Dementia Matters

AAIC Special Series Part 6: Dr. Krista Lanctôt joins the podcast to discuss apathy, how it develops in people with Alzheimer’s disease, and her upcoming AAIC 2022 plenary talk. Guest: Krista Lanctôt, PhD, senior scientist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, full professor, University of Toronto Show Notes AAIC is the world’s largest forum for the dementia research community. Register for the plenary events, which are free to the public with registration, at the AAIC website. Learn more about Dr. Lanctot at her bio on the University of Toronto website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

AAIC Special Series Part 5: Bringing together scientists, clinicians, and research participants from all over the world, AAIC 2022 showcases the work and experiences of people from unique backgrounds and perspectives and highlights the importance of diversity in Alzheimer’s disease research. Dr. Carl Hill joins the podcast to discuss why diversity is important in scientific research and how AAIC 2022 supports efforts to make Alzheimer’s disease research more equitable and inclusive. Guest: Carl Hill, PhD, MPH, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Alzheimer’s Association Show Notes AAIC is the world’s largest forum for the dementia research community. Register for the plenary events, which are free to the public with registration, at the AAIC website. Listen to our past episode of Dementia Matters with Dr. Carl Hill on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Learn more about Dr. Carl Hill on the Alzheimer’s Association website. Learn more about Henrietta Lacks’ story (mentioned by Dr. Hill at 8:53) by checking out the Mind Readers Book Club discussion about the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, on our YouTube page. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

AAIC Special Series Part 4: Research into delirium, a condition where older adults experience acute confusional states during hospitalizations, and its connections to dementia have led to  numerous advancements in hospital care and treatments. Dr. Sharon Inouye joins the podcast to discuss how our understanding of delirium has changed over the past 30 years and previews her upcoming AAIC plenary talk about the intersection of delirium and dementia. Guest: Sharon Inouye, PhD, director, Aging Brain Center, Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, professor, Harvard Medical School Show Notes AAIC is the world’s largest forum for the dementia research community. Register for the plenary events, which are free to the public with registration, at the AAIC website. Learn more about Dr. Inouye at her bio on the Marcus Institute for Aging Research website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

AAIC Special Series Part 3: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an early stage of memory loss and cognitive impairment that can develop into dementia. While physicians have medications they can prescribe to manage the condition, many researchers and doctors are focusing on lifestyle interventions that could support a person’s cognition and address behavioral changes. Dr. Linda Lam joins the podcast to discuss her work studying mild cognitive impairment and preview her upcoming AAIC plenary talk on non-pharmacological treatments for MCI and dementia. Guest: Linda Lam, MBChB, MD, professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong Show Notes AAIC is the world’s largest forum for the dementia research community. Register for the plenary events, which are free to the public with registration, at the AAIC website. Learn more about Dr. Linda Lam on the Chinese University of Hong Kong website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

AAIC Special Series Part 2: Attending scientific conferences is usually a major commitment, often requiring attendees to travel, pay attendance fees, and take time out during the day to learn about groundbreaking research. Recent conferences like the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) are opening their doors virtually to make the events more accessible to research participants, care partners, and the general public. Sarah Walter joins the podcast as part of our special series previewing AAIC 2022 to discuss her article on how virtual scientific conferences impact research participant engagement and why it’s important for participants to hear about the research they’re involved in. Guest: Sarah Walter, MSc, program administrator, Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium, Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute, University of Southern California Show Notes AAIC is the world’s largest forum for the dementia research community. Register for the plenary events, which are free to the public with registration, at the AAIC website. Read Walter’s article, “Can Virtual Scientific Conferences Facilitate Two-Way Learning between Dementia Researchers and Participants?” through the National Library of Medicine. Learn more about Sarah Walter on the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium website. Connect with us   Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

AAIC Special Series Part 1: To kick off our month-long special series previewing the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, or AAIC, we’ve invited  Claire Sexton, senior director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s scientific programs, to join us to discuss the goals of AAIC, how the pandemic impacted the influential conference, and what she’s looking forward to at this year’s event. Guest: Claire Sexton, DPhil, senior director of scientific programs and outreach, Alzheimer’s Association Show Notes The AAIC is the world’s largest forum for the dementia research community. Register for the plenary events, which are free to the public with registration, at the AAIC website. Learn more about Dr. Claire Sexton on the Alzheimer’s Association website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters at dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

