Ep. 43: Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease with Dr. Elizabeth Head and Connor Wander

Straight from a Scientist Medical Research Education and Discussion Podcast

This week's episode features another throwback recorded in San Diego, CA, where Connor Wander attended the BrightFocus Alzheimer's Disease Fast Track conference, followed by the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. We talked with Dr. Elizabeth Head, who studies the link between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease with the hopes of improving lives for both patient classes. Listen to hear about this super interesting and very promising work!

About Dr. Elizabeth Head

Dr. Elizabeth Head has recently moved from the University of Kentucky to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and joined the UCI MIND institute.

Dr. Head has published over 150 peer reviewed papers, over 30 review papers and book chapters and serves as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes on Health. Dr. Head has dedicated over 20 years to the study of aging and Alzheimer’s disease with a focus on people with Down Syndrome.

Catch Dr. Head's livestream where she answers the question: "Are there any promising vaccines for Alzheimer's" on May 3rd, 2019.

More Information

Learn more about The International Brain Bank for Down Syndrome-Related Alzheimer's disease mentioned in the podcast.

Also watch a presentation by Dr. Head on how to improve quality of life in Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.

The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a well-known conference, drawing 28 thousand people annually. In contrast, AD Fast Track is a much smaller conference put on by BrightFocus, a foundation built to support AD and glaucoma research and awareness. Many of the speakers at the event were directly supported by BrightFocus (Lamb, Brinton, Head, Grinberg).

Alzheimer's disease research is reinventing itself in the wake of past failures. New understandings of disease complexity, paired with recent advances in technology and a renewed surge in funding for research fuels new hope for a cure or treatment. Yet we aren't putting all our eggs in one basket. This series explores Alzheimer's disease research and the variety of research strategies with the common goal of curing Alzheimer's disease.

Listen to our Alzheimer's Fast Track Series

Ep. 39: Alzheimer’s Disease Research Part I with Drs. Diane Bovenkamp, Frank LaFerla, and Bruce Lamb

Ep. 41: Alzheimer’s Disease Research roundtable with Drs. Cynthia Lemere, Charles Glabe, and Lea T. Grinberg

Any other questions? Let us know! We appreciate your feedback.

You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast. Many thanks to our past and present supporters!

Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support. Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.