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NIH Awards Over $100 Million to Examine Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease in Adults with Down Syndrome

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, In the News
Congratulations to UCI MIND investigators, Drs. Elizabeth Head and Mark Mapstone, on earning a 5-year $100 million grant to study biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease in people with Down syndrome. The  Alzheimer’s Biomarker Consortium – Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) evolved from the longstanding contributions of Dr. Ira Lott and Eric Doran who had the insight to include older people with Down syndrome in Alzheimer’s disease research.  People with Down syndrome are at very high risk for Alzheimer disease as their extra copy of chromosome 21 leads to accelerated amyloid buildup with aging. The new grant will help researchers improve understanding of the unique disease progression…
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Today is #ResearchDiversity Day! Follow the Conversation on Twitter

By Commentary, Community Events
Contributed by Franklin Garcia, PhD, UCI MIND Postdoctoral Fellow   “On this Research Diversity Day, I would like to share my early undergraduate experience that paved the way for my interest in aging research. Franklin Garcia, PhD, UCI MIND Postdoctoral Fellow The concept of pursuing a career in scientific research was new to me since, as a first-generation university student, I didn’t have mentors or older peers that could shed some insight or guidance. Fortunately, during my last two years as an undergraduate student at UC Irvine, I received mentorship from my research advisor, Prof. Frank LaFerla and the faculty…
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Dr. Joshua Grill discusses Alzheimer’s clinical trials during the pandemic with NPR

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, COVID-19, In the News
Alzheimer syndrom screening.The presentation is made by me based on real scientific knowledge in the public domain. (3-minute listen) After cases began emerging worldwide, thousands of clinical trials unrelated to COVID-19 were paused or canceled amid fears that participants would be infected. But now, some researchers are finding ways to carry on in spite of the coronavirus. "It's been a struggle of course," says Joshua Grill, who directs the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at the University of California, Irvine. "But I think there's an imperative for us to find ways to move forward."
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Maria Shriver named Variety’s Entertainment Philanthropist of the Year

By Commentary, In the News
Congratulations to Maria Shriver for being selected as Variety's Entertainment Philanthropist of the Year for her trailblazing Alzheimer’s advocacy! Maria Shriver UCI MIND is honored to partner with Shriver and her organization, the Women's Alzheimer's Movement (WAM), to unravel why 2 out of every 3 people with Alzheimer’s are women. Thanks to Shriver and other local philanthropists, the UCI MIND-WAM Women’s Initiative has now awarded $400,000 to UCI scientists for sex and gender disparities research. Variety: “So much of my work is about awareness, prevention, funding of research and trying to educate people about something they think they don’t have…
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The COVID-19 guide to holiday travel – and the case for why you shouldn’t go this year

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, COVID-19, In the News
"We'll likely continue to see a surge of cases in the fall and over the holidays," says Karen Edwards, a professor and epidemiologist at the University of California, Irvine. "If you must travel, be sure to follow all recommendations, including checking with destinations and events you plan to attend to be sure that travel to that destination or event is still possible. Cancel your trip if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or concerns about risk of infection."
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Drs. Xu and Cotman receive $3M from NIH to map aging-associated brain changes

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, In the News
Irvine, Calif. – October 15, 2020 – The National Institutes of Health has awarded a team of researchers, led by the University of California, Irvine’s Xiangmin Xu, PhD, a five-year, $3 million grant for a project titled, “Single-Cell Analysis of Aging-Associated 4D Nucleome in the Human Hippocampus.” Now, as part of the 4D Nucleome consortium, Xu, a professor of anatomy and neurobiology and director of the Center for Neural Circuit Mapping at the UCI School of Medicine, together with MPIs, Carl Wayne Cotman, PhD, a professor of neurology and founding director of the UCI Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia,…
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Having Dementia Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Vote

By Commentary, COVID-19, In the News
“There are many misperceptions of what ‘capacity to vote’ is,” said Charles Sabatino, director of the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging. “Incapacity to follow a recipe and cook dinner doesn’t mean incapacity to vote. The inability to remember your grandchildren’s names doesn’t mean you can’t vote.” What is required — as the commission and the Penn Memory Center point out in a new guide — is the ability to express a preference. “Can you pick among the choices?” said Dr. Jason Karlawish, a geriatrician and co-director of the Penn Memory Center. “That’s it.”  
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You’re invited to the 11th Annual A December to Remember Gala

By Commentary, Community Events
You’re invited to the 11th Annual A December to Remember Gala benefiting Alzheimer's research at UCI MIND! This year’s virtual event will feature inspiring testimonials, an online auction, and engaging performances. Registration is complimentary. Meal delivery options are available for purchase for Orange County residents. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Linda Scheck at 949.824.3251 or LScheck@uci.edu. Learn More & Register: https://gala.mind.uci.edu  Add to Calendar: Apple  Outlook Google
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Mark your calendar for upcoming virtual events!

By Commentary, Community Events
Mark your calendar for upcoming virtual events! Wellness Wednesday: Healthy Brain Aging Live Q&A with Joshua Grill, PhD and Ruth Benca, MD, PhD moderated by Debra Hill, MD, UCI School of Medicine Alumni Board Wednesday, October 28, 2020 | 7:00 - 8:00 pm PDT Register online: Click here How does heart health impact the brain? Live Q&A with Daniel Nation, PhD Friday, November 6, 2020 | *1:00 - 1:30 pm PST* Tune in on Facebook: facebook.com/ucirvinemind Caring for the Caregiver Live Q&A panel on the unique challenges facing dementia caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, moderated by Joshua Grill, PhD Tuesday, November 10, 2020 | 4:00 -…
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