ADRC News

For nearly one year, COVID-19 has upended our lives in uncountable ways. The medical and science communities have been researching the virus and making incredible strides in developing recommendations that people can follow to reduce their risk for contracting COVID-19. I believe the most exciting advancement is the introduction of new vaccines to protect people against serious illness from the coronavirus. 

The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) will host the annual Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Research Day March 17-18, 2021. The event brings together faculty, students and researchers from a wide range of disciplines to share scientific findings and build industry connections related to the dementia research field.

The National Institute on Aging and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine appointed Nathaniel Chin, MD, to the Committee on Behavioral and Social Research and Clinical Practice Implications of Biomarker and other Preclinical Diagnostics of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and AD-related Dementias (AD/ADRC).

Alzheimer's Poetry Project is launching a weekly Poetry for Life: Call-in Show on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. CT starting February 25. Join Gary Glazner and Dr. Fabu Carter for a 30-minute-long event that sounds like an old-fashioned radio show. They will share funny poems, happy poems, well-loved poems, poems that make you want to dance, love poems, silly poems and more. The program is suitable for all ages.

The National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) recently hosted "COVID-19 and Diverse Communities: A Panel Discussion on ORE Efforts." Speakers from four Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers presented on outreach, recruitment and engagement (ORE) activities from their centers. Topics included the impact of COVID-19 in diverse communities; ORE efforts in the age of COVID, particularly associated with misinformation and distrust; and efforts regarding the COVID-19 vaccines.

People with dementia are twice as likely to seek emergency care compared to older adults who don’t have dementia. The emergency department can be a loud, bright, fast-paced environment, which can amplify cognitive issues and present communication challenges for someone with dementia. But there are steps you can take to improve an emergency department visit for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another cause of dementia.

Thursdays in January, the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center will host Alzheimer's Disease Research Updates on Facebook Live. Presenters will offer short presentations and answer questions in a Q&A session in the comments. "Like" the Wisconsin ADRC Facebook page to receive notifications when the page goes live, or view archived Facebook Live presentations.

The following is a list of presenters and their topics:

January 7 at noon CST — Shenikqua Bouges, MD, assistant professor in the UW Department...

Megan Zuelsdorff, PhD, was a guest on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) where she discussed recent developments in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research. Zuelsdorff is assistant professor in the UW School of Nursing and an Alzheimer's disease researcher. 

MPR host Kerri Miller featured developments in Alzheimer’s disease research in the interview, including a potential blood test to help detect Alzheimer’s disease, factors like sleep in cognitive health, and the devastating, larger impact of Alzheimer’s disease on Black...

With the holiday season upon us, it is important to keep in mind the risks of COVID-19 and the threat it has on our elderly population. To put in perspective the amount of risk it has on elderly people, a Wisconsin statistic estimates that about 77% of all those who have died from the virus are over the age of 70. With this in mind, Dr. Nathaniel Chin, UW Health geriatrician and Wisconsin ADRC investigator...

Investigator Nicole Rogus-Pulia, PhD, CCC-SLP, speech-language pathologist and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializes in a subset of swallowing disorders known as dysphagia. Additionally, her work focuses on how dementia and related cognitive decline comes hand-in-hand with symptoms of dysphagia. She suggests that cognitive impairments and attention deficits can negatively impact swallow functioning.

Rogus-Pulia was recently featured in two articles by Being Patient, an online source for Alzheimer's disease and brain...