The Puglielli lab at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has found a way to manipulate autophagy — a process where cells clean out damaged materials — to rid the brain of toxic proteins like amyloid and tau. Researchers hope to use the power of this process to develop future treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases of aging. Luigi Puglielli joins the podcast to discuss his team’s research over the past 15 years, why the scientific process can take years to turn ideas into possible treatments, and how he hopes this research can be used in the future.
Guest: Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Episode Topics
7:47 Tell us about how you manipulated this process of autophagy. Why is this discovery so important?
15:14 What role does acetyl-CoA play in the brain?
19:58 What does the future look like for this research?
Show Notes
Learn more about Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD, and his work in his bio and on the Puglielli Lab website.
Read Dr. Puglielli’s recent paper “ATase inhibition rescues age-associated proteotoxicity of the secretory pathway,” published online on February 25, 2022 in “Communications Biology.”

Harnessing the Power of Autophagy to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

Dementia Matters is a podcast about Alzheimer‘s disease and other causes of dementia. Host Dr. Nathaniel Chin interviews leading scientists and caregiving experts to bring listeners the latest in Alzheimer’s disease news, research and caregiver resources. Brought to you by the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center,  find show notes and more resources at adrc.wisc.edu/dementia-matters.

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Picture this: you are supporting someone experiencing memory changes as a clinician, support person or care partner while they go through the memory clinic process. How do you navigate the challenging conversations surrounding symptoms, diagnoses, care plans and more that come up? Dr. Toby Campbell joins the podcast to discuss the importance of shared decision-making and share strategies for clinicians, care partners and loved ones to help navigate these important conversations with respect and empathy.
Guest: Toby Campbell, MD, MS, thoracic medical oncologist, chief of palliative care, UW Health, professor of hematology, medical oncology and palliative care, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Show Notes
Are you a clinician interested in receiving continuing education (CE) credits for listening to this episode? Find credit designation information, disclosures and evaluation information on our website and on the UW–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) website. The accreditation for this course expires 5/13/2025. After this date, you will no longer be able to access the course or claim credit.
Learn more about the SPIKES strategy, mentioned at 20:48, by reading “Breaking bad news: the S-P-I-K-E-S strategy” for free online.
Read Dr. Campbell’s article, “Discussing Prognosis and Shared Decision-Making,” mentioned at 27:55 on ScienceDirect’s website.
Read Dr. Campbell’s article, “Discussing prognosis: balancing hope and realism,” mentioned at 31:20 on The Cancer Journal’s website.
Learn more about PalliTALK and WeTALK on the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine website.
Learn more about Dr. Campbell through his profile on the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine website.
Find Wisconsin-based and online resources for people with dementia and care partners on our website.
Connect with us
Find transcripts and more at our website.
Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.
Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Let’s Talk: Navigating Family Conversations about Dementia through Shared Decision-Making

Advances in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials are accelerating rapidly, leading to new insights and disease-modifying therapies, but how does the field continue bolstering that momentum? For Dr. Rema Raman, it’s through improving inclusivity and training for early-career researchers. Recorded at the 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias Research Day, Dr. Raman joins the podcast to discuss her work in research recruitment and retention, the importance of training the next generation of clinical trialists in dementia research with the IMPACT-AD program and more from her featured presentation.
Guest: Rema Raman, PhD, co-director, Institute of Methods and Protocols for Advancement of Clinical Trials in ADRD (IMPACT-AD), director, section of biostatistics, section of participant recruitment & retention section, Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute, professor of neurology, University of Southern California
Show Notes
Watch our YouTube page for upcoming recordings of Dr. Raman’s presentation and other featured speakers at Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias Research Day 2024.
Learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias Research Day on our website.
Learn more about the Institute of Methods and Protocols for Advancement of Clinical Trials in ADRD (IMPACT-AD) on their website.
Learn more about Dr. Raman at her bio on the Keck School of Medicine website.
Connect with us
Find transcripts and more at our website.
Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.
Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Making an IMPACT: Advancing Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials Through Workforce Development and Inclusivity

What do you do if you have a family history of dementia and are experiencing symptoms, but can’t get a diagnosis? Dr. Sara Langer has dealt with just that. In the latest episode of our Voices of Research Participants series, Dr. Langer shares the obstacles she endured to receive her diagnosis of Lewy body dementia (LBD), how her background as a neurologist influenced her search for clinical care and how she turned to dementia research to find answers. She also discusses ways that the field of dementia research could improve to support those with other forms of dementia outside of Alzheimer’s disease.
Guest: Sara Langer, MD, neurologist
Co-host: Sarah Walter, MSc, program administrator, Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) and Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI)
Show Notes
Learn more about Sarah Walter at her bio on the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium website.
Listen to the first episode of the Voices of Research Participants series, “From Caregiver to Research Participant: How One Woman’s Experience as a Dementia Caregiver Drew Her to Alzheimer’s Research,” on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all podcast platforms.
Learn more about Lewy body dementia by watching the 2021 Dr. Daniel I. Kaufer Lecture, “Diagnosis and Management of Dementia with Lewy Bodies,” on our YouTube page.
Learn more about how to get a dementia diagnosis on our website.
Connect with Us
Find transcripts and more at our website.
Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.
Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Living with Lewy Body: A Neurologist’s Journey Through Research and Dementia Care

The brain is the most complex part of the human body, controlling thought, memory, emotion, motor skills, sensory input and all the processes that regulate our bodies. How exactly does it work, and how are clinicians able to determine whether brain changes are a result of normal aging, Alzheimer’s disease, or something else? Dr. Victoria Williams joins the podcast to explain important concepts in neuropsychology, from the difference between cognition and intelligence to how memories are made, and discuss how cognitive tests work in memory clinics.
Guest: Victoria Williams, PhD, neuropsychologist, UW Health, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Show Notes
Are you a clinician interested in receiving continuing education (CE) credits for listening to this episode? Find credit designation information, disclosures and evaluation information on our website and on the UW–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) website. The accreditation for this course expires 3/25/2025. After this date, you will no longer be able to access the course or claim credit.
Learn more about the domains and structure of the brain through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) website.
Learn more about Dr. Williams at her bio on the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine website.
Connect with Us
Find transcripts and more at our website.
Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.
Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

The Fundamentals of Neuropsychology: Breaking Down Cognition, Memory and More

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020, there have been many concerns about how cases of COVID-19 and Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) affect not just a person’s physical health, but their cognition as well. In this episode, Dr. Jim Jackson talks about his path into critical illness research and his dedicated focus on unraveling the impact of Long COVID on cognition. Throughout the discussion, he talks about the parallels between Long COVID and other chronic illnesses, the effects of Long COVID across different demographics, the concurrent challenges faced by older adults and more. 
Guest: James “Jim” Jackson, PsyD, director of long-term outcomes, Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center, research associate professor of medicine, director of behavioral health, ICU Recovery Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Show Notes
Learn more about Dr. Jackson’s book, Clearing the Fog: From Surviving to Thriving with Long Covid―A Practical Guide, on Goodreads.
Listen to Dr. Jackson’s interview on NPR’s Fresh Air podcast, “Millions of people have long COVID brain fog — and there's a shortage of answers.”
Learn more about Dr. Jackson at his bio on the Vanderbilt University website.
Learn more about Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
Connect with Us
Find transcripts and more at our website.
Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.
Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Harnessing the Power of Autophagy to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

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