University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tag: Alzheimer’s Disease

The Past, Present and Future of Alzheimer’s Disease Research

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Physician and author Dr. Jason Karlawish joins the podcast for the first installment of a four-part series centered around his new book, The Problem of Alzheimer’s: How Science, Culture, and Politics Turned a Rare Disease Into a Crisis and What We Can Do About It. In the book, Karlawish blends history and science to detail the most important breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease. He also offers an argument for how we can live with dementia and proposes reforms we can make as a society that would give caregivers and patients better quality of life. In this episode, Dr. Chin and Dr. Karlawish discuss Alzheimer’s disease in a historical context and the disease’s changing meaning.

Guest: Jason Karlawish, MD, co-director, Penn Memory Center

Safely Disclosing Amyloid Results with Alzheimer’s Disease Research Participants

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Dr. Lindsay Clark’s new study will evaluate the psychological consequences of disclosing amyloid test results to cognitively unimpaired adults. Dr. Clark joins the podcast to define amyloid accumulation and discuss how her study will examine the process of revealing amyloid results to research participants in Alzheimer’s disease research studies.

Guest: Lindsay Clark, PhD, assistant professor, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Poetry and Memory: A Poem by Dr. Fabu Carter

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In this special holiday bonus episode, we are joined by poet laureate, writer, and senior outreach specialist, Dr. Fabu Carter, to discuss the impact of poetry on memory loss and a reading of her poem “For Our Beloved Elders with Memory Loss.”

Guest: Fabu Carter, PhD, MA, Senior Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin of Medicine and Public Health

Update on Blood Tests for Predicting Alzheimer’s Disease

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Recent developments have introduced a blood-based test that could predict Alzheimer’s disease, with more of these tests currently in development. Dr. Sterling Johnson joins the podcast to discuss the significance and accuracy of these blood tests, as well as the impact it will have on Alzheimer’s disease research and care. 

Guest: Sterling Johnson, PhD, professor of medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Benefits of an Early Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis

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For individuals concerned with memory loss, the first few steps for screening and diagnosis can be the most intimidating. Dr. Cynthia Carlsson discusses recent progress in Alzheimer’s disease research, health disparities some groups face with the disease, and advice for individuals and caregivers who have concerns about memory loss.

Guest: Cynthia Carlsson, MD, MS, professor, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and director, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute

Research Update: Aerobic Exercise and Brain Health

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Aerobic exercise is often a recommendation for maintaining cognitive well-being, however its true connections to brain health are still being investigated to learn its effects on Alzheimer’s disease. Wisconsin ADRC exercise physiologist and researcher Max Gaitán joins the podcast to discuss the recent pilot study “Protocol of Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Health (REACH)” and the study’s future research into the impact of aerobic exercise on brain health.

Guest: Max Gaitán, MEd, Research Specialist, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Medicine

Sex Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease

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Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women. In the Alzheimer’s disease research field, there is an interest in understanding the sex-specific differences in the risk and development of this disease. Dr. Michelle Mielke joins to discuss some of these differences as well as how pregnancy and menopause might affect cognition.

Guest: Michelle Mielke, PhD, Mayo Clinic Rochester

Neighborhoods and Neurons: Study Finds Association between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Alzheimer’s Disease-related Brain Changes

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A recent study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health found that people who lived in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods were about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes at autopsy than people who lived in the wealthiest neighborhoods. One of the authors joins the podcast to discuss the research findings, the methodology behind the study, and future research directions.

Guest: Ryan Powell, PhD, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Medicine

Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative investigates genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease

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Research data collected from participants around the world has grown our understanding of genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Guest Jessica Langbaum, PhD, is the co-director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, which conducts clinical trials in people at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Langbaum discusses some recent findings in genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease, the psychological consequences of learning one’s risk, and testing interventions to delay or prevent the onset of symptoms. 

Guest: Jessica Langbaum, PhD, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute

Zip Codes Are More than a Number: Study Finds Link between Neighborhoods and Memory-related Brain Structures

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A recent study showed that research participants in the most highly disadvantaged neighborhoods had smaller hippocampal areas compared to research participants in more advantaged neighborhoods. The study’s first author explains the results and the tools researchers used to measure neighborhood disadvantage.

Guest: Jack Hunt, PhD, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Medical Scientist Training Program

Predicting Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease Today and Tomorrow

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This episode offers an overview of the current tools doctors use to examine Alzheimer’s disease risk in their patients, as well as new techniques in development. Our guest discusses the science behind risk testing for dementia, as well as the potential for a low-cost risk test.

Guest: Sanjay Asthana, MD, associate dean for gerontology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and director at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

DNA Is Not Your Destiny: Genetics and Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

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This episode explores genetic risk factors for early- and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Host Nathaniel Chin and guest Corinne Engelman discuss the research looking into genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease and the uncertainty that comes with genetic testing.

Guest: Corinne Engelman, MSHP, PhD, associate professor, Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Understanding and Managing Frontotemporal Dementia

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Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a type of dementia caused by degeneration in the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain. Our guest discusses the symptoms, risk factors, prevalence, and course of the disease, along with information on how a doctor diagnoses FTD and what families and caregivers can do after diagnosis.

Guest: Howard “Howie” Rosen, MD, behavioral neurologist at the University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center

It Takes Two to Tango: The Importance of Amyloid and Tau in Cognitive Decline

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Our guests, Dr. Rebecca Koscik and Dr. Tobey Betthauser, are researchers investigating the trajectory of amyloid and tau proteins over time and the significance of amyloid chronicity. Koscik and Betthauser discuss their two recent publications on the topic and how amyloid PET scans have helped scientists better understand the early brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Guests: Rebecca Koscik, PhD, senior scientist, Tobey Betthauser, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison

What We Have Learned from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention Study

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Our guest is Dr. Sterling Johnson, associate director of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and principal investigator of the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP) study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The WRAP study is one of the largest and longest-running observational studies of Alzheimer’s disease in the world. Dr. Johnson shares study findings, discusses advancements in brain imaging, and introduces the concept of amyloid chronicity.

Guest: Sterling Johnson, PhD, professor of medicine (geriatrics), University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health