Virginia Tech Sep 2 2025 One of the first parts of the brain affected by Alzheimer's disease is the entorhinal cortex - a region that plays a big role in memory, spatial navigation, and the brain's internal mapping system. With support from the Commonwealth of Virginia's Alzheimer's and Related Diseases Research Award Fund (ARDRAF), Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientists Sharon Swanger and Shannon Farris are working to understand why this area is especially vulnerable.  Swanger