Sanjay Asthana, MD, professor and head, Geriatrics and Gerontology and associate dean for Gerontology, was featured in a 40-minute interview on the Larry Meiller Show on Wisconsin Public Radio. 

While fielding questions from callers, Dr. Asthana discussed Alzheimer's disease research being pursued at UW-Madison and how caregivers can best help Alzheimer's disease patients.

“We really do research across the full spectrum of the disease, from molecules all the way to the bedside to the "curbside," meaning the community,” he said.

He explained that the earliest phase of Alzheimer’s disease can begin 20 years prior to any observable symptoms. A major focus of Alzheimer’s disease research at UW-Madison is focused on identifying molecular markers of early, pre-symptomatic disease to enable early interventions that may be able to halt or slow disease progression. 

Another area of research at UW is on resilience to disease, a phenomenon in which some individuals whose brains have the plaques of beta-amyloid protein and tangles of tau protein that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, but never go on to develop symptoms. If factors leading to resilience can be understood, researchers hope it could lead to new strategies for treatment.

Dr. Asthana answered questions about risk factors, other types of dementia-related diseases aside from Alzheimer’s disease, diagnosis methods and treatment options, and more. 

Resources:

• “The Larry Meiller Show: Alzheimer’s Research,” Wisconsin Public Radio, April 11, 2017