David Perry, MD, is a neurologist and associate professor of neurology at the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center, part of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. He specializes in the care of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and other conditions that affect memory, thinking, and behavior. Perry is committed to providing compassionate, comprehensive care while advancing research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of these complex disorders.
Perry earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he also studied obsessive-compulsive symptoms in people with dementia. He then completed a fellowship in behavioral neurology at the Fein Memory and Aging Center, where he received advanced training in neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive disorders.
Perry’s research focuses on understanding behavioral changes in dementia, particularly changes in motivation and reward processing. He studies how neurodegenerative diseases and mood disorders affect the brain’s reward systems and how these changes relate to specific patterns of brain injury. He also investigates clinical features and brain imaging markers to improve diagnostic accuracy and predict the underlying causes of neurodegenerative diseases. His goal is to enable earlier, more accurate diagnoses and improve care for people living with these conditions.
In addition to his research, Perry cares for patients in the Fein Memory and Aging Center clinic. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to translate research discoveries into better patient care and support for their families.