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Friends and Colleagues,
Reaching a milestone of 20 years is a significant accomplishment. This newsletter recognizes the 20th year of two important landmarks in the work of diagnosing and preventing Alzheimer’s disease: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) was identified as a new diagnosis and at the same time, the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute (WAI) hosted its first annual educational event, establishing new avenues of support for Wisconsin health care providers.
This year, we are recognizing the past two decades of progress at WAI’s 20th Annual Update in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, held virtually November 11, 2022. One of the keynote speakers is Ronald Petersen, MD, PhD, a pioneer in the diagnosis and treatment of MCI and cognitive function in aging. Find details on the event webpage. We hope to see you there! CMEs will be available for those who qualify.
Keep reading for more research updates, resources to help your practice today and upcoming events. Thanks for reading!
- Cindy
Cynthia Carlsson, MD, MS
Louis A. Holland, Sr., Professor in Alzheimer’s Disease
Department of Medicine
Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
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Clinical Management and Treatment News
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Improving access to Alzheimer’s disease services for Latinos
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that by 2060, Latinos will face the largest increase in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias cases of any racial/ethnic group in the United States. Learning the extent of these health disparities was the reason Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM, decided to focus her work on improving awareness, access and dementia care in the Latino community.
Mora Pinzon is a physician-scientist with the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute and a Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) REC Scholar. She is also co-founder of @latinasinmedicine, a place for Latina healthcare providers to share resources and build community that now has more than 9,000 followers. Read more about her work and research and an interview with her recently published in Madison365 here. And you can watch her research presentation on Wisconsin PBS here.
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Fall Community Lecture: Blood-based biomarkers, risk and protective factors of Alzheimer’s disease
October 12
5 to 8 p.m.
Gordon Dining & Event Center
770 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53706
The Wisconsin ADRC will host its annual fall community lecture October 12 on the UW-Madison campus. Learn more and register on the Wisconsin ADRC event page.
20th Annual Update in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
November 10–November 11
Virtual event
Celebrating 20 years! The annual professional education event begins with a pre-conference workshop on November 10, followed by the conference November 11. Speakers include Ronald Petersen, MD, of Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, FAAN, from Emory Neil Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, of University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and many more. Watch the event page for registration and continuing education details.
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UW Research Opportunities
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We encourage readers to share news about our open studies with clients. Study flyers and contact information are posted on the study websites for you to distribute.
ADRC Clinical Core
The purpose of the Wisconsin ADRC Clinical Core is to help researchers identify people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease earlier and find better ways to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease and related memory disorders. People who join the Clinical Core attend either annual or every-other-year visits with a study partner and undergo memory and thinking abilities evaluations. They also participate in other ADRC-affiliated studies.
Dementia Care Research Project
The Dementia Care Research Project is an opportunity for people with memory concerns and their caregiver to get involved in dementia care research. Dementia care research focuses on understanding how to improve the quality of life for people with memory concerns and their caregivers by examining the care they receive at home or within the healthcare system.
LIFE Study
The Longitudinal Impact of Fitness and Exercise (LIFE) study is investigating the effects of aerobic fitness and physical activity over time to better understand how those factors might help to promote healthy brain aging and delay the onset of clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in the future.
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UW Dementia Research News
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Grant supports development of dementia assessment toolkit with American Indian communities
Compared to the majority population, Indigenous rates of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are approximately three times higher. Investigators from the Wisconsin ADRC received funding from the National Institute on Aging to develop a culturally appropriate dementia evaluation toolkit with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. The grant, “Addressing Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Disparities: The American Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (AMICA),” is expected to total $10 million over 5 years. Read more
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Watch Now: Lecture shares research on regenerative medicine
The second annual Dr. Daniel I. Kaufer Lecture was held June 6, sharing current Alzheimer's disease research for professionals working in dementia care. Kaufer was a renowned neurologist at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his death in 2020, he endowed an annual lecture intending to continue his commitment to dementia care on the campus that provided his undergraduate and medical school education. This year’s keynote speaker, Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, discussed her work developing the first regenerative therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease. Watch now.
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Listen in: UW podcast features international experts from AAIC
The Dementia Matters podcast produced a special series interviewing speakers from the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). Guest speakers from the international event spoke to the podcast on topics including non-pharmacological care for people with MCI and dementia, the scientific importance of diversity in Alzheimer’s research and COVID-19 effects on the brain. Listen to the episodes on the Dementia Matters webpage.
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How brain inflammation may link Alzheimer’s risk, sleep disturbance
A multisite research team from UW–Madison, the University of California, Irvine and Wake Forest University has discovered that brain inflammation may link Alzheimer’s disease risk with sleep disturbance, which may aid early detection and prevention efforts by identifying novel treatment targets at preclinical stages. Read more
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National Dementia Research News
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How microglia contribute to Alzheimer's disease
A new study shows how a type of cells called microglia contribute to the slowdown of neuron activity seen in Alzheimer's disease.
Social stressors attributed to accelerated aging of the immune system
Exposure to stress is a risk factor for poor health and accelerated aging. Immune aging may contribute to elevated risk for poor health among those who experience high psychosocial stress.
Rapid loss of smell predictor of dementia
Research shows a decline in a person's sense of smell may predict their loss of cognitive function and can foretell structural changes in regions of the brain that are important in Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Benefits of physical, mental activity on thinking may differ for men and women
Studies have shown that physical and mental activity help preserve thinking skills and delay dementia. A new study suggests that these benefits may vary for men and women.
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Resources for Dementia Care Professionals
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