Millions of Americans are living with a neurodegenerative disorder. These diseases, which commonly include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s disease and ALS, damage the brain and the body’s central nervous system, causing debilitating physical and cognitive conditions.
Indiana University School of Medicine researchers and clinicians are at the forefront of investigating neurodegeneration. The school leads a comprehensive program in Alzheimer's disease research spanning basic, translational and clinical research — from developing the next generation of animal models and testing potential therapeutics in the lab to working alongside clinical research participants and patients at the state's largest health system, IU Health.
The Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders within the IU School of Medicine-IU Health Neuroscience Institute is highlighting this robust research program at the inaugural Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders Symposium, from Sunday, April 13 to Monday, April 14. The symposium, focused on a variety of scientific topics in brain health and neurodegeneration, will be held at the IU Health Neuroscience Center, 355 W. 15th St. in downtown Indianapolis. View the schedule for the two-day symposium.
Community day to offer brain health tips, expert panel
The symposium's community day, which is free and open to the public, is April 13 from 1-4 p.m. Attendees are invited to learn more about Alzheimer's disease, dementia, Parkinson's disease and the importance of brain health. The community day will also feature an expert panel including a behavioral neurologist, social worker, brain health nurse navigator and scientists, ready to answer questions.
"There are things you can do at any age to promote brain health. We know that lifestyle factors, hypertension, high cholesterol and developing type 2 diabetes in middle age have a bigger impact on your brain health later in life than those same factors do late in life," said Donna Wilcock, PhD, director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders. "It's never too late to make some changes that that can protect your brain hopefully from neurodegeneration."
The focus of the symposium is on learning lessons from other scientific fields and how they can be translated to neurodegenerative disorders, said Wilcock, who is also the Barbara and Larry Sharpf Professor of Alzheimer's Disease Research in the IU School of Medicine's Department of Neurology.
One of the keynote speakers, Elizabeth Head, PhD, is a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of California, Irvine. She studies Alzheimer's disease with a focus on people with Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome have an increased risk of, at a young age, developing changes in the brain — the accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau tangles — that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, but not all will experience dementia symptoms.
Wilcock said Head will discuss what researchers and clinicians can learn about resilience factors to the disease from people with Down syndrome, translating it to their research of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Another keynote speaker is Malú Tansey, PhD, who recently joined the IU School of Medicine in January as the James A. Caplin MD Professor of Alzheimer's Research in the Department of Neurology. She actively investigates the role of the gut microbiome on brain health and how inflammation in the brain and the body's immune system interacts with neurodegeneration.
"Hopefully people can learn real-world takeaways and walk away knowing something new that they can do to keep their brains healthy," Wilcock said.
Research day to feature keynotes, scientific poster session
On the scientific research day, April 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the symposium will provide an opportunity for IU School of Medicine scientists to present their research in a poster session, and Head and Tansey will provide scientific keynotes on similar topics to the community day.
Maria C. Carrillo, PhD, the chief science officer and medical affairs lead for the Alzheimer's Association, will give a keynote about a new era of research, treatment and care for Alzheimer's disease. Over the past few years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved two disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that remove amyloid plaques in the brain. Carillo said the Alzheimer's Association, its partners and volunteers are raising awareness and encouraging people to proactively talk to their doctors about reducing risk, diagnosing dementia early and undergoing treatment when appropriate. This is a proven strategy, she added, to make regular testing and multiple treatment options the standard of care.
Researchers are also investigating highly accurate blood tests that could soon become more widely available for Alzheimer's patients and change how people are diagnosed, Carrillo said. Jeff Dage, PhD, senior research professor of neurology at the IU School of Medicine, led the discovery and development of measuring the phosphorylated tau protein in blood, a groundbreaking biomarker that aids in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in these blood tests.
Carrillo said the Alzheimer's Association and the IU School of Medicine are well matched as collaborators, producing projects and results that are greater than either organization could accomplish individually.
The Alzheimer's Association closely partners with the IU School of Medicine on the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Study (LEADS), a multi-site study of a rare and particularly devastating form of Alzheimer's disease. The program recently expanded to five sites in Europe and South America, as International LEADS, which was funded by the Alzheimer's Association's Greater Indiana Chapter.
The Alzheimer's Association also launched a research grant funding initiative based on the innovations of the Model Organism Development and Evaluation for Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (MODEL-AD) consortium, which is led in part by IU School of Medicine researchers at Stark Neurosciences Research Institute. Carrillo said this initiative has further enhanced awareness, validation and adoption of the next generation of Alzheimer's mouse models.
"IU brings an exceptional corps of scientists and clinicians; solid, reliable institutional support; and a steadfast commitment to training and mentorship for the next generation," Carrillo said. "The Alzheimer's Association has productive and vibrant linkages to both the scientific and patient communities, and an unmatched knowledge of the interconnectedness of the field. This enables us to be an inventive idea generator, and a leading global convener and funder."
