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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > Faculty Experts at Washington University in St. Louis >

Director and Principal Investigator, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology
Expertise: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, memory, aging, mild cognitive impairment
Bio:
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 Center at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a 1974 graduate of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He completed residencies in internal medicine and in neurology and neuropathology, the latter with Drs. Maurice Victor and Betty Banker at the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. He came to Washington University in 1982 as a postdoctoral fellow in neuropharmacology, training with Dr. James Ferrendelli, and joined the Memory and Aging Project under the direction of Dr. Leonard Berg in 1984.
Professor Morris' research involves clinicopathological studies of aging and dementia with a focus on early-stage Alzheimer disease. He is author or co-author of over 180 peer-reviewed journal articles and 50 chapters and reviews. He edited the Handbook of Dementing Illnesses. Professor Morris is Editor-in-Chief of Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders and serves on the editorial board of The Neurologist. He is a Director of the National Alzheimer's Association, and a member of the Association's Medical and Scientific Advisory Council. He completed a term (1996-2000) as a member and chair of the Neuroscience of Aging Review Committee for the National Institute of Aging, Bethesda, Maryland. He serves on many scientific and community advisory boards and is a member or Fellow of numerous professional societies, including the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association, the American Geriatrics Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. He has received many honors, including the Distinguished Achievement Citation from his alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan University (2000), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alzheimer's Association (2004), the 2004 MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research, and the 2005 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's, Alzheimer's, and Related Disease from the American Academy of Neurology.
Education:
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B.A. at Ohio Wesleyan University
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M.D. at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

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Auto ban
 Physicians enlisted in efforts to keep demented drivers off the road

Dec. 14,
2006 --
The surge of baby boomers now entering their 60s means more drivers on the road who may be impaired by dementia or other cognitive impairments linked to aging. Researchers at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere have developed a three-hour workshop that trains health care providers to identify potentially unsafe drivers with dementia and to encourage appropriate retirement from driving.

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Not bound by age
 Alzheimer's researcher seeks cause of disease in younger patients

Dec. 6,
2006 -- Contrary to what many people believe, Alzheimer's disease isn't just for the elderly. Better diagnostic testing and earlier detection have revealed to physicians that dementia may affect more than 600,000 Americans under the age of 65. John Morris, director of the WUSTL Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, is a leader in the search for causes and new treatments of Alzheimer's disease.

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A puzzling connection confirmed
 Before dementia's first signs appear, weight-loss rate doubles in elderly

Sept. 11,
2006 -- A long-term study of the elderly has revealed that their average rate of weight loss doubles in the year before symptoms of Alzheimer's-type dementia first become detectable. The finding may be useful to researchers seeking ways to detect and treat Alzheimer's before it causes irreversible brain damage.

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Battling Alzheimer's
 New methods give researchers hope for a safe Alzheimer's vaccine

July 20,
2006 -- Two new approaches toward a vaccine for Alzheimer's disease have led researchers to believe they can avoid the negative side effects of previous attempts at a vaccine. One approach, called passive immunization, uses antibodies manufactured in a lab. The other involves medications that directly target the amyloid plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's but don't carry the side effects associated with previous treatments.

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Time to stop
 Physicians play role in driving cessation for older adults with dementia

March 17,
2006 --
Family physicians are integral providers of vital information and assessments to families faced with the difficult task of determining whether or not a loved one with dementia is still fit to drive. WUSM researchers provide an in-depth look at the matter in the following article from American Family Physician.

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Showing Stories 1 through 5 of 8.
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Dementia Diagnosis May Relieve Patients
Associated Press
and 110 others

March 13,
2008 -- Doctors often hesitate to tell patients they likely suffer from Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, fearing the news will overwhelm them.
Not only did the diagnosis not increase anxiety or depression among patients and their caregivers, but most were relieved to have symptoms explained and a way to find help.
But a WUSTL medical study suggests physicians need not worry. Researchers amd WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter and neurology proessor John Morris comment.
The study, which appears in the March issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, gauged depression and anxiety two days before and two days after an evaluation and diagnosis.

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Diabetes, obesity can increase your Alzheimer's risk
CNN.com

Nov. 7,
2006 -- November is National Alzheimer's Disease month. CNN medical correspondent Judy Fortin talked about the illness with John Morris, director of WUSTL's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. He said besides old age, diabetes and obesity are also risk factors for developing Alzheimer's.

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Diagnosis: Dementia May Follow Higher Weight Loss in Aging
The New York Times

Sept. 19,
2006 -- Weight loss in people over 65 can be the result of normal aging, but new research suggests that it may also be an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
WUSTL neurology professor and senior author John Morris comments on the study that appears in the September issue of Archives of Neurology.

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Additional Background:
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 Center at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a 1974 graduate of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He completed residencies in internal medicine and in neurology and neuropathology, the latter with Drs. Maurice Victor and Betty Banker at the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. He came to Washington University in 1982 as a postdoctoral fellow in neuropharmacology, training with Dr. James Ferrendelli, and joined the Memory and Aging Project under the direction of Dr. Leonard Berg in 1984.
Professor Morris' research involves clinicopathological studies of aging and dementia with a focus on early-stage Alzheimer disease. He is author or co-author of over 180 peer-reviewed journal articles and 50 chapters and reviews. He edited the Handbook of Dementing Illnesses. Professor Morris is Editor-in-Chief of Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders and serves on the editorial board of The Neurologist. He is a Director of the National Alzheimer's Association, and a member of the Association's Medical and Scientific Advisory Council. He completed a term (1996-2000) as a member and chair of the Neuroscience of Aging Review Committee for the National Institute of Aging, Bethesda, Maryland. He serves on many scientific and community advisory boards and is a member or Fellow of numerous professional societies, including the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association, the American Geriatrics Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. He has received many honors, including the Distinguished Achievement Citation from his alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan University (2000), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alzheimer's Association (2004), the 2004 MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research, and the 2005 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's, Alzheimer's, and Related Disease from the American Academy of Neurology.
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