Dementia Matters

How important is one’s family history when determining Alzheimer’s risk? Returning guests Drs. Jessica Langbaum and Sterling Johnson discuss the latest research on family history and genetic risk factors and share their perspectives on the topic, specifically focusing on the role of the APOE gene as a risk factor. Guests: Sterling Johnson, PhD, leader, Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP), associate director, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, associate director, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, lead principal investigator, ADRC Consortium for Clarity in ADRD Research Through Imaging (CLARiTI), Jean R. Finley Professor of Geriatrics and Dementia, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and Jessica Langbaum, PhD, senior director of research strategy, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, overseer, Observational Research Program, Clinical Trials Program, Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative, director, Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry, director, Arizona Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Show Notes Read Dr. Langbaum’s viewpoint, “The Risk of Alzheimer Disease in APOE4 Homozygotes, [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2832247#:~:text=In%20accordance%20with%20population-based,heterozygotes%2C%20and%2030%25%20to%2055]” on the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) website. Read Dr. Johnson’s article, “APOE4 homozygosity represents a distinct genetic form of Alzheimer’s disease [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-02931-w],” on Nature Medicine’s website. Read Dr. Chin’s opinion piece, “What to do if your family has a history of Alzheimer’s [https://madison.com/opinion/column/article_1bf69ce4-76d2-11ef-ba6a-73f2c8cacc6d.html],” mentioned at 2:04 on the Wisconsin State Journal’s website. Please note there is a paywall to access the article. Read Dr. Tobey Betthauser’s paper, “Multi-method investigation of factors influencing amyloid onset and impairment in three cohorts [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9679170/],” mentioned by Dr. Johnson at 16:50, on the National Library of Medicine’s website. Learn more about the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute on their website [https://www.banneralz.org].  Read about the GeneMatch program from the Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry on their website [https://www.endalznow.org/genematch].  Learn more about the Arizona Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center on their website [https://www.azalz.org].  Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters]. Email Dementia Matters [dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu]: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisconsinadrc] and Twitter [https://twitter.com/WisconsinADRC]. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/newsletter]. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s [https://supportuw.org/giveto/dementiamatters]. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Having a relative or loved one receive a dementia diagnosis can be challenging for families, especially for families with children. How can parents, guardians and other adults explain these complex memory and thinking changes to children in a way they’ll understand? One possible way – children’s books. Dr. Tomás León joins the podcast to discuss his collection of children’s books focused on different kinds of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia and vascular dementia. He discusses his inspiration for the four stories, the writing and translation process, and the importance of helping children understand what’s happening to their loved ones, as well as shares advice on how to address these difficult conversations. Guest: Tomás León, MD, psychiatrist, Memory and Neuropsychiatry Clinic, Hospital del Salvador, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) Show Notes Read more about Dr. León’s children’s books and download copies of the Here’s Grandma! collection for free in English and Spanish on the Global Brain Health Institute’s website [https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/fostering-empathy-and-understanding-new-books-available-dementia-children-series#download-books]. Learn more about Dr. León through his profile on the Global Brain Health Institute’s website [https://www.gbhi.org/profiles/tomas-leon]. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters]. Email Dementia Matters [dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu]: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisconsinadrc] and Twitter [https://twitter.com/WisconsinADRC]. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/newsletter]. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s [https://supportuw.org/giveto/dementiamatters]. All donations go toward outreach and production.

