University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Episodes

COVID-19 and Its Effects on the Brain

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AAIC Special Series Part 7:

Recent studies have shown that 1 in 5 U.S. adults who were diagnosed with COVID-19 now deal with Long COVID, a condition where individuals report fatigue, cognitive issues, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms lasting at least three months after infection. With these reported effects on cognition and brain health, what else do we know about COVID’s impact on the brain? Dr. Heather Snyder joins us to talk about what we know about COVID-19’s effects on the brain and her upcoming scientific session at AAIC 2022.

Guest: Heather Snyder, PhD, vice president, medical & scientific relations, Alzheimer’s Association

Scientific Importance of Diversity in Alzheimer’s Disease Research

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AAIC Special Series Part 5:

Bringing together scientists, clinicians, and research participants from all over the world, AAIC 2022 showcases the work and experiences of people from unique backgrounds and perspectives and highlights the importance of diversity in Alzheimer’s disease research. Dr. Carl Hill joins the podcast to discuss why diversity is important in scientific research and how AAIC 2022 supports efforts to make Alzheimer’s disease research more equitable and inclusive.

Guest: Carl Hill, PhD, MPH, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Alzheimer’s Association

Delirium and Dementia: Plenary Preview with Dr. Sharon Inouye

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AAIC Special Series Part 4:

Research into delirium, a condition where older adults experience acute confusional states during hospitalizations, and its connections to dementia have led to  numerous advancements in hospital care and treatments. Dr. Sharon Inouye joins the podcast to discuss how our understanding of delirium has changed over the past 30 years and previews her upcoming AAIC plenary talk about the intersection of delirium and dementia.

Guest: Sharon Inouye, PhD, director, Aging Brain Center, Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, professor, Harvard Medical School

Non-Pharmacological Care for People with MCI and Dementia: Plenary Preview with Dr. Linda Lam

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AAIC Special Series Part 3:

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an early stage of memory loss and cognitive impairment that can develop into dementia. While physicians have medications they can prescribe to manage the condition, many researchers and doctors are focusing on lifestyle interventions that could support a person’s cognition and address behavioral changes. Dr. Linda Lam joins the podcast to discuss her work studying mild cognitive impairment and preview her upcoming AAIC plenary talk on non-pharmacological treatments for MCI and dementia.

Guest: Linda Lam, MBChB, MD, professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Opening Doors to Research Participants: Making Scientific Conferences Accessible to the Public

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AAIC Special Series Part 2:

Attending scientific conferences is usually a major commitment, often requiring attendees to travel, pay attendance fees, and take time out during the day to learn about groundbreaking research. Recent conferences like the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) are opening their doors virtually to make the events more accessible to research participants, care partners, and the general public. Sarah Walter joins the podcast as part of our special series previewing AAIC 2022 to discuss her article on how virtual scientific conferences impact research participant engagement and why it’s important for participants to hear about the research they’re involved in.

Guest: Sarah Walter, MSc, program administrator, Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium, Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute, University of Southern California

The World’s Largest Forum for Alzheimer’s Research: Introducing the AAIC 2022 Special Series

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AAIC Special Series Part 1:

To kick off our month-long special series previewing the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, or AAIC, we’ve invited  Claire Sexton, senior director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s scientific programs, to join us to discuss the goals of AAIC, how the pandemic impacted the influential conference, and what she’s looking forward to at this year’s event.

Guest: Claire Sexton, DPhil, senior director of scientific programs and outreach, Alzheimer’s Association

Study Shows Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders Can Lead to Worse Care, Increase Death Rates

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A do-not-resuscitate, or DNR, order is used to indicate when a patient chooses to forgo resuscitation, however recent analysis shows that multiple studies have connected the presence of DNR orders to elevated death rates, poorer medical care, and negative health outcomes. Dr. Jonathan Baktari joins the podcast to discuss the findings from this analysis, how it can impact individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and how these concerns can be addressed.

