ADRC News

Image
dr cynthia carlsson

Cynthia Carlsson, MD, MS, has been selected by the U.S. Secretary for Health to serve as a member of the prestigious Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services. Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the council advises the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) to address numerous issues related to Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders.

Image
seven doctors answering questions about Alzheimer's disease

A maximum capacity crowd of nearly 700 people gathered at the Health Science Learning Center in Madison, Wisconsin, on September 18 for the third and final Mini Med School of 2019. Presenters showcased the cutting-edge Alzheimer’s disease research taking place at the UW. Emcee for the evening was Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center director, Sanjay Asthana, MD. Asthana guided attendees through four presentations that offered a glimpse at the hope on the horizon for...

Image
precious memories choir - group of men and women singing

The Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center is looking for people with memory loss and their caregivers to join the newly-organized Precious Memories Choir. An informational meeting and first round of auditions will be held on October 19 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at St. Paul A.M.E. Church, 4235 Diamond Dr., in Madison, Wisconsin.

Choir members should:

  • Be able to sing
  • Have a memory loss diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), or any form of...
Image
woman visibly upset with man sitting on couch next to her

By Art Walaszek, MD

One of the greatest challenges for patients with dementia and their caregivers is addressing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). BPSD are nearly universal, with around 90% of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia experiencing BPSD at some point in their illness. These symptoms — depression, anxiety, insomnia, apathy, aggression, and hallucinations, among others — can be very distressing to patients and can even pose dangers to patients and...

Image
book cover behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

About 90% of people with dementia suffer from behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) at some point in their illness. These symptoms include aggression, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, anxiety, irritability, apathy, and sleep disturbance, among others. 

Caring for these patients – as a primary care physician, spouse, child, or other caregiver – can be challenging, and for some, overwhelming, but a new book by geriatric psychiatrist and dementia care expert Art Walaszek, MD, aims...

Image
Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center - University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) and its Research Education Component (REC) are pleased to announce the inaugural group of REC Scholars, exceptional junior investigators who will be supported in their development into independent Alzheimer’s disease researchers.

The REC Scholars will participate in a rigorous two-year mentored training program designed to ensure research proficiency in broad-based Alzheimer’s disease research. The program will offer specific training in the Wisconsin ADRC’s theme of preclinical biomarkers of...

Image
barbara bendlin phd

The UW-Madison Neuroscience & Public Policy Program (N&PP) named Barbara Bendlin, PhD, director of its program. Dr. Bendlin is associate professor in the Department of Medicine Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and an investigator in the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Waisman Center.

Dr. Bendlin collaborates with researchers from various disciplines, including key Wisconsin-based projects, to ask a variety of questions about Alzheimer’s...

Image
dr robert sanders

Research from Robert D. Sanders, MD, shows major surgery is associated with a small decline in memory and thinking skills as we age -- less than five months of natural brain aging. Dr. Sanders is an assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Anesthesiology and an investigator with the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. His research was published in The BMJ last week.

Read a press release...

Image
dr ozioma okonkwo

Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD, a national expert on Alzheimer's disease risk, presented findings from three recent studies that suggest exercise can reduce Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in people who are at risk for the disease during the the 2019 American Psychological Association annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, August 8-11. In his presentation "Worried About Alzheimer's Disease? Lifestyle (and Good Genes) Holds the Key," Dr. Okonkwo shared research that showed individuals who were physically active had fewer Alzheimer's disease...

Image
entry to conference center at aaic 2019

Alzheimer’s disease researchers from UW-Madison presented about 50 poster abstracts and about 10 oral abstracts throughout the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, held July 14-18 in Los Angeles, California. Wisconsin research spanned a wide range of topics, from racial differences in vascular risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease to the connection between proper nouns and beta-amyloid to gut microbes and brain outcome measures.

The national media reported on a number of the studies presented at the conference...