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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics > Culture & Living > Aging >

Aging and Mental Health

The following experts are available to discuss the major mental health issues that affect older Americans including dementia and depression.

Faculty Experts:

Showing Aging and Mental Health Experts 1 through 5 of 7.  - Show More
John Morris

Director and Principal Investigator, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology

John C. Morris, M.D., is the Harvey A. and Dorismae Hacker Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Professor of Pathology and Immunology and of Physical Therapy, and the Director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Center for Aging, the Memory and Aging Project, and the Memory Diagnostic ...


Expertise: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, memory, aging, mild cognitive impairment

Media assistance: (314) 286-0122 / purdym@wustl.edu


Nancy Morrow-Howell

Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work

Nancy Morrow-Howell
Nancy Morrow-Howell
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Nancy Morrow-Howell studies many issues of concern to the elderly and their families, including adequacy of care for the dependent elderly, community care plans for the elderly, and use of mental health services. She is studying the health and mental health services needed and used by older adults ...


Expertise: elder care, gerontology, productive aging, depression

Direct contact: (314) 935-6762 / morrow-howell@wustl.edu


Brian Carpenter

Associate Professor of Psychology in Arts & Sciences

Brian Carpenter
Brian Carpenter
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Carpenter's research focuses on the clinical psychology of aging, with an emphasis on family relationships in late life. Recent work explores the ways family members work together to make decisions regarding older adults. Other studies have examined whether adult children really know what their older ...


Expertise: Alzheimer's disease, attachment bonds, clinical psychology of aging, death and dying, dementia, depression, doctor-patient communication, …

Direct contact: (314) 935-8212 / bcarpenter@wustl.edu


David M. Holtzman

Head of the Department of Neurology

Holtzman
Holtzman

Holtzman is known as one of the leading experts in researching the underlying mechanisms that lead to Alzheimer's disease in an effort to improve diagnosis and treatment. In addition to seeing patients at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the Memory Diagnostic Center, Holtzman leads a research ...


Expertise: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, neurology, molecular biology, monoclonal antibodies, amyloid plaques, perinatal stroke

Media assistance: (314) 286-0109 / reckessg@wustl.edu


Martha Storandt

Professor of Psychology

Storandt's research deals with aging. A major goal is understanding the distinction between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease, especially the very early stages of the disease, and how each affects cognitive function. Most of her research involves administering standard and experimental psychometric ...


Expertise: aging, Alzheimer's disease

Direct contact: (314) 935-6508 / mstorand@artsci.wustl.edu



Showing Aging and Mental Health Experts 1 through 5 of 7.  - Show More

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

Showing Aging and Mental Health Stories 1 through 3 of 57.  - Show More
China's rapidly aging population -- part of a worldwide trend

The global demographic shift is a significant opportunity as long as it is in tandem with a policy and cultural shift, say productive aging experts

Oct. 14, 2009 -- China's population of adults over 65 tops 100 million. This number is steadily growing, putting China at the forefront of a global demographic shift that includes the United States and other developed nations. "While a common tendency is to focus on the burdens an aging population will place on a country's economic and social welfare, an aging society represents an opportunity, not just a crisis," says Nancy Morrow-Howell, Ph.D., productive aging expert and professor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. "Expanding opportunities for productive engagement, including paid employment, formal volunteering, and mutual aid, may reduce social costs by reducing health care expenses and need for post-retirement income supports. (Video available)


Minding your meds

A silly pat on the head helps seniors remember daily med, study suggests

July 28, 2009 -- Doing something unusual, like knocking on wood or patting yourself on the head, while taking a daily dose of medicine may be an effective strategy to help seniors remember whether they've already taken their daily medications, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.


Understanding dementia

$10 million grant awarded for healthy aging and Alzheimer's studies

June 25, 2009 -- Alzheimer's disease researchers at the School of Medicine have won renewal of a grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to study the differences between people who remain mentally spry in the golden years of life and those who develop dementia.



Showing Aging and Mental Health Stories 1 through 3 of 57.  - Show More

Related News Clips:

Showing Aging and Mental Health Clips 1 through 5 of 49.  - Show More
Show More Aging and Mental Health Clips
More Alzheimer genetic risk factors found
United Press International and 3 others

Sept. 9, 2009 -- An international team of scientists has reported finding two more genetic risk factors of Alzheimer's disease. Includes comments by co-author and WUSTL professor of genetics in psychiatry Alison Goate.


Sleep linked to Parkinson's dementia
United Press International and 1 others

Aug. 3, 2009 -- WUSTL neurologist and study author James Galvin says more than 74 percent of Parkinson's patients have trouble sleeping, and up to 80 percent of patients age 65 and older who have Parkinson's disease for seven years will develop dementia.


Unfolding the mysteries of the brain
The Boston Globe

Aug. 3, 2009 -- Technological and computational advances have enabled researchers to image the brain's wrinkled exterior in stunning detail, mapping the size and shape of each fold. Scientists pursuing this new discipline of "cortical cartography'' expect it to yield insights into how the brain develops and what happens when things go awry. WUSTL neurobiologist David Van Essen comments.


David Holtzman: Attacking Alzheimer's With a New Test for Amyloid Beta
U.S. News & World Report online

July 1, 2009 -- WUSTL neuroscientist David Holtzman and colleagues have devised a test that shows whether an experimental medication has a chance of working in Alzheimer's patients.


Chemical clue to dementia decline
BBC News

May 12, 2009 -- WUSTL scientists have pinpointed compounds in the spinal fluid which may give an early warning of how fast patients with mild dementia will decline.


Is The FDA Easing Up?
Forbes

May 8, 2009 -- Matthew Herper reports on the controversy surrounding the FDA and its policy for approving new schizophrenia drugs. Includes comments by WUSTL psychiatry professor John Newcomer.


