More than 50 UW-Madison researchers presented work at the 2018 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Chicago, Illinois, this week. The event is the world’s largest gathering dedicated to the scientific study of dementia.

A study led by Carey Gleason, PhD (pictured above), associate professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology, earned national media attention after being presented at a press conference focused on women's health and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Gleason's research indicates that hormone therapy is not associated with cognitive harm for women if therapy begins around the age of menopause in healthy women.

The study was conducted to address a long-standing question: Fifteen years ago, the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) published surprising results suggesting that women using hormones for menopausal symptoms had an increased risk for dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

In response, Dr. Gleason and her team reviewed findings from several clinical trials in which cognitive and mood effects of hormone therapies were assessed. These include the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study – Cognitive and Affective Ancillary Study (KEEPS-Cog); the Early vs. Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol – Cognitive Endpoints (ELITE-Cog); the WHIMS – Young (WHIMS-Y), and a re-analysis of data from diabetic women enrolled in the WHIMS.

The team particularly focused on timing of hormone use. Most women enrolled in WHIMS were age 65 or older, whereas most women considering hormone therapy will start medication when menopause begins, which is usually around the age of 51.

In partnership with a collaborator at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Gleason's team is continuing work to examine long-term effects of hormone therapy on cognition.

She views the information that they have gleaned thus far as actionable. "These data are sorely needed to guide women through the menopausal transition and to help them make personalized informed decisions about management of their menopausal symptoms and prevention of future health problems," she said.

Additional research presented by UW-Madison investigators include:

• Research showing that mild sleep-disordered breathing in middle-aged adults may affect brain health.
• A study of caregiver support interventions that involve meetings in caregivers' homes, which makes participation in support programs easier for African-American caregivers.
• Data on improved quality of care experienced by patients in Wisconsin due to participation in Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute Dementia Diagnostic Clinic programs.

Presenters included dozens of members of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology in the Department of Medicine, the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute. A partial list of presenters, co-authors, and their poster or talk titles is below.

