ADRC News

By Meghan McCarthy  Editor’s Note: This article is part of the Disability and Dementia series, an ongoing project highlighting the experiences of individuals with intellectual disabilities who are living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.  In the rich tapestry of the human experience, no two minds are the same. Our differences shape how we connect, create and grow.   Beauty in Neurodiversity, a painting featured in the Disability and Dementia series at the Penn Memory Center, invites viewers to see the brain not simply as a singular vessel of function or decline, but as a vibrant canvas of individuality. Painted in Read More The post Beauty in Neurodiversity appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Beauty in Neurodiversity

By Meghan McCarthy  Editor’s Note: This article is part of the Disability and Dementia Series, an ongoing project highlighting the experiences of individuals with intellectual disabilities who are affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs).  Why do some individuals develop Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) while others do not?   Cognitive resilience and resistance offer promising lens for understanding this complexity. This dual phenomenon is at the heart of ongoing research led by Rory Boyle, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (FTD) Center. Along with an international team of colleagues, Dr. Boyle is working Read More The post Resilience & Resistance: Exploring Cognitive Health in Down Syndrome appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Resilience & Resistance: Exploring Cognitive Health in Down Syndrome

By Meghan McCarthy  Recently, the Penn Memory Center (PMC) welcomed Farraday Johnson as a clinical research coordinator for the Anti-amyloid Therapy Monitoring (ATM) study. A Personal Connection to Alzheimer’s Disease  Johnson grew up in Covington, Tennessee, a small town with a population of approximately nine thousand. Throughout her childhood, both of her parents were devout in attending her basketball games.   “In high school, I noticed things were off when my dad forgot one of my games,” Johnson shared. “One thing about my mom and dad is that they never forgot a game.”   Johnson’s interest in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is deeply Read More The post Farraday Johnson’s Path from STAR Intern to PMC Coordinator appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Farraday Johnson’s Path from STAR Intern to PMC Coordinator

A newly released book by investigative journalist Charles Piller has sparked concern across the Alzheimer’s research community — and not because of its critique of scientific misconduct. Rather, it’s the sweeping, unfounded suggestion that such misconduct permeates the field and undermines decades of rigorous progress in understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease. At the Penn Memory Center and beyond, researchers and clinicians are pushing back. In a recent article for MedPage Today, Jason Karlawish, MD, co-director of the Penn Memory Center, cautions that Piller’s message in Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s, is sensational. “The problem Read More The post Rebutting Doctored: Alzheimer’s researchers defend integrity, science, and progress appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Rebutting Doctored: Alzheimer’s researchers defend integrity, science, and progress

By Meghan McCarthy  Malawi, a country approximately 7,826 miles from the Penn Memory Center (PMC), is celebrated for its vibrant culture, striking landscapes, and resilient people. Its diverse terrain is framed by majestic mountains with lively villages echoing with the sounds of children and rivers teeming with wildlife.   Despite its beauty, Malawi faces significant challenges. Ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world, over 50% of its population lives below the national poverty line. A prolonged drought in 2024 has further destabilized its agriculture-dependent economy, profoundly affecting the health and opportunities available to Malawians.   For the past Read More The post Bridging Borders: Advancing Aging Research in Malawi  appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Bridging Borders: Advancing Aging Research in Malawi 

Author’s Note: This article is part of our coverage of the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). To view all highlights, please click here.    At the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference (AAIC), hundreds of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) experts presented on innovative and diverse topics in the field. When reviewing poster presentations, the Penn Memory Center (PMC) Communication’s team noted that several researchers used speech analysis to measure cognitive decline.  An everyday function, speech can be a critical marker for cognition. For instance, the pace at which someone speaks, complexity of words used, and pauses within speech are Read More The post Evaluating Speech Patterns: A Key Theme at AAIC 2024  appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Evaluating Speech Patterns: A Key Theme at AAIC 2024 

By Jake Johnson “Serendipitous” is how Dalia Elsaid described her journey into communications.   It wasn’t a field she initially had much interest in, she said, and instead, Elsaid went to college to study politics. Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, Elsaid’s job at the Canadian Embassy as a Press and Public Affairs Officer sparked her interest in the way information was conveyed and understood. The tumultuous political landscape of Egyptian politics during that period instilled in her an even greater understanding of the power of communications.   Although she would only pursue a career in communications later in life, Elsaid’s Read More The post Dalia Elsaid’s ‘serendipitous’ journey to PMC appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Dalia Elsaid’s ‘serendipitous’ journey to PMC

By Meghan McCarthy    I vividly remember the day Olivia (Liv) Hall became my best friend. We sat together on the bus ride home from a high school field trip, chatting about everything and nothing. Up until then, our friendship had grown through shared struggles in AP European History, staying after school for clubs, and taking photos at the annual Fall Ball. While I cherish those memories, they weren’t what truly bonded us. What brought us closer was something much deeper: our shared experiences as caregivers for our grandparents with dementia.  Since that moment, Liv and I have been inseparable. Read More The post A Granddaughter’s Caregiving Shaped Personal Growth, Perspective, and Friendship appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading A Granddaughter’s Caregiving Shaped Personal Growth, Perspective, and Friendship

By Meghan McCarthy  What is one quality that makes you great? For many, this question can be a difficult to answer. Traditional societal values often discourage openly complimenting oneself in public. Yet, Jean Haskell, facilitator of the Penn Memory Center’s Cognitive Comedy class, often begins sessions by posing this very question. As I observed a fall class, I was struck by the ease and comfort with which participants responded. “I try to be kind,” one participant said. “I work out every other day,” another shared. “I am great because of my wife,” a third added. This seemingly simple question revealed Read More The post Laugh Your Way to Connection: Inside PMC’s Cognitive Comedy Class appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Laugh Your Way to Connection: Inside PMC’s Cognitive Comedy Class

It has been yet another groundbreaking year for research in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs). At the Penn Memory Center (PMC), we asked team members to reflect on the most impactful initiatives and publications from 2024.   David Wolk, MD, PMC Co-Director “More and more of what we’re learning is that a lot of what drives symptoms is not just plaques and tangles—which are the main two pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease—but a variety of other factors. While we’ve developed more tools to measure some aspects of brain changes associated with aging, I think a real drive in the coming Read More The post Penn Memory Center Team Reflects on Impactful Takeaways from 2024 appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Penn Memory Center Team Reflects on Impactful Takeaways from 2024