Dementia Matters

With the recent surge in artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, one of the most exciting fields it could revolutionize is health care and, more specifically, the field of cognitive care and research. Dr. Marina Sirota and Alice Tang join the podcast to share their research on how AI could be used to predict one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease based on their electronic health records. They also discuss what needs to be done to improve these algorithms and other ways this technology could be used in Alzheimer's disease research. Guests: Marina Sirota, PhD, associate professor, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), principal investigator, Sirota Lab, and Alice Tang, MD/PhD student, University of California San Francisco, postdoctoral fellow, Sirota Lab Show Notes Read Alice Tang and Dr. Sirota’s study, “Leveraging electronic health records and knowledge networks for Alzheimer’s disease prediction and sex-specific biological insights [https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-024-00573-8],” online through the journal Nature.. Learn more about Sirota Lab on their website [https://sirotalab.ucsf.edu/]. Learn more about Dr. Sirota on her UCSF profile [https://profiles.ucsf.edu/marina.sirota]. 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 field of biomarkers is constantly evolving, leading to developments in diagnosing and treating different kinds of dementia, but what exactly are biomarkers and how has our understanding of these measures changed over time?  Dr. Henrik Zetterberg joins Dementia Matters to talk about the latest updates in research on fluid biomarkers. Dr. Zetterberg goes in depth on the role and properties of different biomarkers and how new measures and tools, like blood tests, are impacting diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Guest: Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD, professor of neurochemistry, University of Gothenburg, University College London, visiting professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Biomarker Core co-leader, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Show Notes Learn more about Dr. Zetterberg on his University College London [https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/39245] and University of Gothenburg [https://www.gu.se/en/about/find-staff/henrikzetterberg] profiles. Learn more about blood tests in our episode with Dr. Thomas Karikari, “Update on Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease, [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters/update-blood-tests-alzheimers-disease]” on our website. Learn more about the different biomarker procedures, such as lumbar punctures, through the Biomarker Videos on our website [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/biomarker-videos]. 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.

If you're one of the 11 million Americans providing unpaid care to a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, you know that caregiving is both incredibly rewarding and challenging. What makes caring for someone with dementia so emotionally and physically demanding, and what resources and strategies are available to help? In this episode, Bonnie Nuttkinson joins us to discuss the unique needs of dementia caregivers, tips for navigating each stage of the disease and ways to find support along the caregiving journey. Guest: Bonnie Nuttkinson, MS, research program coordinator, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Show Notes Read the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2024 Facts and Figures report [https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures] that Dr. Chin mentioned at 7:29 Get 10 tips and more resources for caregivers [https://www.caregiveraction.org/10-tips-family-caregivers/] from the Caregiver Action Network that Dr. Chin mentioned at the 12-minute mark. Visit “Resources for People with Dementia and Care Partners [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/resources-people-dementia-and-care-partners]” on the Wisconsin ADRC website. Find caregiving resources on the National Institute on Aging’s (NIA) Alzheimer’s Caregiving website [https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-caregiving]. Download or order The Caregiver’s Handbook [https://order.nia.nih.gov/publication/caregivers-handbook] from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) for free. Alzheimers.gov [https://www.alzheimers.gov/] has information and resources for caregivers managed by the NIA at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Find local elder care resources with the Elder Care Locator [https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx] that Bonnie mentioned at 23:30.  Learn more about Bonnie from her profile on the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine website. [https://emed.wisc.edu/people/bonnie-nuttkinson/] Read “UW–Madison Alzheimer’s program staff featured in Badger Talks series during National Family Caregivers Month [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/news/uw-madison-alzheimers-program-staff-featured-badger-talks-series-during-national-family]” on the Wisconsin ADRC 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.

What if you could test your cognition from the comfort of your own home using a smartphone? Drs. David Berron and Lindsay Clark have spent years researching cognitive neuroscience, culminating in a 2024 published study investigating the effectiveness of a smartphone app as a tool for detecting cognitive impairment outside of a clinic or research setting. Drs. Berron and Clark join Dementia Matters to discuss how the app and tests were developed, the benefits and drawbacks of this approach  and the implications of remote testing in the healthcare field. Guests: David Berron, PhD, Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience research group leader, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), and Lindsay Clark, PhD, licensed neuropsychologist, clinical core co-lead, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), assistant professor, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Show Notes Read Drs. Berron and Clark’s study, “A remote digital memory composite to detect cognitive impairment in memory clinic samples in unsupervised settings using mobile devices [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-024-00999-9],” online through the journal npj Digital Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Berron and his research on his website. [https://davidberron.com/] Learn more about Dr. Clark on her profile [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/lindsay-clark-phd] on the Wisconsin ADRC’s 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.

If you get the recommended eight hours of sleep per night, you spend a third of your life asleep. Why dedicate so much time to sleeping, and how can one get the most out of those eight hours? In this episode, Dr. Allison Reiss joins us for an insightful conversation about how sleep helps the brain, what the brain does while we are asleep, tips for improving one’s sleep hygiene and much more.  Guest: Allison Reiss, MD, internal medicine physician, head, Inflammation Laboratory, New York University (NYU) Langone Hospital-Long Island, associate professor of medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, member, Medical, Scientific & Memory Screening Advisory Board, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Show Notes For more information about sleep, listen to our episode with Dr. Steven Barczi, “The Importance of Sleep for a Healthy Life [https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters/importance-sleep-healthy-life],” mentioned by Dr. Chin at 1:40. Learn more about Dr. Reiss and her publications from her profile on the NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine [https://medli.nyu.edu/faculty/allison-b-reiss]website. Learn more about the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s Medical, Scientific & Memory Screening Advisory Board, which includes Drs. Chin and Reiss, by visiting their website [https://alzfdn.org/about-us/medical-scientific-advisory-boards/]. Learn more about the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP) on their website [https://wrap.wisc.edu/]. View 9 sleep tips from the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) Watch a recording of “Sleeping Your Way to Better Brain Health” presented by Dr. Steven Barczi. 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.