The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging (MCSA) was established in 1985 as a multi-disciplinary academic unit dedicated to gerontological research and postgraduate teaching on the mechanisms of aging as well as prevention of age-associated disorders. Recently the Centre’s mandate was modified to reflect the emergence of novel frontiers in the field of aging research. Most importantly, the MCSA has achieved international recognition for its integrative work on the neurodegeneration of the aging central nervous system and neurodegenerative diseases. The Centre’s scientists are renowned for their contributions in the fields of Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases and other cognitive disorders. These diseases are studied through cellular and animal models, epidemiological surveys and case-control studies, human brain banking and clinical drug trials. Long-term objectives include healthy aging for the population at large, delay of appearance of symptoms in genetically predisposed individuals and training of a cadre of basic and clinical scientists in gerontology. The MCSA is part of the McGill University Faculty of Medicine.