ADRC News

The Penn Memory Center is offering a variety of free programs for people living with cognitive impairment, caregivers, and their loved ones. Registration for the following programs is open: Mindfulness and Meditation Thursdays, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., starting Jan. 19, virtual Explore short meditation and mindfulness exercises that help reduce stress and ground you in the present moment. RSVP for Mindfulness and Meditation Cognitive Comedy Tuesdays, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m., starting Jan. 24, virtual  Cognitive Comedy is an improv comedy workshop for people with cognitive impairment and their loved ones. RSVP for Cognitive Comedy Memory Café Jan. 27, Feb. 10, Read More The post PMC Programming Winter 2023 appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading PMC Programming Winter 2023

By Meghan McCarthy  A team of University of Pennsylvania researchers found that Black Americans are aging faster than white Americans, and inequities in socioeconomic resources is the main cause.  Scientists measure age with more data than just a birthdate. Biological age accounts for the various experiences in life that may slow or quicken the way your body ages.  “There are some people who are 80, super healthy, and live for many years. Then, there are 65-year-olds that already have many health problems,” said Isabel Yannatos, PhD candidate. “Biological age reflects the differences in how people develop health problems as they Read More The post Penn study: Black older Americans age faster than white counterparts, related to structural inequalities appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Penn study: Black older Americans age faster than white counterparts, related to structural inequalities

On January 6, the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) approved the Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab via its Accelerated Approval pathway. The Accelerated Approval pathway allows for faster approval of drugs that are used to treat serious conditions and diseases while maintaining safety standards. Lecanemab, branded as “Leqembi,” was found to slow cognitive decline in people living with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Click here to read announcement The post FDA grants accelerated approval for Alzheimer’s disease treatment appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading FDA grants accelerated approval for Alzheimer’s disease treatment

By Meghan McCarthy  Smartwatches can quickly tell users how many steps they’ve taken, what’s next on their calendar, or even how well they’re sleeping. But could they be used to measure empathy?  If so, the data could be an innovative tool in the understudied form of dementia called bv FTD, or behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, said Penn Memory Center Clark Scholar Emma Rhodes, PhD.    Persons living with bv FTD often lose compassion for the people to whom they are closest, such as their spouses or children. Many struggle to notice social cues and as a result tend to respond inappropriately Read More The post Can a smartwatch measure empathy? appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Can a smartwatch measure empathy?

By Marilyn Perkins When Emily Largent worked as an ICU nurse at UCLA, she didn’t shy away from the difficult cases. It wasn’t necessarily the medical procedures themselves that were challenging; caring for patients after organ transplants or managing a patient on life support were part of the job description. What really drew Largent to a case was the tough decisions that were involved. Should this patient really be a candidate for an organ transplant? What do we do when a patient’s family disagrees about ending life support? As Largent worked on these cases, she saw the same questions come Read More The post Tackling the ethical considerations of dementia research appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Tackling the ethical considerations of dementia research

By Meghan McCarthy  Beth Segaloff, LCSW, is no stranger to grief.   Years ago, Beth found her soulmate, Ben Sklaver, at the beach community where both of their families lived. Although their families had been connected for years, the two didn’t become a couple until spending July 4th together in 2008. “I was blessed enough to have the magical moment that all people hope for,” said Beth. “I met Ben, and it was like we’d been waiting for each other our entire lives.”  Six weeks into their dating, Ben said to Beth: “I have good news and bad news. The Read More The post A Yogi’s Guide to Grief: How Beth Segaloff Navigates Love and Loss with Caregivers appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading A Yogi’s Guide to Grief: How Beth Segaloff Navigates Love and Loss with Caregivers

By Meghan McCarthy  A University of Pennsylvania-led research study suggests that a rare genetic variant called TREM2 increases one’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but also causes atypical symptoms. This finding could have a significant impact on how AD is diagnosed.  Someone living with AD typically seeks out a diagnosis after reporting concerns about memory. But someone with the TREM2 variant is more likely to notice issues with memory later on in the disease course. Instead, they may first notice difficulties with language, vision, and mobility or changes to their personality.    “We were able to demonstrate, with the largest brain Read More The post Genetic variant may alter presentation, diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Genetic variant may alter presentation, diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

By Meghan McCarthy As one of the most popular research subjects at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), machine learning is at the forefront of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) innovation. While a seemingly complex topic, machine learning can be thought of as math class for computers. Like students, computers are trained to use different methods, or formulas, to solve a problem. There are many types of methods for training, and machine learning is used to solve a wide variety of problems. Most commonly, computers are trained using data sets of patient clinical history, demographic information, and/or brain Read More The post Machine Learning and Alzheimer’s disease: What You Need to Know appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Machine Learning and Alzheimer’s disease: What You Need to Know

By Meg McCarthy When her father was diagnosed with a genetic form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Deia Schlosberg felt her only choice was to get genetic testing.   An Emmy award-winning filmmaker, she has spent her career exposing the reality of climate change and advocating for environmental justice.   Schlosberg is a truth teller. Seeking genetic counseling and testing was the path forward to finding her truth.  “There was zero question for me,” said Schlosberg. “I wanted to find out.”   Yet, for many at risk for developing a neurologic condition, such resolve is less clear. While Schlosberg is research-oriented, most Read More The post A filmmaker’s journey learning dementia results through Penn study appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading A filmmaker’s journey learning dementia results through Penn study

By Meghan McCarthy    The average African American is twice as likely as a white adult to develop dementia, yet is 35% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).  This disparity is a result of generations of mistreatment, mistrust, and discrimination. It serves as one of many examples which illustrate the need for change within the ADRD space.   For Victor Ekuta, a 2022 Penn Memory Center (PMC) Clark Scholar, personal experience with such discrimination launched a professional passion for health equity.  Ekuta was born in Nigeria but moved with his family to the U.S. when Read More The post Clark Scholar draws on personal challenges to address health inequity appeared first on Penn Memory Center. Continue reading Clark Scholar draws on personal challenges to address health inequity