The Research Education Component (REC) focuses on educating, mentoring and training the next generation of researchers at the over 30 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) across the United States, offering a range of fellowships, educational activities and events like the annual Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) Research Day. In honor of this year’s ADRD Research Day, early career researchers Isa Hayde and Dr. Yang Yeh join the podcast to discuss how REC has impacted their research journeys, as well as share a preview of their lightning presentations. Guests: Isa Hayde, undergraduate student, Clark Lab, and Yang Yeh, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, Lamming Lab Show Notes Learn more about REC [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/trainees] and the Wisconsin ADRC’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research Day [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/ADRD2025] on our website. Listen to the podcast with Drs. Barb Bendlin and Tyler Ulland, “Gut Feelings: The Links Between Gut Health and Alzheimer’s Disease [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters/gut-feelings-links-between-gut-health-and-alzheimers-disease],” mentioned by Dr. Chin at 5:30, on our website, Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4kswQoDlIumQqhIRtpxuLu?si=03f7a479e6124073], Apple Podcasts [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gut-feelings-the-links-between-gut-health-and/id1292353638?i=1000666892149__;!!Mak6IKo!LVpnwdveFKa6upS19JTfZKb1VyUfaEFA2fjQxLsbn4fPRJWqHKLBMIzPDFfCVC_tN-eYvjEhFxQrhmy98PE_aLq_0fo$] and all other major podcast platforms. Learn more about Dr. Yang Yeh and the Lamming Lab on the Lamming Lab website [https://lamminglab.medicine.wisc.edu/]. Learn more about Dr. Lindsay Clark’s lab on their website [https://clarklab.medicine.wisc.edu/]. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters]. Email Dementia Matters [dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu]: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisconsinadrc] and Twitter [https://twitter.com/WisconsinADRC]. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/newsletter]. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s [https://supportuw.org/giveto/dementiamatters]. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Early detection is a top priority in the field of Alzheimer’s research, and one indicator of Alzheimer’s disease is the buildup of tau in the brain. What is tau, though? How can we detect this protein, and what can it tell us about a person’s symptoms or disease progression? Dr. Gil Rabinovici, a leader in the field of brain imaging, joins Dementia Matters this week for an in-depth discussion on the role of tau PET scans in Alzheimer’s disease detection, research and clinical care. Guest: Gil Rabinovici, MD, professor, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), director, UCSF Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, study chair, Imaging Dementia-Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) and New IDEAS studies, co-principal investigator, Alzheimer’s Network for Treatment and Diagnostics (ALZ-NET), Longitudinal Evaluation of Alzheimer’s Disease Study (LEADS) Show Notes Are you a clinician interested in receiving continuing education (CE) credits for listening to this episode? Find credit designation information, disclosures and evaluation information on our website [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/2025-04/ICEP%20Accreditation%20Information%20-%20Rabinovici%20Episode.pdf] and on the UW–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) website [https://ce.icep.wisc.edu/dementiamatters2025/taupetscan]. The accreditation for this course expires 4/7/2026. After this date, you will no longer be able to access the course or claim credit. Read “Criteria for Diagnosis and Staging of Alzheimer's Disease [https://www.alz.org/research/for_researchers/diagnostic-criteria-guidelines],” mentioned by Dr. Rabinovici at 18:43, on the Alzheimer’s Association’s website. Listen to our past episode with Dr. David Wolk, “LATE, Explained [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters/late-explained],” mentioned by Dr. Rabinovici at 26:31 on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1vPlpwDLq8RON5Owq1aHVG?si=ukvNCNI5RTOuWQiFXT9XBQ], Apple Podcasts [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/late-explained/id1292353638?i=1000683951071__;!!Mak6IKo!LgrJsAqBHR_XbW72Ut5LZDw1V7POA-Y_fewsXLw2LCKZrixGi8cKFl7tFiA6LyUrbV8D3rPb-yOnyKrndXPCLEtM0lU$] and on our website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters]. Email Dementia Matters [dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu]: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisconsinadrc] and Twitter [https://twitter.com/WisconsinADRC]. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/newsletter]. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s [https://supportuw.org/giveto/dementiamatters]. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia can be a complicated experience. While some experience relief at being able to put a name to their concerns, many worry about telling loved ones or being treated differently due to the stigma surrounding the word “dementia.” Mike Zuendel joins the podcast to share his experience of being diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease and how he’s pushing back against the stigma surrounding dementia. He also talks about how early detection and treatment have allowed him to lead a normal life with cognitive impairment. Guest: Mike Zuendel, member, board of directors, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute Foundation, member, Alzheimer’s Patient Advisory Board, Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation, founder, Initiative to Change the D-Word, founder, CEO, Legacy Bridge Private Family Offices Show Notes Learn more about Mike Zuendel on his profile on the Initiative to Change the D-Word’s website [https://notdemented.com/our-team]. Learn more about MCI by listening to other MCI-related episodes of Dementia Matters [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters-mci]. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters]. Email Dementia Matters [dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu]: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/wisconsinadrc] and Twitter [https://twitter.com/WisconsinADRC]. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/newsletter]. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s [https://supportuw.org/giveto/dementiamatters]. All donations go toward outreach and production.