ADRC News

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) awarded Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi, PhD, RN, the 2021 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award in Health Services and Aging Research. Gilmore-Bykovskyi, an assistant professor in the UW School of Nursing, is an investigator and Care Research Core informatics lead in the Wisconsin ADRC. She is also a current Wisconsin ADRC REC Scholar.

The award is given to early- and mid-career researchers who make important contributions to health services science. AFAR is...

The age-related processes that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease development remain largely unknown, but a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers believes that the composition of an individual’s gut microbiome may contribute to brain changes that lead to neurodegenerative diseases. Barbara Bendlin, PhD, Federico Rey, PhD, and Tyler Ulland, PhD, recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support their project, “Gut barrier function in Alzheimer’s disease.” The 5-year grant is expected...

Almost 250 people attended a drive-thru resource fair in Madison's Penn Park on July 31. The event, hosted by the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, featured over 15 organizations with info on healthy aging, a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic partnership with Montee Ball, and free catered meals from Chef Yusuf Bin-Rella and TradeRoots Culinary Collective. The event was sponsored by UW Health with an aim to improve vaccination rates in Dane County for African Americans. Vaccines...

Nathaniel Chin, MD, was named co-leader of the Wisconsin ADRC Clinical Core. In this role, Chin will help manage the Clinical Core longitudinal study, a group of more than 1,000 research participants who visit the center regularly for health and memory testing and participation in biomarker studies. The data collected from Clinical Core research participants informs dozens of Alzheimer’s disease research studies each year.

Chin joins Clinical Core Leader Cynthia Carlsson, MD, MS, and...

A significant hurdle in developing therapeutics and care models for Alzheimer’s disease that work for people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds is the recruitment and retention of traditionally underrepresented groups in clinical trials. At the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021, in Denver and virtually, researchers shared new evidence-based insights into why people from communities of color do and do not choose to participate in clinical trials.

Dorothy Farrar Edwards, PhD, faculty director of...

Transgender and gender nonbinary adults in the United States are more likely to report worsening memory and thinking, functional limitations, and depression compared to cisgender (non-transgender) adults, according to two studies reported today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021 in Denver and virtually. One of the studies was authored by Nickolas H. Lambrou, PhD, assistant scientist in the Gleason Lab, who found depression and cognitive disability was higher among transgender and gender nonbinary adults.

Little is...

The world’s largest and most prestigious Alzheimer’s disease conference is underway this week, and UW Alzheimer’s disease researchers are attending in high numbers, leading several important discussions.

The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) attracts scientists and clinical researchers from across the world to come together to share new ideas to advance the goals of prevention, treatment, and care improvement of Alzheimer’s disease.

This year’s event is in Denver, Colorado — with a virtual option —...

According to the World Health Organization, 14% of dementia cases worldwide may be caused by smoking. But quitting can help.

In a recent news article from the American Heart Association, Adrienne Johnson, PhD, shared her expertise in helping older adults quit smoking.

Dr. Johnson is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention. She holds a Wisconsin ADRC Developmental Project Award to study the link between cigarette smoking and Alzheimer’s disease...

Nathaniel Chin, MD, joined Wisconsin Public Radio's "Central Time" to talk about Alzheimer's disease prevention and take listener calls. "How to Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease" aired on WPR on July 2, 2021.

The AHEAD Study is a new research study examining whether intervening ahead of symptoms may prevent future memory loss and dementia. AHEAD is the first research study that aims to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease by enrolling participants as young as 55 and using a tailored dosing approach.

The study looks at an investigational treatment aimed at delaying memory decline in people up to 20 years before the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear. Discovering a treatment...