{"id":9117,"date":"2013-10-21T06:52:17","date_gmt":"2013-10-21T11:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=9117"},"modified":"2015-11-12T08:20:47","modified_gmt":"2015-11-12T14:20:47","slug":"psychologist-looks-to-body-mind-to-preserve-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/psychologist-looks-to-body-mind-to-preserve-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychologist looks to body, mind to preserve memory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ira Driscoll has always been fascinated by memories \u2013 how they\u2019re formed, where they\u2019re stored and how people access them. That interest led her to look into the causes and tragic consequences of having memories stolen away by disorders like Alzheimer\u2019s disease and dementia.<\/p>\n

Driscoll, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, researches the genetic risks for diseases like Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia, and seeks out early predictors of these disorders.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>She\u2019s now recruiting healthy volunteers, ages 40-60, for a study that will involve behavioral testing, brain imaging and, eventually, blood work to detect age-related changes. The study will also look at how such factors as hormone therapy and obesity might possibly modify an individual\u2019s genetic risk \u2013 positively or negatively \u2013 for memory disorders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re doing is testing for performance that is outside the normal range, and relating that to an individual\u2019s genetic background, and seeing if we can use that information to predict early decline or impairment,\u201d explains Driscoll.<\/p>\n

Volunteers are being recruited from a clinic at the Medical College of Wisconsin to undergo psychological testing to establish baseline information. This step will be followed by brain scans and blood work. Currently 40 volunteers are involved. Driscoll hopes to eventually have 200 people in the study.<\/p>\n

While knowing early on if they\u2019re at risk for Alzheimer\u2019s Disease or dementia may be alarming to some middle-aged adults: \u201cKnowing what may happen could help them improve the quality of their lives. Ultimately, the research is aimed at delaying the onset or slowing down the progression of these diseases. The behavioral testing, adds Driscoll, is not intended to be diagnostic, and those with concerns will need to talk to their family physician about next steps.<\/p>\n

In particular, Driscoll and her team are studying the function of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that tends to be affected by Alzheimer\u2019s in its early stages. By studying volunteers early on, before real signs of illness or impairment appear, researchers hope to begin to gather clues about the biological mechanisms that trigger the disease, and then they will begin to probe further.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlzheimer\u2019s specifically is a very complex disease with many symptoms occurring at the same time. This is a fruitful area of research because by the time someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s so many things have gone wrong that it\u2019s hard to tell what\u2019s a consequence of the disease and what might have been a cause of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, some people remain mentally functional into very old age, and researchers need to figure out what factors tend to protect them from the memory loss that affects others. Having Alzheimer\u2019s in the family may increase the risk, says Driscoll.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it doesn\u2019t guarantee you will get it,\u201d she adds. \u201cSome people live well into their 90s without any kind of impairment.\u201d<\/p>\n

While researchers haven\u2019t identified the exact mechanisms that trigger the disorders, they do have some information on possible lifestyle changes that may help. \u201cThere is no single, guaranteed protective factor,\u201d says Driscoll, \u201cbut we do know exercise, a good diet and managing your weight are helpful and are also are protective against many other diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adults who are obese in middle age have been shown to have a higher risk of dementia, she adds, though researchers are still researching exactly how the consequences and causes of obesity \u2013 metabolic syndrome, blood pressure, glucose irregularities \u2013 are intertwined.<\/p>\n

\u201cObesity, however, is certainly a risk factor that is modifiable.<\/p>\n

Those interested in taking part in the study can go to the project\u2019s recruitment site.<\/a>\u00a0 The study\u2019s researchers will call those who meet requirements. Potential participants can also contact Elizabeth Awe, the study coordinator at (414) 229-4608.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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