NIH Workshop on "Zoster Vaccine and Dementia Risk Reduction: Evidence and Mechanisms"

On June 1-2, 2026, the NIH sponsored a workshop looking at how shingles contributes to dementia risk and how the shingles vaccine may reduce risk. Below are the video links to the full workshop. My invited talk on "Varicella Zoster Virus & Dementia: Mechanisms of Action" is on Day 1 at 3:57:10. As we know

, dementia is multifactorial with specific host factors, lifestyle, and environmental factors combining into the "perfect storm" of cognitive decline. Based on peer-reviewed clinical, basic research, and epidemiological publications, I propose that VZV reactivation is one of the potential factors that can accelerate dementia progression by increasing brain inflammation, amyloid deposition, and brain ischemia.

Day 1 Recording: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch/8302d4d7-4fd5-11f1-82c0-124f0a52e769

Day 2 Recording: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch/5d00ee7f-4fd6-11f1-82c0-124f0a52e769