1. “How Do We Define N+? Comparison of Different MRI-Based Morphometric Estimates for Defining Neurodegeneration in CSF Amyloid-Positive Individuals across the Alzheimer’s Disease Spectrum,” a poster presented by Samantha Allison. Co-authors: Paul Cary, Erin Jonaitis, Jennifer M. Oh, Nathaniel A Chin, Howard A. Rowley, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Sanjay Asthana, Barbara B. Bendlin, Sterling C. Johnson
2. “Neurodegeneration, Amyloid, and Longitudinal Verbal Learning and Memory Performance,” a poster presented by Samantha Allison. Co-authors: Erin Jonaitis, Rebecca L. Koscik, Sara Elizabeth Berman, Lindsay R Clark, Kimberly D Mueller, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Howard A. Rowley, Sanjay Asthana, Barbara B. Bendlin, Sterling C. Johnson
3. “Measures of Obesity as Predictors of Cognitive Function in a Cognitively Normal Population,” a poster presented by Elena Beckman. Co-authors: Karen Lazar, Carol Van Hulle, Sanjay Asthana, Carey Gleason, Lindsay Clark, Barbara Bendlin, Sterling Johnson, Cynthia Carlsson
4. “Increased plasma trimethylamine-n-oxide (TMAO) is associated with lower hippocampal blood flow,” a poster presented by Matthew Beilfuss. Co-authors: Nick Vogt, Romano, Jennifer Oh, Daniel Amador-Noguez, Sterling Johnson, Sanjay Asthana, Federico Rey, Barbara Bendlin
5. “Practical Considerations for Static PET Imaging of [F-18]MK-6240,” a poster presented by Tobey Betthauser. Co-authors: Karly Cody, Matthew Zammit, Alexandra DiFilippo, Dhanabalan Murali, Alexander Converse, Todd Barnhart, Charles Stone, Howard Rowley, Sterling Johnson, Bradley Christian
6. “Demographic Factors Influence Participation in Lumbar Punctures,” a poster presented by Hanna Blazel. Co-authors: Karen Lazar, Carol Van Hulle, Aleshia Cole, Alice Spalitta, Nancy Davenport-Sis, Michelle Wahoske, Charles Illingworth, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling Johnson, Cynthia Carlsson
7. “Key Elements Supporting Recruitment and Retention of Under-Represented Groups into Research: Our Experience in the African American Community,” a poster presented by Fabu Carter. Co-authors: Susan Flowers Benton, Dorothy Farrar Edwards, Hanna Blazel, Brieanna Harris, Lucille. Tierra Smith, Gina Green-Harris, Cynthia Carlsson, Sterling Johnson, Carey Gleason
8. “Association of Cardiovascular Risk Factors with Micro- and Macrovascular Cerebral Function in Whites and African Americans,” a poster presented by Lindsay Clark. Co-authors: Heather Johnson, Sara E Berman, Derek Norton, Fabu Carter, Brieanna Harris, Susan Flowers Benton, Megan Zuelsdorff, Naomi Nystrom, Mary F. Wyman, Barbara Bendlin, Cynthia Carlsson, Oliver Wieben, Patrick Turski, Howard Rowley, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling Johnson, Carey E. Gleason
9. “Amyloid burden and cortical atrophy in non-demented Down syndrome,” a poster presented by Karly Cody. Co-authors: Tobey J Betthauser, Patrick J Lao, Annie D Cohen, Dana L Tudorascu, Charles M Laymon, Sterling C Johnson, William E Klunk, Benjamin L Handen, Bradley T Christian
10. “Lumbar Puncture Side Effect Rates and Factors that Influence Adverse Outcomes,” a poster presented by Aleshia Cole. Co-authors: Carol Van Hulle, Nathaniel Chin, Hanna Blazel, Lindsay Clark, Karen K Lazar, Sterling C. Johnson, Barbara B. Bendlin, Ozioma C. Okonkwo, Carey E. Gleason, Dorothy Farrar Edwards, Michelle Wahoske, Madeline Blazel, Sanjay Asthana, Cynthia M. Carlsson
11. “Barriers and Facilitators to Participation in Caregiver Support Programs for African-American Families,” a poster presented by Sheryl Coley. Co-authors: Rebecca Koscik, Andrea Garr, Kristen Felten, Alberto Castro, Gina Green-Harris, Katelyn Marschall, Jane Mahoney
12. “Integrative network analysis identifies relationships between metabolomics, genomics, and risk factors for AD,” a talk presented by Burcu Durst. Co-authors: Qiongshi Lu, Rebecca L. Koscik, Erin M. Jonaitis, Lindsay R. Clark, Kirk J. Hogan, Sterling C. Johnson, Corinne D. Engelman
13. “The longitudinal metabolomics of sex, aging, and cognition,” a poster presented by Burcu Durst. Co-authors: Rebecca L. Koscik, Erin M. Jonaitis, Lindsay R. Clark, Kirk J. Hogan, Sterling C. Johnson, Corinne D. Engelman
