Alzheimer's disease and related dementias represent one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. As the leading cause of dementia worldwide, Alzheimer's disease affects millions of individuals and families, causing progressive memory loss, impaired judgment, and difficulties with language and daily activities. With an aging population and limited treatment options available, the need for innovative research and community-based interventions has never been more urgent.
The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) recognizes this critical need and funds groundbreaking projects aimed at improving early detection, understanding disease mechanisms, and providing vital support for patients and caregivers affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
In Wisconsin, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias affect more than 110,900 residents, creating significant challenges for individuals, families, and communities across the state. The economic and emotional toll is substantial, with families often serving as primary caregivers while navigating complex healthcare systems and managing the progressive nature of these conditions. This widespread impact creates an urgent imperative for Wisconsin-based research that can lead to earlier diagnosis, more effective treatments, and enhanced support systems for patients and their families throughout the state.
Recognizing the critical importance of addressing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, AHW funds innovative research projects that tackle multiple aspects of this complex health challenge. Among our recent investments in this area are several cutting-edge initiatives that range from developing new diagnostic tools and understanding genetic factors to creating community-based support systems for patients and caregivers.
A memory café is a welcoming, safe space for people living with memory loss or cognitive changes, and their family, friends, and caregivers. Cafés are designed to foster a sense of community, acceptance, and belonging, with activities tailored to engage individuals with memory loss in a fun and stimulating way. These memory cafés serve as important resources for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and their caregivers, providing safe environments with accessible programming and opportunities to socialize. Wisconsin leads the nation with 139 memory cafés throughout the state, but there are gaps in connecting vulnerable populations to these resources.
TimeSlips, in partnership with Medical College of Wisconsin's (MCW's) Leslie Ruffalo, PhD, MS (Family Medicine), is working to bridge this gap through a $50,000 AHW Seed Grant. The 12-month project focuses on developing an implementation plan for a referral process in Milwaukee County that will enable healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and groups to host memory cafés while incorporating TimeSlips' innovative creative communication techniques. This initiative aims to connect individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and their caregivers to previously underutilized resources, ultimately reducing loneliness and improving the overall well-being of affected families.
Early identification of Alzheimer's disease is essential for preventing or delaying disease onset, but current diagnostic methods have limitations. While protein buildups in the brain are common features of Alzheimer's disease, these signs can’t accurately predict who will develop symptoms, with only about one-third of people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment who test positive for Alzheimer's markers developing dementia within five years.
MCW researchers led by Leonardo Fernandino, PhD (Neurology), along with co-investigators Laura Umfleet, PsyD (Neurology), Andrew Anderson, PhD (Neurology), and Malgorzata Franczak, MD (Neurology), are pioneering new approaches to early detection through a $50,000 Seed Grant. Their 12-month project will study how cognitive decline relates to changes in brain activity when people process the meaning of words using advanced brain imaging techniques.
This innovative approach measures how the brain encodes information, which may detect Alzheimer's-related changes earlier than traditional tests. The research will compare brain scans from individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment to those from people with normal cognitive function, potentially leading to the development of new brain imaging protocols for early detection of cognitive decline.
Understanding the genetic factors that contribute to Alzheimer's disease risk is important for developing targeted prevention and treatment strategies. Despite advances in the field, the exact biological processes and root causes behind the disease are still unclear, highlighting the need for innovative research approaches.
MCW postdoctoral researcher Swapnil Gorakh Waghmare, PhD (Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy), working with co-investigator Lezi E, PhD (Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy), is investigating these genetic factors with $50,000 in AHW funding.
With global projections showing Alzheimer's cases could triple by mid-century and dementia care costs expected to exceed $1 trillion annually by 2030, this research aims to enhance understanding of genetic risk factors. By identifying the genetic components that influence how Alzheimer's disease develops, this project aims to provide scientific foundations for advancing both understanding and management of the disease.
Another groundbreaking approach to early Alzheimer's detection focuses on how the brain processes complex information like stories. Understanding stories relies on long-term memories that become damaged in Alzheimer's disease as harmful proteins build up in brain regions responsible for memory, making story comprehension an ideal target for detecting early cognitive changes.
Andrew Anderson, PhD (Neurology), is leading groundbreaking research that uses artificial intelligence (AI) language models to map how the brain processes meaning during story comprehension brain scans. This $50,000 AHW-funded project will identify early signs of Alzheimer's-related cognitive problems and determine how some brains manage to compensate when disease is present.
The research team's long-term vision is to predict dementia at an early stage by distinguishing brains with significant disease markers that will remain cognitively healthy from those that will develop dementia. The new AI-based methods may provide a way to evaluate how well diseased brain regions process meaning and whether brain networks can reorganize to enable healthier regions to compensate for damaged areas.
These recent AHW-funded projects represent a continuation of our comprehensive investment in Wisconsin's fight against Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. While AHW has supported numerous initiatives in this critical health area over the years, these newest awards demonstrate our ongoing commitment to advancing research through multiple approaches.
By supporting research that ranges from community-based interventions and genetic investigations to cutting-edge neuroimaging and artificial intelligence applications, AHW continues to contribute to a multi-faceted approach to this complex health challenge. These recent initiatives address critical needs for early detection, improved understanding of disease mechanisms, and enhanced support systems for the thousands of Wisconsin families affected by Alzheimer's disease.
To learn more about the variety of projects AHW has funded, visit our Funded Projects page on our website.