NASA Talk Focuses on Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

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Oct 05, 2015, 12:55 ET

HAMPTON, Va., Oct. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The world population over age 60 is growing at a rapid rate along with an increase in the cases of Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, and a number of other neurological diseases.

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, Kathleen Welsh-Bohmer, director of the Bryan Alzheimer's Center at Duke University will present "Advancing the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease by 2025" at 2 p.m. in the Pearl Young Theater.

Her presentation will examine the evidence that Alzheimer's is a modifiable disease by looking at population trends, and focusing on regional differences in lifestyle and health factors.

Welsh-Bohmer will be available to answer questions from the media during a news briefing at 1:15 p.m. that day. Media who wish to do so should contact Chris Rink at 757-864-6786, or by e-mail at [email protected], by noon on the day of the talk for credentials and entry to the center.

That same evening at 7:30, Welsh-Bohmer will present a similar program for the general public at the Virginia Air & Space Center in downtown Hampton. This Sigma Series event is free and no reservations are required.

Without effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and similar diseases, the public health demands and the healthcare costs associated with caring for dementia patients are expected to be staggering over the next 30 years. While clinical research is directed at developing treatments for AD, there is also a focus on prevention at the community level to delay the onset or slow its progression.

Much of the evidence that the disease is modifiable comes from global studies of dementia. The prevalence of AD and variations in environmental, genetic, and health exposures varies by region and populations. Research hopes to determine factors that might account for differences across these groups.

Welsh-Bohmer completed her Bachelor of Science at Duke University, received her master's degree and holds a doctorate from the University of Virginia, and did her clinical training in neuropsychology at the University of Iowa. She joined the faculty at Duke University Medical Center in 1987 and was appointed director of the Joseph and Kathleen Bryan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center there in 2006.

Welsh-Bohmer oversees the neuropsychology scientific operations of a Phase III global clinical trial to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Called the "TOMMORROW" study, it hopes to accelerate global clinical trials in AD prevention.

For more information about NASA Langley's Colloquium and Sigma Series Lectures, visit:
http://colloqsigma.larc.nasa.gov

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SOURCE NASA Langley Research Center