14. “Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with lower memory function in middle-aged adults,” a poster presented by Brittany Derynda. Co-authors: Sprecher, Shouel, Taylor, Davenport-Sis, Oh, Illingworth, Jones, Riedner, Bazalakova, Johnson, Okonkwo, Asthana, Benca, Bendlin
15. “Cerebral glucose uptake differs by level of HOMA-IR and insulin secretion in nondiabetic adults,” a poster presented by Gilda Ennis. Co-authors: Rebecca L. Koscik, Nancy Davenport-Sis, Chase Taylor, Jennifer M. Oh, Bradley T. Christian, Nathaniel Chin, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson, Ozioma C. Okonkwo, and Barbara B. Bendlin
16. “Aerobic training is related to cognitive health in adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease: Results from the aeRobic Exercise And Cognitive Health (REACH) pilot study,” a talk presented by Gilda Ennis. Co-authors: Ryan J. Dougherty, Elizabeth A. Boots, Dorothy F. Edwards, Rebecca L. Koscik, Emrah Duezel, Michael Wagner, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Catherine L. Gallagher, Barbara B. Bendlin, Sanjay Asthana, Mark A. Sager, Bruce P. Hermann, Sterling C. Johnson, Bradley T. Christian, Dane B. Cook, Ozioma C. Okonkwo
17. “The Living Well Together Program: A Qualitative Analysis of a Health Self-Management Program for Aging African Americans with Chronic Illness,” a poster presented by Susan Flowers Benton. Co-authors: Kaseroff, Gunn, Carter, Hills, Phillips, Tansey, Rosenthal, Chan, Gleason
18. “Unstructured Clinical Documentation Describing Symptoms of Cognitive Impairment in the Electronic Health Record,” a poster presented by Andrea L Gilmore-Bykovskyi. Co-authors: Laura M Block, Lily Walljasper, Nikki L Hill, Carey E. Gleason, Manish Shah
19. “Pilot Testing of a Clinical Intervention for Neuropsychiatric Symptom Management in Hospitalized Patients with Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias,” a poster presented by Andrea L Gilmore-Bykovskyi. Co-authors: Jennifer Dhein, Maureen Haske-Palomino, Chris Crnich, Khloe Imig, Karen Hunt, Laura M Block, Laury Jensen
20. “Incident Dementia in Non-Hispanic African Americans and Whites with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Can We Make Racial Comparisons Using Alzheimer’s Disease Center Data?,” a poster presented by Carey Gleason
21. “An Update on Menopausal Hormone Therapy Trials,” a talk presented by Carey Gleason
22. “Neighborhood Disadvantage Predicts Hippocampal Volume Among Participants in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention,” a talk presented by Jack Hunt. Co-authors: Amy J. Kind, William R. Buckingham, Jennifer M. Oh, Alice J. Kim, Tenah K.A. Hunt, Ozioma C. Okonkwo, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson, Barbara B. Bendlin
23. “Tau imaging with [F-18]MK6240 across the AD spectrum: Associations with amyloid and cognitive status,” a talk presented by Sterling Johnson. Co-authors: Tobey Betthauser, Lindsay R. Clark, Karly A. Cody, Matthew D. Zammit, Alexandra H. DiFilippo, Dhanabalan Murali, Alex K. Converse, Todd Barnhart, Charles K. Stone, Jennifer Poetter, Leah Sanson, Jennifer Oh, Nathaniel A. Chin, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Sanjay Asthana, Howard Rowley, Bradley T. Christian
24. “Individual tests vs cognitive composites in WRAP: Within-person variability and longitudinal associations with amyloid,” a poster presented by Erin M. Jonaitis. Co-authors: Rebecca L. Koscik, Sara E. Berman, Samantha A. Allison, Kimberly D. Mueller, Bruce P. Hermann, Lindsay R. Clark, Sterling C. Johnson
25. “Relationship Between Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers and Change in Myelin among Cognitively Unimpaired Adults,” a poster presented by Jessica Kelley. Co-authors: Andrew P. Merluzzi, Douglas C. Dean III, Nicholas M. Vogt, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Andrew L. Alexander, Barbara B. Bendlin
26. “Quantitative T1 in Alzheimer’s Disease,” a poster presented by Akshay Kohli. Co-authors: Andrew P. Merluzzi, Jennifer M. Oh, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson, Andrew L Alexander, Steven Kecskemeti, Barbara B. Bendlin
