This episode of AMiNDR is part 2 of our Clinical Assessment series. Today, you'll hear about new cognitive tests and advancements in existing tools for clinical testing. With every new study on Alzheimer’s disease, we are one step closer to understanding this disease better, diagnosing people faster, and helping people more effectively. Get ready to hear about some of the latest ways that scientists and clinicians are getting us closer to these goals!

Sections in this episode:

New or Updated Assessment Tools (4:56)

Evaluating Existing Tools (12:50)

Cognition in Specific Populations (17:18)

Can smell, gaze, blinking rate, or handwriting offer a window into what happens inside the Alzheimer’s disease brain? Are there parameters we can add to our batteries for assessing cognitive decline in a clinical setting? Missed opportunities in cognitive assessment? Maybe. This episode is dedicated to all kinds of variables that can help orient ourselves on the Alzheimer’s disease continuum, and perhaps predict the progression from MCI to AD.

Sections in this episode:

Non-Cognitive Variables (6.27)

Cognitive Variables (20.28)

Could changes to synaptic transmission underlie Alzheimer's disease pathology? Anusha has 8 papers to help you answer that question. These papers assess changes in humans, human models, and animal models and were all published in December of 2021.

Sections in this episode:

Changes in Neuronal Activity in Humans and Human Models (2.50)

Changes in Neurogenesis in APP/PS1 Transgenic AD Mice (10.08)

Changes in Neuronal Activity in APP/PS1 Transgenic AD Mice (13.42)

To kick off this series, Ellen tells you about 17 studies published in December 2021 on how different forms of cognition, sensory processing, and psychiatric health can be affected in Alzheimer's disease, as well as papers exploring new treatment options! If you are an Alzheimer's researcher, or are just interested in hearing about the latest progress in this field, you don't want to miss this episode!

Sections in this episode:

Sensory Function & Processing (3:38)

Emotional Processing (9:24)

Language (11:15)

Future Thinking (13:21)

Preclinical Testing in AD Models (14:38)

Comparing Different Diseases (21:09)

Clinical Testing in Patients (27:29)

Naila's back with 19 epidemiological and observational studies published in November 2021. It's quite the panoply of topics - you'll hear about marital status, air pollution, metabolic syndrome, medication use and more. We hope you enjoy!

Sections in this episode:

Epidemiological and Environmental (1.44)

Vaccine/Medication Use (15.10)

Psychomotor (22.48)

Metabolic Comorbidities (26.18)

Other Comorbidities (31.11)

Tired of only hearing about tau or a-beta when it comes to AD research? Take a peek behind the scenes with Kate to explore the latest on the proteostasis and autophagy pathways that work to safeguard our cells in 13 papers from November 2021.

Sections in this episode:

Autophagy & Proteostasis Pathology (4:17)

Targeting Proteostasis/Autophagy Machinery (22:21)

17 papers have "Targeting neurotransmission and synaptic dysfunction in AD" written all over it. Figuratively speaking of course. Anusha covers topics like targeting neurotoxicity and calcium flux, or acetylcholine transmission and balance, or even targeting monoamine oxidases to improve AD-like pathology. Better yet, this episode lets you keep up to date as all the papers were published in November of 2021.

Sections in this episode:

Targeting synaptic dysfunction (2.34)

Targeting M1 acetylcholine receptors (14.03)

Targeting cholinesterases by modifying existing drugs (17.32)

Targeting cholinesterases with novel drugs (22.49)

Targeting monoamine oxidases (27.31)

Join Kate for a comprehensive summary of everything tau from papers published in November 2021. We'll talk post-translational modifications, prion-like seeding pathology, molecular modeling, and even touch on a potential AD therapies targeting this fascinating little microtubule helper. Enjoy! :)

Sections in this episode:

Tau Aggregation and Post-Translational Modifications (03:03)

Tau Seeding and General Tau Pathology (12:49)

Novel Therapeutics (22:58)

Interested in a fresh perspecitve on the epidemiology of AD? Join Elyn for her monthly tour through the new research on vascular contributions to Alzheimer disease! Whether this is your niche field, or you want to look at the disease through a new lens, this episode is perfect for you. Tune in to hear about endothelial cell biology, a phase 2 clinical trial, and several animal models!

Sections in this episode:

Endothelial Cell Biology & Amyloid Clearance (4:40)

Insights from Animal Models (8:44)

Insights from Human Studies (13:49)

Welcome all researchers, students, and clinicians who are interested in learning about clinical testing for Alzheimer’s disease! This episode is dedicated to papers published back in November 2021 on new and old assessment methods to help in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. This includes testing cognitive processes and performance on activities of daily living, detecting Alzheimer’s, and distinguishing it from other dementias. You will hear about some new cognitive and non-cognitive parameters to consider as well, so tune in for your monthly fill of news in the field!

Sections in this episode:

Existing cognitive tests (7.18)

New cognitive tests in development (16.22)

Non-cognitive parameters (30.04)