UAB Neurobiologist Advances Leading-Edge Research in Age-Related Memory Dysfunction

by Yolanda A. Heiberger, M.A.

The fields of gerontology and geriatric medicine have led to an increased understanding of the aging process and important treatments for age-related diseases. However, less is known about the cellular changes leading to age-related memory decline that often emerges during mid-life and continues with advancing age – resulting in such common experiences as forgetting where we left our reading glasses or walking into a room only to forget what we came there to retrieve. As a recipient of the prestigious 2010 Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award in Aging, UAB neurobiologist J. David Sweatt, Ph.D., is conducting novel laboratory research that could lead to the development of effective treatments for cognitive decline that occurs with aging. “We know that it becomes more difficult to remember and retrieve information as we age,” observes Dr. Sweatt, who is also Chairman of the UAB Department of Neurobiology and Director of UAB’s Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. “The Ellison Senior Scholar Award provides significant research funding that will allow our laboratory to investigate and identify the cellular mechanisms that disrupt normal processes for learning, memory formation, and retrieval in aged animals and test the effectiveness of certain compounds in restoring normal memory.”

Critical Funding for Innovative Aging Research The Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Program in Aging provides financial support to established U.S. investigators in an effort to advance research in the basic biological sciences relevant to understanding lifespan development processes and age-related diseases and disabilities. As one of 26 awardees from across the nation, Dr. Sweatt was selected by the Ellison Scientific Advisory Board from a highly competitive field of applicants. The award will provide $150,000 per year for a four-year period in support of Dr. Sweatt’s laboratory research.

“This award is especially meaningful because of the personal admiration I have for Lawrence Ellison, a visionary businessman who created the Foundation as a means to advance significant scientific discovery in the field of aging,” Dr. Sweatt explains. Lawrence Ellison, founder and CEO of the well-known software corporation Oracle, created the Foundation in 1997 after a series of intriguing discussions with Nobel Prize-winning biologist Joshua Lederberg, Ph.D. “Mr. Ellison determined that aging was the area in which he wanted to invest funding in support of scientific research,” he says. “He believes that aging is a fascinating and critically important scientific problem. Last year alone, the Foundation received $42 million from Mr. Ellison.”

Testing a Novel Hypothesis Based on Previous Groundbreaking Memory Research Dr. Sweatt and his colleagues at the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute are conducting laboratory research with mice to test an innovative hypothesis that explains the cellular mechanisms for cognitive decline in aged animals. His current research, supported by the Ellison Award, is an extension of earlier groundbreaking investigations in how memories are formed and retrieved. “A significant discovery we made in our laboratory a few years ago is that learning and the formation of long-term memory involve changes in the three-dimensional structure of DNA and associated proteins in the brain,” says Dr. Sweatt. He explains that deep within neurons, DNA strands are tightly coiled around proteins called histones – much like strands of thread wound around a spool. “We discovered that when the DNA strands are loosened, genes involved in learning and memory are exposed and can be switched on. This process creates new pathways for learning, memory formation, and retrieval.” In people with memory disorders, this process seems to be disrupted. Read more...

“Dancing with the Silver Stars”

Gerontology Education Program

UAB/AARP Public Policy and Aging Conference

"Paving the Way: A Roadmap for Ending Hunger and Food Insecurity” was the title of the Fourth Annual UAB/AARP Aging Policy Conference held on April 15th, 2011. Despite tornado warnings and inclement weather, the conference was attended by nearly 100 persons from across the state. Immediately following the conference, the Alabama Poverty Project sponsored a conference on Higher Education's Response to Hunger and Food Insecurity. James Weil, President of the Food Research Action Center was one of the guest speakers at both conferences. Subsequent activities related to food security and aging are scheduled both in Alabama and in the United States.

For the first time in two years, the Nutrition Coordinators from each of the local Department of Senior Services met face-to-face to discuss programmatic and budgetary challenges and opportunities. Dr. Locher, Director of the Public Policy and Aging Program at UAB, who organized the UAB/AARP conference, was the keynote speaker at their meeting. At the national level, the Institute of Medicine will be holding a Workshop on October 5 and 6 in Washington D.C. on Nutrition and Healthy Aging in the Community. The workshop is open to the public. The Chair of the Planning Committee is Dr. Gordon Jensen (Professor and Head of the Department of Nutrition Sciences at Penn State).

