Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center

March 21, 2019

Small vessel disease MRI marker linked to worse cognitive health in older adults

Enlarged perivascular spaces, which are commonly seen on brain MRIs in older adults, have important associations with worse cognitive performance, particularly information processing speed and executive function, according to a new study that challenges historical consideration that perivascular spaces are a harmless imaging marker.

By Holly Fletcher
August 30, 2018

Study links aortic stiffness with lower cerebral blood flow

Greater aortic stiffness is related to lower cerebral blood flow, especially among individuals with increased genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Tom Wilemon
May 7, 2018

Study provides robust evidence of sex differences with Alzheimer’s gene

The APOE gene, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, may play a more prominent role in disease development among women than men, according to new research from the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center.

By Tom Wilemon
Elderly woman looking out window
November 8, 2017

Research links heart function to brain’s memory center

Research by a team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) scientists suggests that older people whose hearts pump less blood have blood flow reductions in the temporal lobe regions of the brain, where Alzheimer’s pathology first begins.

By Tom Wilemon
June 2, 2016

Tool sought for doctors to quickly identify patients at risk for cognitive decline

Katherine Gifford, Psy.D., is testing simple questions to see which ones yield the most reliable results as she develops a questionnaire for primary care providers to quickly identify patients at risk for cognitive decline.

By Tom Wilemon
September 10, 2015

Gifford, Bell land development awards in aging research

Two faculty members of the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center are among a handful of 2015 scholars for the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging Research Program.

By Tom Wilemon