- With Mayo Clinic health education outreach coordinator
Angela Lunde
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Angela Lunde
Angela Lunde is a dementia education specialist in the education core of Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer's Disease Research Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Angela Lunde
The transfer of information about dementias, as well as understanding the need for participation in clinical trials, is an essential component of the education core.
Angela is a member of the Alzheimer's Association board of directors and co-chair of the annual Minnesota Dementia Conference. She is a member of the Dementia Behavior Assessment and Response Team (D-BART), a multidisciplinary outreach service assisting professional and family caregivers in understanding and managing difficult behaviors often present in dementia. She facilitates several support groups, including Memory Club, an early-stage education and support series, and more recently, helped to develop and now deliver Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking (HABIT), a 10-day cognitive rehab and wellness program for people with mild cognitive impairment.
Angela takes a personal interest in understanding the complex changes that take place within relationships and among families when dementia is present. She is particularly interested in providing innovative and accessible ways for people with dementia and their families to receive information and participate in valuable programs that promote well-being.
"Amid a devastating disease, there are tools, therapies, programs and ways to cope, and it is vital that families are connected to these resources," she says.
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Alzheimer's blog
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June 24, 2010
Mild cognitive impairment: A way station along road to Alzheimer's
By Angela Lunde
(Ronald Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Below is an excerpt from an article he wrote that I thought you may find interesting.)
An unprecedented global shift toward an aging population has brought with it an increase in the occurrence of cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's disease. With the baby boom generation beginning to arrive at the age of risk, this issue may be approaching crisis proportions that may bankrupt the health care system as we know it.
In the field of age-related dementia, there's likely a continuum from normal aging through a stage often called mild cognitive impairment on to dementia. The challenge for clinicians lies in assessing the question: "How much forgetfulness is too much?" Some incidental episodes of forgetfulness — "Where are my car keys?" — are likely common expressions of normal aging. However, when individuals begin to forget important information such as doctors' appointments and, most importantly, when they do this on a repeated basis, and when a person's friends and family begin to notice forgetfulness in the individual, it's time to seek medical attention.
A great deal of research in aging and dementia is now focused on mild cognitive impairment — a clinical condition in which people are more forgetful than they used to be, and more than they ought to be. And although their function around the community may be relatively normal, when these individuals seek a medical evaluation the degree of forgetfulness exceeds what would be expected for that person's age and education.
At Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, investigators are pursuing these issues in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. This project is a study over time of 2,000-3000 persons randomly sampled between the ages of 70- to 89-years old. At each annual visit, information is acquired, including mild cognitive impairment scans, blood samples for DNA and plasma proteins, historical data on cognitive and intellectual activities, dietary information, a quantitative assessment of gait, and a measure of olfactory functioning, which can be associated with degree of dementia in Alzheimer's.
The long-term goal of this project is to describe trajectories of successful aging, typical aging, and impaired aging from a cognitive perspective. Ultimately, we hope to identify a model that might be useful at predicting who is going to follow which of the three aging trajectories. When disease-modifying therapies become available, this model could help clinicians decide when and how to intervene with individual patients. It may well be that studies performed in Minnesota will inform the worldwide community about this pending crisis.
10 comments posted
June 30, 2012 9:34 p.m.
I have a question: I have been told that I have both Mild Cogntiive Impairment (MCI) and some form of Sclerosis in the top of my head, in the white brain matter; however the Neurologist said it is "too early to tell which for of DEMENTIA THEY are going to go into; but that down the road it will become clearer. She said, "No, I'm not saying you have Alheimer's disease at all yet, because there are several different type of dementia. WHAT SAY YOU ALL ABOUT THIS? Thank you very very much, I'm grateful for ANY comments you have. (Velma, in San Antonio TX, at Air Force Village Retirement CommunitY--- I AM 75.
- Velma
October 22, 2011 3:55 p.m.
I have had strange memory problems in recent months. I have always had a very good memory and now I cannot remember where a classroom is at the college I am attending. Last week I started getting sweaty palms and panicky about which building and what floor the class is on, I have been there 4 times. I time per week. I also have a hard time remembering what a word looks like in my mind, for example: I was thinking of the word success, I could not find it in my brain?? I could not access waht it started with what it was but I had an idea about the word and it's definition. Another day I was driving on a familiar road and thinking about where I would turn, I have been there 1x per week for a year or so and I could not remember - I told myself that I knew I was on the right road and I knew that the turn off was on this road, so I needed to keep driving and then I would see it and remember,. I was panicked again and got sweaty palms. I could not find any information in my brain to help me. I have had lots of "little things" that many people experience, but these were different. I had a severe head injury when I was 6, they say I was in a coma for 6 weeks. I am 52 could I have a problem and how would I get tested?
- Josephine
July 18, 2011 11:28 a.m.
