Dementia Matters

In recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new biomarker tools for Alzheimer’s disease, including blood tests and tracers for brain scans. How are these tools used in research to help develop new Alzheimer’s treatments? Dr. Henrik Zetterberg returns to the podcast to discuss how blood tests, brain scans and other biomarker developments are transforming clinical trials and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions ahead of his upcoming Healthy Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) event.

Guest: Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD, professor of neurochemistry, University of Gothenburg, visiting professor, University of Wisconsin−Madison and University College London, Biomarker Core leader, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Show Notes
Register and learn more about the upcoming Healthy Living with MCI event featuring Dr. Zetterberg, happening on September 11, 2026, and future programs on our website.

Register and learn more about the upcoming Fall Community Conversation, happening on September 29, 2026, on our website.

Listen to our past episodes with Dr. Zetterberg, “Addressing Cochrane’s Review on Amyloid-Targeting Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease” and “The Future of Fluid Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias,” on our website.

Learn more about LATE, mentioned by Dr. Zetterberg at 24:05, by listening to our episode “LATE, Explained” on our website.

Read more about the Alzheimer’s disease blood tests recently approved by the U.S. FDA on our website.

Connect with us
Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram 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.

Learn about Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia.

In recent years, public interest in brain health has increased. So how are Americans understanding brain health information and incorporating it into their own lives? This year, the Alzheimer’s Association released a special report focused on how people understand and support brain health throughout their lives, covering topics like how they perceive cognitive health, the importance of lifestyle behaviors and more. Dr. Heather Snyder from the Alzheimer’s Association joins us on the podcast to analyze this report and share her insights, as well as share updates from the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). 

Guest: Heather M. Snyder, PhD, senior vice president, medical & scientific relations, Alzheimer's Association

Show Notes
Read the Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures and their special report, Brain Health in America: Understanding and Supporting Lifelong Cognitive Health, on their website.

Learn more about the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on their website. 

Read about the LatAm-FINGERS and PROTECT-Cog studies on the AAIC website.

Learn about the Alzheimer’s Association’s Brain Health Habit Builder on their website.

Learn more about ALZPro, the Alzheimer's Association’s central hub of resources for professionals, mentioned by Dr. Snyder at 25:53 online.

Register and learn more about the upcoming Fall Community Conversation, happening on September 29, 2026, on our website.

Connect with us
Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram 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.

Learn about Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia.

Twenty-five years ago, a single participant enrolled in what would become the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP), now one of the largest and longest-running studies of Alzheimer's risk in the world. To celebrate this milestone, we’re joined by Dr. Mark Sager, who co-founded WRAP, along with current multi-principal investigators Dr. Sterling Johnson and Dr. Jessica Caldwell, to discuss how the study has evolved, the discoveries that have reshaped our understanding of Alzheimer's prevention and what the next 25 years may hold for the field. 

Guests: Mark Sager, MD, founder, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute (WAI), WRAP, Sterling Johnson, PhD, multi-principal investigator, WRAP, associate director, Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, WAI, Jessica Caldwell, multi-principal investigator, WRAP, visiting associate professor, department of neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Show Notes
This episode was uploaded as an exclusive video episode on the Wisconsin ADRC YouTube page on August 12, 2026. Watch the video interview here.

Listen to our episode with Dr. Gina Green-Harris, mentioned at 12:27, on our website.

Learn more about WRAP on the WRAP website.

Learn about Drs. Sager, Johnson and Caldwell at their profiles on the WAI website.

Connect with us
Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram 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.

Learn about Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia.

Caring for those with dementia represents a major public health challenge, with caregivers, especially spouses, providing long-term, largely unpaid care. With caregiving stress linked to a decline in mental and physical health, it is crucial to understand the complex burden these care partners face in order to  support them. Dr. Donna de Levante Raphael joins the podcast to shed light on the effects of caregiving on the spousal caregiver and share possible interventions and programs to support their needs. 

Guest: Donna de Levante Raphael, PhD, gerontologist, director of research, Alzheimer's Foundation of America

Show Notes
Read Dr. Donna de Levante Raphael’s newly published review, “The Impact of Dementia Caregiving on the Health of the Spousal Caregiver,” on the MDPI website. 

Learn more about Dr. Donna de Levante Raphael at her profile on the Alzheimer's Foundation of America website.

Learn more about ambiguous loss and anticipatory grief, mentioned by Dr. de Levante Raphael at 34:44, by listening to our past episode, “A Guide to Grief: Strategies for Navigating Loss and Dementia.” 

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.

Learn about Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia.

Prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and supplements are incredibly common among older adults, yet many of these routine treatments can unexpectedly impact cognitive function and brain health. To help us safely navigate medication management, Dr. Lauren Welch, a clinical geriatric pharmacy practitioner, joins the podcast to discuss how common drugs affect cognition, the risks of drug-drug interactions, and how families can effectively partner with their health care team to review and de-prescribe medications. 

Guest: Lauren Welch, PharmD, BCGP, clinical geriatric pharmacy practitioner, Veterans Affair Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center

 

Show Notes
Learn more about the Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative (WPQC) and how to get a physician referral at the Pharmacist Society of Wisconsin’s website.

Learn more about the effect of blood pressure control on dementia risk, mentioned by Dr. Welch at 22:50, by listening to our past episode “SPRINT to a Healthy Mind: How Blood Pressure Control Affects Brain Health and Dementia Risk” 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.

Learn about Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia.