ADRC News

For the weekly Brain’s Resilience And Intelligence Networks (BRAIN) international lecture series, Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD, shared an overview of his research into physical fitness, exercise, and Alzheimer’s disease progression. 

The lecture series emphasizes research in cognitive resilience and neuroimaging and seeks to illuminate the structural and functional networks that form the basis of resilience, which Okonkwo defined as the brain’s capacity for maintaining normal functioning despite the presence of pathology. In his talk “Resilience through the Fitness...

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH) held an online discussion Tuesday, September 15 about the current Alzheimer's disease research taking place at UW–Madison and clinical breakthroughs. The "Wisconsin Medicine Livestream: Ending Alzheimer’s" presentation was moderated by Robert N. Golden, MD, Dean of Students at UWSMPH and streamed live on YouTube.

Dean Golden hosted the livestream and started the presentation by sharing facts about Alzheimer’s disease. He said one statistic...

Every year, the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin and the Alzheimer’s Association – Wisconsin Chapter host walks to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s disease care, support, education and research. Both organizations are important partners to the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute (WAI), and staff members show their appreciation by hosting teams, walking, and raising money during the events. This year's walks are virtual, but you can join the UW Fight to End ALZ walk teams and help...

The Gilmore-Bykovskyi Lab, in collaboration with Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR), will offer Brain and Body Fitness: Strength & Resilience Edition on Tuesdays, September 22-October 27, at 10:30 a.m.

Some changes in memory and thinking are part of normal aging, but some people may feel concerned about changes they are experiencing. This class is for anyone who is concerned about changes they notice in their memory and thinking who want to improve their physical and mental...

The annual Research Participant Appreciation Brunch looked different this year when 15 staff members from the Wisconsin ADRC and community volunteers delivered 208 meals to African American Clinical Core research participants. Healthy brunch meals were prepared out of the Fountain of Life Covenant Church kitchen by Chef James Bloodsaw and his catering company Just Veggiez. Participants also received thank you certificates listing the number of years they have been involved in the ADRC Clinical Core...

Tobey Betthauser, PhD, joined the UW Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology as assistant professor on September 1, 2020. This coincides with Betthauser's appointment as investigator with the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

Betthauser’s doctoral studies began in 2013 in UW–Madison’s Department of Medical Physics. In 2018, he began working in the Wisconsin ADRC as a postdoctoral fellow in the Johnson Lab and was subsequently promoted to scientist in October 2019. 

A leading figure investigating amyloid and tau biomarker imaging using PET radiotracers, Betthauser recently...

Wisconsin ADRC senior outreach specialist Fabu Carter joined Alzheimer's Poetry Project founder Gary Glazner on Facebook Live to share poetry, offer tips for check-in calls with elders, and discuss virtual programming. Carter leads the Wisconsin ADRC Alzheimer's Poetry Project in Madison, Wisconsin.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of the Alzheimer's Poetry Project's programming, but a few initiatives have moved online, including the annual Memory Camp, traditionally held at Moon Lake in Saint Germain, Wisconsin. A sleep...

The American Psychiatric Association Publishing’s podcast, Psychiatry Unbound, welcomed board-certified geriatric psychiatrist and dementia researcher Art Walaszek, MD. Along with host Laura Roberts, MD, Walaszek discussed his recent book, Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia, as well as holistic approaches to dementia and effects of quarantine on individuals with memory loss. 

Walaszek’s research aims to improve the care and lives of individuals with dementia through public health approaches. He works on providing quality care to...

The Alzheimer’s Association awarded Leonardo Rivera-Rivera, PhD, a 3-year Research Grant and Fellowship in the amount of $179,999 to investigate the development of Alzheimer’s disease through vascular imaging research. Rivera-Rivera is a research associate in the UW Department of Medical Physics and a member of the Sterling Johnson Imaging Lab.

Living in Wisconsin for over a decade, Rivera-Rivera completed his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with his dissertation focused on vascular health and Alzheimer’s disease. His...

The Research Education Component (REC) of the Wisconsin ADRC recently hosted a virtual meeting for high school students in UW–Madison’s Precollege Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE).

During the July 6 event, 20 high school students observed presentations from Akshay Kohli, Nathaniel Chin, MD, and Barbara Bendlin, PhD, on the functions of the human brain and causes of dementia. Students also participated in a panel discussion in which several UW researchers shared their current projects as well as...