Head
Anna Barczak, MD, PhD
Tel. +48 22 60 86 482  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. · Room A-004

Staff
Dorota Czajkowska, MSc
Tel. +48 22 60 86 475 · This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..pl · Room A-005

Dementia Research Unit

Head: Professor Tomasz Gabryelewicz, MD, PhD
Tel. +48 22 508 14 20 · This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Research profile

Neurodegenerative diseases, with particular emphasis on conditions associated with cognitive impairment and dementia
• Rare, atypical and early-onset forms of Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions associated with dementia;
• Clinical and neuropsychological characterization of neurodegenerative diseases;
• Development, adaptation and validation of tools for cognitive screening and comprehensive cognitive assessment;
• Use of neuropsychological assessment in differential diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases;
• Assessment of the clinical significance of biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases;
• Epidemiology and organization of diagnosis and care for people with cognitive impairment and dementia.

Development of diagnostic tools
• Polish adaptation and clinical applications of screening scales and other diagnostic tools;
• Development and validation of the Warsaw Cognitive Assessment Scale (WSOP);
• Development of digital methods for cognitive screening;
• Design of algorithms for early detection, differential diagnosis and assessment of the severity of cognitive impairment.

Neuromuscular and other rare diseases
• Spinal muscular atrophy;
• Congenital myopathies;
• Diagnosis of floppy infant syndrome;
• Rare and ultra-rare diseases.

The part of the biobank containing DNA samples from individuals with genetically determined neurodegenerative diseases is housed in the Department of Neurogenetics and Functional Genomics at the Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences (IMDiK PAN). The material is available for research through scientific collaboration.

Research partners include the Maria Grzegorzewska University, the Medical University of Warsaw, the University of Warsaw and its Centre of New Technologies, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Warsaw, and research units within IMDiK PAN.

