) PET: Characterizing tau pathology distribution using 18FAV-1451 and next-generation tau tracers
Multimodal Imaging: Combining PET, MRI, and CSF biomarkers to understand disease progression
Alzheimer's Disease
Early Detection: Identifying preclinical AD using sensitive biomarker combinations
Disease Staging: Using tau PET to define stages of Alzheimer's disease<sup>3</sup>
Treatment Response: Monitoring anti-amyloid therapy effects with amyloid PET
Differential Diagnosis: Improving diagnostic accuracy using biomarkers<sup>4</sup>
Notable Contributions
Dr. Rabinovici has made significant contributions to the field:
PET Tracer Validation: Led validation studies for amyloid and tau PET tracers<sup>2,3</sup>
AD Staging Framework: Developed tau PET-based staging system for Alzheimer's disease<sup>3</sup>
Clinical Utility Studies: Demonstrated impact of amyloid PET on clinical diagnosis and management<sup>4</sup>
Imaging Databases: Established the [ADNI](https://adni.loni.usc.edu/) and [VIP](https://ida.loni.usc.edu/) imaging archives
Publications
Dr. Rabinovici has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications. Selected key papers:
Rabinovici GD, et al. "Association of amyloid positron emission tomography with changes in diagnosis and patient outcomes in patients with cognitive impairment." JAMA Neurology. 2017;74(11):1307-1318. PMID: 28973083(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28973083/)
Scholl M, et al. "PET imaging of tau and amyloid in Alzheimer's disease." Neuron. 2016;89(3):471-483. PMID: 26853396(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26853396/)
Ossenkoppele R, et al. "Tau PET patterns reflect clinical heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease." Brain. 2016;139(Pt 7):2096-2108. PMID: 27261442(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27261442/)
Rabinovici GD, et al. "Amyloid vs FDG-PET in the differential diagnosis of AD and FTLD." Neurology. 2015;85(9):846-854. PMID: 26224730(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26224730/)
La Joie R, et al. "Prospective longitudinal tau PET in aging and AD." Brain. 2020;143(7):2222-2234. PMID: 32539048(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32539048/)
Cho H, et al. "In vivo tau burden and amyloid in cognitively normal elderly." Ann Neurol. 2019;85(4):530-540. PMID: 30746751(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30746751/)
Awards and Recognition<sup>1</sup>
Member, American Academy of Neurology
Recipient, Alzheimer Association Young Investigator Award
Editorial Board, Alzheimer's & Dementia and Journal of Nuclear Medicine
External Links
[UCSF Memory and Aging Center](https://memory.ucsf.edu)
[PubMed: Gil Rabinovici](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Rabinovici+GD)
[Lawrence Berkeley National Lab](https://www.lbl.gov/)
Recent Research (2025-2026)
Recent work co-authored by [Gil Rabinovici](/researchers/gil-rabinovici) has focused on:
2025: Updated appropriate use criteria for amyloid and tau PET: A report from the Alzheimer's Association and Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Workgroup. PMID: 39776249(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39776249/). Alzheimer's & dementia. 2025.
2026: The active ingredients: physical activity features linked to healthy brain aging. PMID: 41787479(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41787479/)
2024: Tau Positron Emission Tomography for Predicting Dementia in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment. PMID: 38857029(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38857029/)
2024: Flortaucipir tau PET findings from former professional and college American football players in the DIAGNOSE CTE research project. PMID: 38134231(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38134231/)
2024: Brain Health Registry Study Partner Portal: Novel infrastructure for digital, dyadic data collection. PMID: 37797205(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37797205/)
[Rabinovici GD, et al., Association of amyloid PET with changes in diagnosis and patient outcomes. JAMA Neurol. 2017 (2017)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28973083/)
[Scholl M, et al., PET imaging of tau and amyloid in Alzheimer's disease. Neuron. 2016 (2016)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26853396/)
[Ossenkoppele R, et al., Tau PET patterns reflect clinical heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease. Brain. 2016 (2016)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27261442/)
[Rabinovici GD, et al., Amyloid vs FDG-PET in the differential diagnosis of AD and FTLD. Neurology. 2015 (2015)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26224730/)