Dr. Locher is also serving on the planning committee, with experts from across the US. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public. Established in 1970, the IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences.

Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR)

Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging Annual Meeting

The Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging Annual Meeting will be held from 9:00 AM until 2:30 PM on October 14, 2011 in the Great Hall at the Hill University Center on the UAB campus. The Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for faculty and guests to hear a prominent scientist present a keynote address, to listen to oral presentations of junior faculty pursuing research in aging, and to have informal interactions as they view poster research presentations. Faculty awards for Outstanding Service and Teaching will be presented, and outstanding community leaders will be recognized for their commitment to improving the health and well-being of older adults and their family members.

Three oral scientific presentations will also be featured during the meeting. These abstracts earned top scores from faculty judges from across the campus. The speakers and the titles of their abstracts include:

Cynthia Brown, MD, “Impact of a Hospital Walking Program on Function and Community Mobility” Heather Cain, “Predictors of Eye Care Utilization Among Older Adults with Diabetes” Edward Merritt, PhD, “Inflammatory Gene Expression in Aged Skeletal Muscle Following Mechanically Induced Damage”

Community awards include the McCallum Award, the Bynum Award and the New Horizons Award. The 2011 McCallum Award will be presented to J. Claude Bennett, MD, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at UAB. As chair of the UAB Department of Medicine between 1982 and 1993, Dr. Bennett identified the development of programs in aging as a priority, and provided resources needed to develop a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship and to establish the Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care within the Department. He recruited and appointed Alan M. Siegal, MD, as the Acting Division Director in 1987. After a national search, Dr. Bennett then appointed Richard M. Allman as the Director of the Division. Dr. Bennett served as the fourth president of UAB from 1993-1996, when he became the Chief Operating Officer of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals. As a leader in the community, Dr. Bennett has continued to be an advocate and supporter for programs designed to improve the health and well-being of older adults in the community.

The 2011 Bynum Award will be given to Anne Warren. Ms. Warren has provided leadership for the Beeson Fund of the Canterbury United Methodist Church. The Beeson Fund provides support for programs that address the needs of older persons in Jefferson County, Alabama. In this role, the Beeson Fund has awarded grants to meet the needs of some of the poorest older adults in the county. The Bynum Award is given to someone who has demonstrated a commitment to improving the health and quality of life of older adults in a manner similar to that exhibited by the late Robert Bynum, who died in October 2010, and for whom the award is named.

The 2011 New Horizons Award will be given to Alabama AARP for its support of the UAB Public Policy and Aging Program. Over the last three years, Alabama AARP has co-sponsored annual conferences addressing critical policy issues impacting the health and well-being of older adults. The most recent conference focused on eliminating hunger among older adults. The New Horizons Award is awarded to a not-for-profit organization each year that demonstrates a commitment to improving the health and well-being of older adults.

The 2011 Faculty Service Award will be presented to Julie Locher, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Director of the Public Policy and Aging Program, in recognition of her leadership for the Public Policy and Aging Program and the 2011 conference, “Paving the Way: A Roadmap for Ending Food Insecurity and Hunger.” Under Dr. Locher’s leadership, the Public Policy and Aging Program has also sponsored conferences on health care workforce needs in Geriatrics and the impact of the economic crisis on older adults.

The 2011 Faculty Teaching Award will be presented to Richard V. Sims III, MD, Professor of Medicine and Chief, Geriatrics Section, Birmingham VA Medical Center. Dr. Sims provided outstanding leadership for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program for seventeen years from July 1994 through June 2011 With Dr. Sims’ leadership, the UAB graduate training program in Geriatric Medicine has been ranked number 14th in the nation by the US News and World Report.

This year’s keynote speaker is Michael Gaziano, MD, MPH. Dr. Gaziano is Professor and Chief, Division on Aging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. The title of Dr. Gaziano’s keynote address will be, “Design and Implementation of the Million Veteran Program (MVP).” Dr. Gaziano is the principal investigator for the VA Million Veteran Program. The Birmingham VA is a participating site for this landmark study that will link genetic information with health data available in the VA computerized patient record system. Patricia Goode, MD, and Jasvinder Singh, MD are co-PIs for the study site here in Birmingham, AL.

Geriatric Education Center

AgeWell.com

Kudos