Publications

• Barczak A. Niezbędnik choroby Alzheimera. Wydawnictwo Medyczne Termedia, Poznań 2021.
• Rozpoznawanie i leczenie otępień (red. T. Gabryelewicz, A. Barczak, M. Barcikowska). Wydawnictwo Medyczne Termedia, Poznań, 2021.
• Barczak A Beyond global scores: Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination III domain-level profiles reveal heterogeneity within clinically confirmed subjective cognitive decline. Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2026 Aug 5:1-9. doi: 10.1080/23279095.2026.2713768.
• Barczak A Functional Staging of Alzheimer's Disease Dementia with Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination-III: Evidence for Subtype-Specific Cognitive Thresholds. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2026 Jul 28:1. doi: 10.1159/dem/aciag001.
• Barczak A, Krempa-Kowalewska A, Golan M. Cognitive Profiles in Early- and Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease: The Role of Dementia Severity in Typical Amnestic Presentations Using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2026 Jul 21. doi: 10.2174/0115672050489392260702044957. 
• Barczak A. Diagnostic utility of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III in differentiating Alzheimer's disease dementia, vascular dementia, and mixed dementia. Postep Psychiatr Neurol. 2026 Jun;35(2):85-93. doi: 10.5114/ppn.2026.161371.
• Barczak A. The Utility of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) in Differentiating Neurodegenerative Disorders with Psychotic Symptoms: A Narrative Review Healthcare (Basel). 2026 May 12;14(10):1313. doi: 10.3390/healthcare14101313.\
• Barczak A. Diagnostic accuracy of the Warsaw Cognitive Assessment Scale for detecting mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a comparison with the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III and the Mini-Mental State Examination. Neurol Neurochir Pol. 2026 May 21. doi: 10.5603/pjnns.111892.
• Barczak A, Krempa-Kowalewska A. Validation of the Polish Version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease Dementia.  Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2026 Jan 13:1-9. doi: 10.1159/000549856.
• Gorzkowska A, Barcikowska M, Barczak A, Gabryelewicz T, Klimkowicz-Mrowiec A, Kucharski R, Siuda J, Świtońska M, Sienkiewicz-Jarosz H. Podstawowe rekomendacje diagnostyki chorób otępiennych — ścieżka pacjenta. Stanowisko Sekcji Alzheimerowskiej Polskiego Towarzystwa Neurologicznego i Polskiego Towarzystwa Alzheimerowskiego z 2026 roku. Pol Przegl Neurol; 2026, 22: e03126012 .
• Barczak A, Berdyński M, Gabryelewicz T, Barcikowska M, Borzemska B. Behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia in carriers of biallelic TREM2 variants: cases study Folia Neuropathol. 2024;62(2):113-119. doi: 10.5114/fn.2024.140568..
• Grazia A, Altomare D, Preis L, Monsch AU, Cappa SF, Gauthier S, Frölich L, Winblad B, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Teipel SJ, Boccardi M; Consortium for the Harmonization of Neuropsychological Assessment. Feasibility of a standard cognitive assessment in European academic memory clinics. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Jun;19(6):2276-2286. doi: 10.1002/alz.12830.
• Want A, Staniak K, Grabowska-Pyrzewicz W, Fesiuk A, Barczak A, Gabryelewicz T, Kulczyńska-Przybik A, Mroczko B, Wojda U. Optimized RT-qPCR and a novel normalization method for validating circulating miRNA biomarkers in ageing-related diseases. Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 27;13(1):20869. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-47971-3.
• Hintze B, Rowicka M, Barczak A. Are Executive Functions Deficits in Early-Onset Chronic Schizophrenia More Severe than in Adult-Onset Chronic Schizophrenia? Clin Neuropsychiatry. 2022 Feb;19(1):54-63. doi: 10.36131/cnfioritieditore20220108.
• Choroszyński M, Barcikowska M, Barczak A. Metabolism and the Effect of Animal-Derived Oxysterols in the Diet on the Development of Alzheimer's Disease. Ann Nutr Metab. 2022;78(3):125-132. doi: 10.1159/000520514.
• Berdyński M, Ludwiczak J, Barczak A, Barcikowska-Kotowicz M, Kuźma-Kozakiewicz M, Dunin-Horkawicz S, Żekanowski C, Borzemska B. TREM2 Gene Compound Heterozygosity in Neurodegenerative Disorders. J Alzheimers Dis. 2022;89(4):1211-1219. doi: 10.3233/JAD-220210.
• Janssen O, Jansen WJ, Vos SJB, Boada M, Parnetti L, Gabryelewicz T, et al. Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; FACEHBI study group; PREVENT-AD research group; Tijms B, Ossenkoppele R, Verhey FRJ, Jessen F, Visser PJ. Characteristics of subjective cognitive decline associated with amyloid positivity. Alzheimers Dement. 2022 Oct;18(10):1832-1845. doi: 10.1002/alz.12512.
• Jansen WJ, Janssen O, Tijms BM, Vos SJB, Ossenkoppele R, Visser PJ; Amyloid Biomarker Study Group; Aarsland D, Alcolea D, Altomare D, von Arnim C, Baiardi S, Baldeiras I, Barthel H, Bateman RJ, Van Berckel B, Binette AP, Blennow K, Boada M, Boecker H, Bottlaender M, den Braber A, Brooks DJ, Van Buchem MA, Camus V, Carill JM, Cerman J, Chen K, Chételat G, Chipi E, Cohen AD, Daniels A, Delarue M, Didic M, Drzezga A, Dubois B, Eckerström M, Ekblad LL, Engelborghs S, Epelbaum S, Fagan AM, Fan Y, Fladby T, Fleisher AS, Van der Flier WM, Förster S, Fortea J, Frederiksen KS, Freund-Levi Y, Frings L, Frisoni GB, Fröhlich L, Gabryelewicz T, et al. Prevalence Estimates of Amyloid Abnormality Across the Alzheimer Disease Clinical Spectrum. JAMA Neurol. 2022 Mar 1;79(3):228-243. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2021.5216.
• Barcikowska M, Barczak A, Gabryelewicz T, Gałązka-Sobotka M, Gorzkowska A, Klimkowicz-Mrowiec A, Rejdak K, Siuda J, Sławek J, Sobów T. NFZ o zdrowiu. Choroba Alzheimera i choroby pokrewne. Centrala Narodowego Funduszu Zdrowia. Departament Analiz i Innowacji, Warszawa 2022 ISBN 978 83-956980-6-4
• Gałązka-Sobotka M, Sławek J, Slowik A, Rejdak K, Kułakowska A, Gierzyński J, Gryglewicz J, Członkowska A, Karaszewski B, Karliński M, Kobayashi A, Newada M, Gryglewicz D, Barcikowska M, Barczak A, Gabryelewicz T, Gorzkowska A, Klimkowicz-Mrowiec A, Siuda J, Drapala A (2021). Stan polskiej neurologii i kierunki jej rozwoju w perspektywie do 2030 r. The state of Polish neurology and directions of its development until 2030. 10.26399/978-83-66723-30-6.
• Frederiksen KS, Nielsen TR, Appollonio I, Andersen BB, Riverol M, Boada M, Ceccaldi M, Dubois B, Engelborghs S, Frölich L, Hausner L, Gabelle A, Gabryelewicz T, et al. Biomarker counseling, disclosure of diagnosis and follow-up in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A European Alzheimer's disease consortium survey. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021 Feb;36(2):324-333. doi: 10.1002/gps.5427.