27. “A comparison of multi-test operationalizations of cognitive decline using longitudinal norms: associations with progression to cognitive impairment and amyloid status,” a poster presented by Rebecca Koscik. Co-authors: Erin Jonaitis, Bruce Hermann, Lindsay Clark, Kimberly Mueller, Samantha Allison, Tobey Betthauser, Carey Gleason, Sanjay Asthana, Brad Christian, Cindy Carlsson, Nathaniel Chin, Sterling Johnson
28. “Visceral Adiposity and Cognitive Function in Midlife,” a poster presented by Michael Kozuch. Co-authors: Nick M Vogt, Chase E Taylor, Kimberlee A Gretebeck, Randall J Gretebeck, Nathaniel A Chin, Ozioma C Okonkwo, Barbara B Bendlin
29. “Cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association meta-analysis identifies novel risk genes for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease,” a talk by Qiongshi Lu. Co-authors: Yiming Hu, Mo Li, Haoyi Weng, Jiawei Wang, Seyedeh M. Zekavat, Zhaolong Yu, Boyang Li, Sydney Muchnik, Yu Shi, Brian W. Kunkle, Shubhabrata Mukherjee, Pradeep Natarajan, Paul K. Crane, Hongyu Zhao
30. “Latent Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery in a Sample from the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center,” a poster presented by Yue Ma. Co-authors: Richard J. Chappell, Lindsay R Clark, Michelle L Wahoske, Sterling C. Johnson, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Nathaniel A Chin, Sanjay Asthana, Carey E. Gleason
31. “Transformation of CSF biomarker values between measurement batches,” a poster presented by Yue Ma. Co-authors: Carol A Van Hulle, Derek L. Norton, Karen K Lazar, Richard J. Chappell, Lindsay R Clark, Chuck Illingworth, Sara Elizabeth Berman, Elena Beckman, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Barbara B. Bendlin, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson, Ozioma C. Okonkwo, Carey E. Gleason, Cynthia M. Carlsson
32. “Neurofilament Light Protein is Associated with Cognitive Decline Within the ATN Model,” a talk and poster presented by Andrew P. Merluzzi. Co-authors: Lindsay Clark, Derek Norton, Erin Jonaitis, Nicholas Vogt, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, and Barbara B. Bendlin
33. “Association between Resting Cerebral Perfusion and Cerebrovascular Reactivity to Hypercapnia in Healthy Adults,” a poster presented by Kathleen B. Miller. Co-authors: Anna J. Howery, Sterling C. Johnson, Jennifer M. Oh, Howard A. Rowley, Jill N. Barnes
34. “Dementia vs Major Neurocognitive Disorder. How guidelines recommendations change diagnostic patterns in community-based memory clinics,” a poster presented by Maria Mora Pinzon. Co-authors: Jody Krainer, Heidi Pophal, Stephanie Houston, Kathleen O'Toole Smith, Gina Green-Harris, Nia Norris, Kate Kowalski, Lindsay R Clark, Carey E. Gleason, Bruce P. Hermann, Sterling C. Johnson, Jane Mahoney, Cynthia M. Carlsson
35. “Memory Clinic Network – Challenges and Opportunities for Research,” a poster presented by Maria Mora Pinzon. Co-authors: Jody Krainer, Heidi Pophal, Stephanie Houston, Kathleen O'Toole Smith, Gina Green-Harris, Nia Norris, Kate Kowalski, Lindsay R Clark, Carey E. Gleason, Bruce P. Hermann, Sterling C. Johnson, Jane Mahoney, Cynthia M. Carlsson
36. “Verbal Fluency Measures are associated with Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers in Clinically Unimpaired Late Middle-Aged Adults from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention,” a talk and poster presented by Kim Mueller. Co-authors: Samantha Allison, Rebecca Koscik, Erin Jonaitis, Brad Christian, T. Betthauser, Cynthia Carlsson, H. Zetterberg, K. Blennow, B. Hermann, Barb Bendlin, Sterling Johnson
37. “Self-reported health behaviors are associated with longitudinal cognitive performance: Results from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP),” a poster presented by Kim Mueller. Co-authors: R. Koscik, M. Morris, E. Jonaitis, L. Clark, T. Fields, S. Allison, S. Berman, M. Zuelsdorff, O. Okonkwo, B. Bendlin, B. Hermann, S. Johnson
38. “Tobacco Exposure & Cessation is Associated with Incident Dementia and Nursing Home Placement,” a poster presented by Naomi Nystrom. Co-authors: Jessica Cook, Derek Norton, Megan Zuelsdorff, Mary Wyman, Susan Flowers Benton, Cynthia Carlsson, Sterling Johnson, Sanjay Asthana, Carey Gleason