Guest: Jonathan Baktari, MD, CEO, chief medical officer, e7 Health

‘Finding the Right Words’: Author Interview with Cindy Weinstein and Bruce Miller

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American literature professor and author Cindy Weinstein and behavioral neurologist Bruce Miller join the podcast to discuss their latest book, Finding the Right Words: A Story of Literature, Grief, and the Brain, a dual-memoir that alternates between Weinstein’s memories of her father who experienced early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and Miller’s scientific responses. They discuss their writing process, developments in Alzheimer’s disease research, and their experiences as care partners and care providers to those experiencing dementia.

Guests: Cindy Weinstein, PhD, Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English, California Institute of Technology and Bruce Miller, MD, director, University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center

Alcohol and the Brain: One Drink a Day Associated with Brain Shrinkage

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There are many conflicting studies on how alcohol consumption can impact a person’s health, with some studies suggesting light drinking can protect against coronary heart disease and others concluding that drinking can increase your risk for cancer. What does research say about alcohol and the brain? Dr. Remi Daviet joins the podcast to discuss his latest study that found that just one alcoholic drink a day was associated with brain shrinkage, and drinking more could increase that rate exponentially over time.

Guest: Remi Daviet, PhD, assistant professor, Wisconsin School of Business

Women’s Health Month: Women and Alzheimer’s Disease

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In honor of Women’s Health Month, Dr. Jessica Caldwell joins the podcast to discuss sex differences in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. She explains some of the ways women experience aging and Alzheimer’s disease differently than men and how she incorporates research findings into patient care. 

Guest: Jessica Caldwell, PhD, director, Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center, Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas, assistant professor, Case Western Reserve University

Disaggregating Racial Data: How Studying Ethnic Subgroups Can Improve Research

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A graduate student from the University of Wisconsin–Madison is pushing for the disaggregation of data in research to better understand how individuals from different ethnic subgroups are represented as research participants and as researchers. Kao Lee Yang began writing and discussing the topic after the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study rejected her application for not meeting their racial and ethnic underrepresentation criteria, despite often being the only Hmong American scientist in many research spaces. Yang joins the podcast to discuss her opinion piece for STAT News, the problems with using aggregated data, and how the push to study individual ethnic groups could improve Alzheimer’s disease research.

Guest: Kao Lee Yang, MPA/PhD candidate in the Neuroscience and Public Policy Program and Bendlin Laboratory, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Incorporating Cultural Knowledge: Improving Alzheimer’s Disease Research for Veterans and Native Americans

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Dr. Cynthia Carlsson and Daniel A. King join the podcast to discuss some of the unique ways that Alzheimer’s disease affects Veterans and Native Americans. Their work at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center allows them to connect with people who are at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease and help educate them on how to maintain brain health, both through Dr. Carlsson’s research and clinical practice and Mr. King’s outreach to Veterans and Native Americans. Discussing the importance of current outreach and educational efforts as well as what they’ve learned from engaging with Veterans and Native Americans, Dr. Carlsson and Mr. King describes how understanding different cultures and community experiences can help Alzheimer’s disease research better support underserved populations.

Guests: Cynthia Carlsson, MD, MS, professor of medicine and Alzheimer’s disease researcher, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, geriatrician, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, and Daniel A. King, member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Veteran recruitment coordinator, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Update on Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease

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Research in the field of fluid biomarkers is leading to new developments in Alzheimer’s disease identification, including new tests that can predict Alzheimer’s based on biomarkers in blood. Ahead of his keynote address as part of Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias Research Day on April 5, 2022, Dr. Thomas Karikari joins the podcast to discuss his work with these new blood tests, how accurate they are, and what research needs to be done before they are made available for clinical use.

Guest: Thomas Karikari, PhD, assistant professor, University of Gothenburg, University of Pittsburgh

Harnessing the Power of Autophagy to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

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The Puglielli lab at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has found a way to manipulate autophagy — a process where cells clean out damaged materials — to rid the brain of toxic proteins like amyloid and tau. Researchers hope to use the power of this process to develop future treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases of aging. Luigi Puglielli joins the podcast to discuss his team’s research over the past 15 years, why the scientific process can take years to turn ideas into possible treatments, and how he hopes this research can be used in the future.

Guest: Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health