My husband had 5 major football concussions from the time he was in high school all the way through the Navy. He was dx with Short-term memory with possible dementia. He is not able to take care of a bank account and forgets appointments and other issues. His personality has changed from being sweet and patient to impatient and adjutated easily. Does not socialize as much and does not enjoy playing games. he reads a lot, not sure how much he is retaining, and works out. He is taking the generic for Namenda and no longer is on Aricept. However, he does drink too much, is always tired. Will play games on the computer alot. One never know where this is going at his age, but I do attend support meetings, which I highly recommend for anyone.
- Barbara
May 17, 2011 6:44 a.m.
There is no information in the article to support the claim made in the title. Empty-headed babble.
- Ivan
July 13, 2010 10:37 a.m.
I agree with Allen. This study will not address early-onset Alzheimer's and I suspect that, at least in some cases, the progression may be different. My mother had what I would call atypical dementia (which also involved brain surgery for growths or cysts and Parkinsonian symptoms that later completely went away). She died on her 91st birthday. Now, at age 62, I now have some mild (according to the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale) memory problems, but score at the very mild level for dementia. However, brain scans - I had MRI, PET- CT - led to a dx of dementia of the Alzheimer's type and treatment with galantamine. Fortunately, as my physician (a gernontologsit) says, I have a lot of cognitive reserve (with a PhD). However, it HAS affected my work. He has encouraged me to do all sorts of brain-stimulating things, such as exercise, thinking puzzles (I like Kakuro - like crossword puzzle, but summing numbers), and activities that integrate movement with thinking such as ballroom dancing (I've taken up piano again) which have been shown to slow down the progression of Alzheimer's. I already had the healthy eating habits. I am very fortunate and thankful that he is read up on this, and that we have the resources of a large medical center within a mile of my home. However, it is disconcerting, and as versed in evaluating research as I am, I am not convinced such a study NECESSARILY applies to those who are younger -- under 70 or 60 or even 50...
- Kathy
July 9, 2010 7:47 a.m.
I'm curious as to why the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging does not sample people in their 50s and 60s in their target study population. Since adults much younger than 70 are currently being diagnosed with MCI, as well as with probable AD, wouldn't researchers want to identify memory loss problems at their earliest appearance. Would it not be helpful to identify and describer trajectories to help clinicians working with those younger than 70-89?!
- Allan
July 1, 2010 6:21 p.m.
This is for Hughlene. My husband, age 62 was diagnosed with FTD (he had a MRI which showed atropying of the frontotemporal lobes) in 2009 but was showing symptons many years earlier. He lost his common sense and reasoning and his behavior changed. My husband sees a psychiatrist more than his family doctor. He is only taking Cipralex 10 mg (once in the morning)which is an antidepressant. This calms his behavior and is quite tolerable through out the day. His psychiatrist says and I have read as well that any of the drugs that you have mentioned that work for Alzheimer's patients do not work for frontotemporal, in fact they can be harmful. Unfortunatly, there are no other drugs for FTD. I am going to research the cholinometric drugs. This is a tough job being a caregiver for someone with FTD and I would like to suggest a book to you that has been very helpful for me. It is "What if it's not Alzheimer's?" A Caregiver's Guide to Dementia with vital information on FTD by Lisa and Gary Radin. Also, your Alzheimer's Association would be a great support for you. Frontotemporal dementia was once called Picks Disease, was named after Dr. Pick over 100 years ago. One hundred years later we still do not have a cure. We do need aggressive reseach into these dementias now.
- Shelley
June 30, 2010 5:26 p.m.
April 05 I had a stroke while I was at St. Lukes Hospital and took care of me quick. However, I do have moderate Aphasia. Now I have to know at my age (67) where I am going now. Normal memory age, dementia, or Alzheimer's?
- Ned
June 30, 2010 12:28 a.m.
My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's several years ago was unable to tolerate Airecept, Nemendo and one other med. March 2010 we have taken him back to his neurologist who diagnosed him with Frontotemporal Dementia (less Dementia with memory, more with judgement, insight and self coctrol. Inability to feel sorrow and or remorse). Again he was unable to tolerate Airecept and now the Dr. is having him to apply one Elexon patch qd. This Neurologist is sending him to Emory for second opinion. Presently (experience with spouse is very difficult". Has anyone out there been a caretaker of pt. with Frontotemporal dementa. Can anyone tell me how the drug "Cholinometic Drugs serves in being terapeutic for either of these two conditions? Thank you
- Hughlene
June 24, 2010 6:48 p.m.
We have know for along time that dementia increases with age. NO 2 people suffer dementia in the same way. So breaking people into subgroups has already been done..There is only a slight advantage to this study because people live longer today giving rise to a greater degree of impairment.Our population is more obese and sedentary. Habits have changed. There is always the promise of treatment from a study but noone knows how to stop the disease. It is also doubtful that any of the drugs ocurrently on the market can make any difference in slowing the progression of the disease. I find little hope that measuring plaque in the eye could be anything else but a monitor of brain activity but it suggests no hint of a cure. The eye may be easier to test than the brain but I doubt that this will advance a cure, which is desperately needed. I only wish that more agressive research was being done for this silent killer.
- Fran
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