News and Announcements
Read the latest news from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease. The links below take you to articles where you can learn more about our members' latest achievements, awards and honors.
05.26.2023Attendees gathered on May 11 for Alzheimer Day, an annual event hosted by the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease to showcase dementia and aging research conducted throughout Northwestern and bring those discoveries to the community.
The post Celebrating Advances in Alzheimer’s Research and Clinical Care appeared first on News Center.
05.22.2023 Biopharma DiveTo investors, the recent news from Eli Lilly was clear-cut. One of the company’s most closely watched drugs, an experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, had hit every major goal of a large clinical trial evaluating whether it could slow the neurodegenerative disease. Analysts now expect these results to get the drug, named donanemab, approved, handing Lilly what could be another blockbuster product.
- 05.22.2023 Scripps News Live
Robert Vassar, PhD, discussed Eli Lilly's recenet breakthroughs with clinical trials of the new Alzheimer's drug, Donanemab.
- 05.22.2023 Endpoints News
Doctors, investors, and patient advocacy groups breathed a collective sigh of relief after Eli Lilly broke its losing streak in its decades-long endeavor to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Robert Vassar, PhD, discussed the potential benefits and implications of the new drug.
05.08.2023Richard Silverman, PhD, along with two other Northwestern faculty members, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
05.08.2023 NatureResults suggest that the amyloid-targeting drug candidate slows cognitive decline in some people, but questions remain over its potential side effects. Marsel Mesulam, MD, discussed the results and the potential future of Alzheimer's treatments.
05.01.2023 Everyday HealthAnti-amyloid therapies reduce plaques and tangles in the brain, but a new study links them to reduced brain volume. What does that mean for people taking the drugs? Rudolph Castellani, MD discussed potential implications of new Alzheimer's drugs.
04.27.2023Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered how octopamine, the major “fight-or-flight” neurotransmitter in invertebrates, communicates with other cells to prevent cell death in mammalian brains, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
04.13.2023 Washington PostAging often comes with cognitive decline, but “SuperAgers” are showing us what is possible in our golden years. “These are like the Betty Whites of the world,” Emily Rogalski said. She was part of the research team that coined the term “SuperAgers” 15 years ago. It describes people older than 80 whose memory is as good as those 20 to 30 years younger, if not better.
04.04.2023April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM), a time to highlight the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and reducing health disparities. Join us for several events across the city this month as we celebrate. We hope to see you there!
03.28.2023Sandra Weintraub, PhD, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Division of Psychology and associate director of the Northwestern Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, was recently appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law.
The post Weintraub Appointed to Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law appeared first on News Center.
03.23.2023 Bottom Line HealthBorna Bonakdarpour, MD, recently sat down with Bottom Line Health to discuss the powerful impact that music can have on individuals living with dementia. Benefits of music therapy include memory recall, reducing agitation and anxiety, and improving overall quality of life.- 03.20.2023 Fortune
Most of us fear the cognitive decline assumed to come with aging—more specifically, losing our memory, motivation, and focus. Research shows a fortunate cohort seems to escape the type of memory-related brain decline historically associated with aging, at least according to their brain scans. Emily Rogalski, PhD, discussed the SuperAging Research Initiative with Fortune.
03.17.2023In the summer of 2022, Washington Heights, a neighborhood on the southside of Chicago, was designated dementia friendly community by Dementia Friendly America. This certification means that the national organization recognizes Washington Heights as a community that is both safe and engaging for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients and their caregivers. We spoke to current and former leadership about the initiative and future plans.
03.15.2023Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered a mechanism by which exercise activates metabolic benefits in the body, according to a new study published in Cell Metabolism.
- 03.14.2023 NBC NewsA diet rich in vegetables, nuts, whole grains and fish reduced the likelihood of developing dementia by nearly one-quarter, even among people with higher genetic risk, according to the report published Monday in the medical journal BMC Medicine. Emily Rogalski, PhD spoke to NBC News about the potential impact of lifestyle factors on the risk of dementia.
03.07.2023Ewa Bomba-Warczak, PhD, is employing metabolic stable isotope pulse-chase labelling and high-resolution shotgun mass spectrometry to track and characterize long-lived mitochondrial proteins in the brain throughout a mouse’s lifespan.
03.01.2023Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered two ways to preserve diseased upper motor neurons that would normally be destroyed in ALS.
02.28.2023 Les Turn ALS FoundationALS can progress quickly when cells attack diseased upper motor neurons. A team led by Hande Ozdinler, PhD has found a way to calm those destructive cells, offering new hope to slow the progression of the disease.- 02.27.2023 South China Morning PostLarry Seiger was in his early eighties when he learned he might be a “SuperAger,” defined by age and cognitive performance. Emily Rogalski, PhD, discussed what makes a SuperAger and details of the study.
- 02.22.2023 Reuters
On February 16, U.S. President Joe Biden, 80, had a physical examination, ahead of an expected announcement that he is seeking a second four-year term. Borna Bonakdarpour, MD, FAAN, spoke to Reuters about the importance of neurological examinations for older adults during these appointments.
02.17.2023 New York TimesThe family of Bruce Willis announced that the actor has frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD, a form of dementia that occurs most commonly when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain decrease in number. Ian Grant, MD, spoke with the New York Times about the diagnosis and symptoms of FTD.- 02.16.2023
We are pleased to announce that Rudy Castellani, MD, has been named Director of the Neuropathology Core at the Mesulam Center, effective February 1.
02.15.2023 NACCThe National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center is now accepting applications for its New Investigator Awards, which have helped launch the careers of nine Alzheimer’s disease scientists since 2018, including Tamar Gefen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Gefen spoke to the NACC about how this award helped build her career.
- 02.03.2023
To those of you that I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting, I want to start by introducing myself. My name is Robert Vassar. I am honored to serve as the new director of the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease and carry on the legacy that Marsel Mesulam, MD, built during his 28 years of leadership.
02.03.2023At Northwestern Medicine, our patients are our top concern. Know that we closely study each medication before we recommend it for you. We look at its benefits and risks. With this in mind, we want to provide some information and context regarding a new medicine called lecanemab (Leqembi), which received accelerated approval by the FDA in January of 2023.
- 02.02.2023
On January 1, 2023, Robert Vassar, PhD, assumed the role of Director of the Mesulam Center, after Marsel Mesulam, MD, stepped down from the position following 28 years of leadership. We spoke with Dr. Vassar about his career and his vision for the future of the Center.
01.13.2023Scientists have developed a wireless, battery-free implant capable of monitoring dopamine signals in the brain in real-time, an advance that could aid in understanding the role neurochemicals play in neurological disorders.
01.12.2023Northwestern scientists have created the first highly mature neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells, a feat that opens new opportunities for medical research and potential transplantation therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.