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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics > Culture & Living > Aging >
Alzheimer's Disease / Memory
Alzheimer's disease is devastating to both the victims and their families. The following experts look at the medical and social aspects of Alzheimer's disease and offer the latest research toward a cure for the disease and advice for family and friends dealing with the impact of Alzheimer's. These researchers also look at why memory fades with age and what can be done to help preserve memory.
| Faculty Experts: |
Showing Alzheimer's Disease / Memory Experts 1 through 5 of 8.
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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
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Alexander W. Dromerick
Associate Professor of Neurology and Occupational Therapy
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| Dromerick |
Dromerick is known for his clinical and laboratory research on rehabilitation methods for stroke patients, including a new technique called constraint-induced movement therapy.
Expertise: stroke, neurology, brain injury, occupational therapy, rehabilitation, constraint-induced movement therapy, brain imaging, …
Media assistance: (314) 286-0109 / reckessg@wustl.edu
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David M. Holtzman
Head of the Department of Neurology
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| 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
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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
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mstorand@artsci.wustl.edu
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Sandra Hale
Associate Professor or Psychology in Arts and Sciences
Hale conducts research that focuses on developmental changes in speed of information processing across the life span and on the role of age-related differences on other aspects of cognition. In particular, she has developed one line of research that examines the role of developmental changes in processing ...
Expertise: developmental changes, information processing, life span, cognition, working memory, brain, processing, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-6664
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sshale@artsci.wustl.edu
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Showing Alzheimer's Disease / Memory Experts 1 through 5 of 8.
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| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
Showing Alzheimer's Disease / Memory Stories 1 through 3 of 54.
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Earlier diagnosis
Skills tests like 'connect the dots' may be early Alzheimer's indicator
Oct. 13,
2009 -- A study of mental decline in the years prior to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease suggests that changing the focus of testing may help physicians detect signs of the disease much earlier. School of Medicine researchers have found that visuospatial skills, evaluated with tasks such as connecting the dots or using a guide to build a structure with blocks, begin to deteriorate up to three years prior to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's.
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More benefits of sleep
Sleep loss linked to increase in Alzheimer's plaques
Sept. 24,
2009 -- Chronic sleep deprivation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease makes Alzheimer's brain plaques appear earlier and more often, researchers at the School of Medicine report online this week in Science Express.
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Spicy therapy
Dementia induced and blocked in Parkinson's fly model
Aug. 1,
2009 -- Parkinson's disease is well-known for impairing movement and causing tremors, but many patients also develop other serious problems, including sleep disturbances and significant losses in cognitive function known as dementia. Now researchers at the School of Medicine have modeled Parkinson's-associated dementia for the first time.
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Showing Alzheimer's Disease / Memory Stories 1 through 3 of 54.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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'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.
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Tracking Alzheimer's-linked protein in live brains
Associated Press
and 79 others
Aug. 29,
2008 -- Researchers at WUSTL and the University of Milan found that levels of a protein linked with Alzheimer's disease rise as people recover from brain injuries - a surprising finding that may help explain why injuries boost the risk of developing the disease. WUSTL neurology professor David Brody comments.
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Neuron Killers
Science News
Aug. 4,
2008 -- The method by which "bad" proteins bump off neurons is also a matter of dispute. Scientists are drawing ever closer to solutions for these mysteries, and what they discover may one day help head off these diseases or even repair some damage after rogue proteins have vandalized the brain or spinal cord.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Humor Hampered By Aging Brain?
CBSNews.com
and 1 others
Aug. 6,
2007 -- Age-related brain changes may make it harder for older adults to understand humor, a new study shows.
The study comes from WUSTL psychology graduate student Wingyun Mak and psychology professor Brian Carpenter.
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Joke comprehension may decrease with age, study at St. Louis university suggests
International Herald Tribune (France)
and 206 others
July 11,
2007 -- It's no laughing matter: a new study suggests older adults have a harder time getting jokes as they age.
The research indicates that because older adults may have greater difficulty with cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning and short-term memory, they also have greater difficulty with tests of humor comprehension.
The research conducted by WUSTL graduate student Wingyun Mak and WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter.
Findings were published earlier this month in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.
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