39. “Tissue-specific polygenic risk scores predict amyloid biomarkers,” a talk presented by Danny Panyard. Co-authors: Burcu F. Darst, Rebecca L. Koscik, Lindsay R. Clark, Sterling C. Johnson, Corinne D. Engelman, Qiongshi Lu
40. “Dysphagia in Inpatients with Dementia Referred for Evaluation of Swallowing,” a talk presented by Nicole Rogus-Pulia. Co-authors: Gilmore-Bykovskyi, A., Connor, N., Wang, S., Loosen, J., Daggett, S., Kind, A
41. “A CRISPR/Cas9 Based Strategy to Attenuate the β-Amyloid Pathway,” a talk presented by Subhojit Roy. Co-authors: Jichao Sun, Jared Carlson-Stevermer, Utpal Das, Minjie Shen, Lina Wang, Jonathan Loi, Andrew J Petersen, Michael Stockton, Marion Delenclos, Pamela J. McLean, Anita Bhattacharyya, Mathew V. Jones, Xinyu Zhao, Krishanu Saha
42. “Does β-Amyloid Burden Predict Cognitive Decline Status in Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease?,” a talk presented by Heather Shouel. Co-authors: Rebecca L. Koscik, Lindsay R. Clark, Sara Berman, Bradley T. Christian, Tobey Betthauser, Jen Oh, Howard Rowley, Cindy M. Carlsson, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson
43. “Demographic and Referral Differences between Whites and Native Americans Enrolled in the Alzheimer’s Disease Centers: Considerations When Examining the Racial Differences in Incident Dementia,” a poster presented by Donald Skenandore. Co-authors: Art Walaszek, Derek L Norton, Naomi Nystrom, Megan Zuelsdorff, Susan F Benton, Mary F Wyman, Cynthia Carlsson, Sterling C Johnson, Carey E Gleason
44. “Hypoxia during Sleep Associates with Hippocampal Volume in Cognitively Unimpaired Adults,” a talk and poster presented by Chase Taylor. Co-authors: Kate E Sprecher, Nick M Vogt, Brittany R Derynda, Heather L Shouel, Jennifer M Oh, Stephanie G Jones, Brady A Riedner, Mihaela H Bazalakova, David T Plante, Sterling C Johnson, Sanjay Asthana, Ruth M Benca, Barbara B Bendlin
45. “Latent profiles of ATN related CSF biomarkers,” a poster presented by Carol Van Hulle. Co-authors: Karen K Lazar, Yue Ma, Sterling C. Johnson, Lindsay R Clark, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Barbara B. Bendlin, Ozioma C. Okonkwo, Carey E. Gleason, Richard J. Chappell, Laura Jacobson, Hanna Blazel, Aleshia Cole, Sanjay Asthana, and Cynthia M. Carlsson
46. “The gut microbiota-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is elevated in Alzheimer’s disease,” a poster presented by Nick Vogt. Co-authors: Kymberleigh Romano, Burcu Darst, Ruocheng Dong, Corinne Engelman, Sterling Johnson, Cindy Carlsson, Sanjay Asthana, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, Barbara Bendlin, Federico Rey
47. “The association of depressive symptoms, apathy, and antidepressant use with incident MCI and dementia in the NACC dataset,” a poster presented by Mary Wyman. Co-authors: Derek L. Norton, Yue Ma, Shanna L Burke, Art Walaszek, Emre Umucu, Megan Zuelsdorff, Naomi C. Nystrom, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Sterling C. Johnson, Sanjay Asthana, Carey E. Gleason
48. “A Whole-Facility Approach: Implementing an Innovative Model of “Dementia Friendly Hospital” at the Madison, WI VA Medical Center,” a poster presented by Mary Wyman. Co-authors: Joy Schmidt, Margaret Flood, Philip Dolwick, Carey E. Gleason
49. “An MRI-derived disease marker associates with conversion to MCI in middle-aged adults at risk for AD,” a poster presented by Kao Lee Yang. Co-authors: Vamsi Ithapu, Jennifer Oh, Gilda Ennis, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Catherine L. Gallagher, Barbara Bendlin, Sanjay Asthana, Mark A. Sager, Bruce P. Hermann, Vikas Singh, Sterling Johnson, Ozioma Okonkwo, and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
50. “Informal caregiving and cognitive health: Sociocultural differences among middle-aged and older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” a poster presented by Megan Zuelsdorff. Co-authors: Carey Gleason, Amy Kind, Rebecca Koscik, Mary Wyman, Susan Flowers Benton, Sterling Johnson, Ozioma Okonkwo
51. “Psychosocial Predictors of Hippocampal Volume and Cognition Among African American and White Older Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease,” a poster presented by Megan Zuelsdorff. Co-authors: Ozioma Okonkwo, Healther Shouel, Susan Flowers Benton, Mary Wyman, Naomi Nystrom, Sterling Johnson, Carey Gleason