Early Alzheimer's, think less efficiently
United Press International and 2 others

May 5, 2009 -- Alzheimer's patients sift the important from less important less efficiently early on, according to a study conducted by WUSTL researchers.


Hypoglycemia linked to dementia
Science News Web edition

April 14, 2009 -- A single episode of low blood sugar severe enough to require prompt medical attention increases a person's risk of developing dementia in old age, a study in people with diabetes suggests. "This is a worrisome association," says WUSTL endocrinologist Philip Cryer. But he cautions that an association doesn't prove that one factor causes the other.


Settlements In Mental Health Cases Face Scrutiny
NPR All Things Considered

March 31, 2009 -- In some cases the Justice Department can intervene to make state-run institutions comply with civil rights laws. The statute is known as CRIPA -- the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. WUSTL law professor Margo Schlanger, who used to work on CRIPA cases as a Justice Department attorney comments.


Antidepressant Eases Anxiety in Older Adults
The Washington Post and 4 others

Jan. 21, 2009 -- In the largest study of SSRIs in older people with anxiety disorders, a team of psychiatric researchers found the drug escitalopram improved anxiety symptoms and quality of life. The study was conducted by WUSTL associate professor of psychiatry Dr. Eric J. Lenze while at the University of Pittsburgh. His team studied 177 people over the age of 60.


Never Say Die
Newsweek and 1 others

Dec. 8, 2008 -- Anne Underwood writes on the biology of aging and anti-aging research being done by scientists, including WUSTL nutritional sciences professor Luigi Fontana, who is tracking the progress of 45 members of the Calorie Restriction Society.


Alzheimer's Gene Slows Brain's Ability To Export Toxic Protein
ScienceDaily.com

Nov. 14, 2008 -- People who carry two copies of a particular gene have roughly eight to 10 times the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease than people who do not. WUSTL neuroscientist David Holtzman and graduate student Mary Beth Finn, were among the group of scientists that conducted research for this study.


'Cognitive Reserve' May Help Fight Alzheimer's
The Washington Post and 6 others

Nov. 12, 2008 -- A study using an advanced brain scanning technology supports the growing body of evidence that education levels and some form of intellectual activity decrease the impact of Alzheimer's disease. WUSTL neurology professor and study author Catherine Roe comments.


Unhealthy Meals Dull Older Diabetics' Memory
U.S. News & World Report and 5 others

June 27, 2008 -- Older adults with type 2 diabetes are apt to have memory problems after eating a meal loaded with fat, but a new study has found the damage can be undone if they take antioxidant vitamins along with the unhealthy food. More study is definitely needed, said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at WUSTL.


Celebrex, Naproxen Won't Prevent Mental Decline
U.S. News & World Report and 9 others

May 13, 2008 -- Contrary to prior studies, a new trial shows that daily use of two popular pain-relieving drugs, Celebrex and naproxen, does not prevent cognitive decline in people with a family history of Alzheimer's disease. WUSTL neurology professor John Morris, who is director of WUSTL's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and a member of the medical and scientific advisory council for the Alzheimer's Association, comments.


Study Details New Molecular Approach to Preventing Alzheimer's
The Washington Post and 7 others

April 25, 2008 -- German researchers are reporting a new approach to the possible prevention of the molecular "debris" that's associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
WUSTL neurology professor James Galvin called the German research "a novel idea."


Gut Check: Why Doctors Say Not All Fat Is Created Equal
The Wall Street Journal and 2 others

April 15, 2008 -- The recent report that having a pot belly in your 40s roughly triples your risk of dementia in later life is just the tip of an ominous iceberg. WUSTL research on liposuction in which found no change in the women's cholesterol levels, triglycerides, insulin sensitivity or other health risks. "If they had lost that much fat by dieting, they would have substantially improved their metabolic profile, but they didn't," says Samuel Klein, director of WUSM's Center for Human Nutrition and the study's principal investigator.


Researchers zero in on Alzheimer's plaque origin
Agence France Presse and 13 others

April 10, 2008 -- WUSTL researchers have found that a key ingredient for the formation of Alzheimer's plaques is produced by a brain cell activity. WUSTL neurology professor and the study's first author John Cirrito comments.


McCain works to answer age and health questions
Boston Globe and 5 others

March 27, 2008 -- David Carr, clinical director of WUSTL's division of geriatrics and nutritional science, said the fact that McCain has gone five years without a melanoma recurrence is good news.


Researchers Pinpoint Link Between Caloric Restriction and Longevity
CBC News (Canada) and 7 others

Sept. 21, 2007 -- Harvard researchers report in the Sept. 21 issue of Cell that they have uncovered a molecular clue that seems to explain why cutting calories might lengthen your life.
It turns out that mitochondria guard against cell death, and two specific genes within the mitochondria actually carry out that task. Mitochondria are compartments within a cell that are dedicated to energy production, and their loss is thought to be a major cause of aging.
WUSTL molecular biology and pharmacology professor Shin-ichiro Imai comments on the Harvard study.



Related Information
Media Assistance:

Jessica Martin
Director, News & Information for the School of Law and the George Warren Brown School of Social Work
jessica_martin@wustl.edu

(314) 935-5251
Related Links:
Center for Social Development
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

Related Groups:

Schools:
George Warren Brown School of Social Work

Departments:
Medicine
Neurology
Psychology

Programs:
Center for Mental Health Services Research
Center for Social Development
Geriatrics

- View All Groups

Related Topics:
Aging
Alzheimer's Disease / Memory
Brain / Neuro / Spinal
Caregiving for Older Americans
Health Care Policy
Mental Health / Illness
Parenting / Family
Productive Aging
Psychology
Social Issues & Domestic Policy

- View All Topics

Revised:

Wednesday, July 6, 2005


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