A do-not-resuscitate, or DNR, order is used to indicate when a patient chooses to forgo resuscitation, however recent analysis shows that multiple studies have connected the presence of DNR orders to elevated death rates, poorer medical care, and negative health outcomes. Dr. Jonathan Baktari joins the podcast to discuss the findings from this analysis, how it can impact individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and how these concerns can be addressed. Guest: Jonathan Baktari, MD, CEO, chief medical officer, e7 Health Show Notes Read about Dr. Baktari’s analysis, “DNR Orders Can Lead to Worse Care & Increase Death Rates,” on the e7 Health website. Learn more about Dr. Baktari at his bio on his website. Connect with us: Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

American literature professor and author Cindy Weinstein and behavioral neurologist Bruce Miller join the podcast to discuss their latest book, "Finding the Right Words: A Story of Literature, Grief, and the Brain", a dual-memoir that alternates between Weinstein’s memories of her father who experienced early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and Miller’s scientific responses. They discuss their writing process, developments in Alzheimer's disease research, and their experiences as care partners and care providers to those experiencing dementia. Guests: Cindy Weinstein, PhD, Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English, California Institute of Technology and Bruce Miller, MD, director, University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center Episode Topics 5:36 What brought the two of you together to write Finding the Right Words? 7:40 Cindy, how long have you thought about writing this book about your father, and how long did it take you to write this book? 14:36 What did you want the reader to take away from this construction and this layout of your novel? 18:52 How does early onset Alzheimer's disease progress differently than the more common late-onset Alzheimer's disease? 28:05 Bruce, you write a response in the book from a neurological scientific perspective on love later in the disease. Can you summarize your perspective on that? Show Notes Learn more about Mind Readers, the book club by the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and their special events by signing up for their e-newsletter. Register for the virtual discussion with authors Professor Cindy Weinstein and Dr. Bruce Miller on July 13 at 6pm CST. Read more about Professor Weinstein and Dr. Miller’s book, Finding the Right Words: A Story of Literature, Grief, and the Brain. Learn more about Professor Cindy Weinstein, Dr. Bruce Miller, and their journey to writing Finding the Right Words at their website.

There are many conflicting studies on how alcohol consumption can impact a person’s health, with some studies suggesting light drinking can protect against coronary heart disease and others concluding that drinking can increase your risk for cancer. What does research say about alcohol and the brain? Dr. Remi Daviet joins the podcast to discuss his latest study that found that just one alcoholic drink a day was associated with brain shrinkage, and drinking more could increase that rate exponentially over time. Guest: Remi Daviet, PhD, assistant professor, Wisconsin School of Business Episode Topics 3:40 How do you suggest people balance all of the conflicting messages surrounding research on alcohol consumption? 7:30 Is there an interaction between alcohol consumption and getting older? 8:10 What did your results show in this study? 13:45 How are you defining alcohol consumption? What is a unit of alcohol defined as for beer, wine, and hard alcohol? Show Notes Read Dr. Daviet’s study, Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank, through the online journal Nature. Read more about Dr. Daviet on his website and through his bio on the Wisconsin School of Business website.

In honor of Women’s Health Month, Dr. Jessica Caldwell joins the podcast to discuss sex differences in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. She explains some of the ways women experience aging and Alzheimer’s disease differently than men and how she incorporates research findings into patient care.  Guest: Jessica Caldwell, PhD, director, Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center, Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas, assistant professor, Case Western Reserve University Episode Topics 2:59 What are the sex differences in experiencing normal aging and in experiencing Alzheimer’s disease? 7:33 Why are women more affected by Alzheimer’s disease than men? 10:03 Are there other theories that have been speculated but aren’t true regarding the differences between men and women aging? 23:18 What type of prevention approaches do you discuss in your clinic? Show Notes The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center at Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas is the world’s first Alzheimer’s prevention center exclusively for women. Learn more at their website. Read the referenced studies by Dr. Caldwell on differences in brain health across sexes through the National Library of Medicine’s website, specifically the 2021 study on tau protein differences, the 2018 study on amyloid level differences, and the 2022 study on cortical thickness differences.  The Alzheimer’s Association has a women’s and Alzheimer’s webpage to learn more. The US Department of Health & Human Services Office on Women’s Health sponsors National Women’s Health Week.