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On Monday, May 16, Marsel Mesulam, MD delivered the Brenda Milner Lecture at the 23rd Annual Neuropsychology Day hosted by McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital. His lecture was titled "Behavioral Neurology of the Temporal Pole."
Behavioral Neurology can be said to have started in 1861 when Paul Broca stunned his colleagues at the Société d’Anthropologie of Paris by announcing that a lesion in the 3rd frontal convolution of the left cerebral hemisphere caused a loss of verbal expression without the loss of intelligence. Through this observation, words were dissociated from other aspects of intellectual function and relegated to a specifiable region of the brain. Nearly a century later, Brenda Milner did to memory what Broca had done to language. She stunned the world of neuropsychology by showing in 1957 that a lesion in the medial temporal lobes could cause loss of memory without loss of intelligence. Through investigations of patient H. M., Brenda Milner demonstrated that the recall of recent events and the learning of new information could be dissociated from other intellectual functions. This discovery is pivotal to research on brain function and helps to explain why Alzheimer’s disease has such a devastating impact on memory.
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Join us in wishing the best of luck to Jason Boschan from Run4Papa as he prepares for the Mt. Everest Marathon on Sunday, May 29 to raise money to support the next phase of Communication Bridge. Jason's efforts are particularly timely as May is Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM) which provides an opportunity to raise awareness about communication disorders, like PPA. Jason is almost to his goal of raising $17,600, to match the 17,600 feet at basecamp where the Marathon will begin.
This is the latest in Jason and Run4Papa's continued fundraising efforts for the Mesulam Center. To date he has raised $295K for the center, competing in 62 races across all 7 continents. Best of luck to Jason on this latest race!
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Upcoming Events with Community Partners | | |
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South Loop Memory Café: Celebrating Juneteenth
June 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
The South Loop Village Memory Café is a monthly social gathering for persons living with dementia and their family, friends, and care partners. Meetings are in-person at the Second Presbyterian Church in Fellowship Hall. All are welcome to join these free monthly gatherings. They are hosted every second Thursday of the month.
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Great South Loop Business Fest
June 18, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Join True Rock Acts of Kindness Ministries for the Great South Loop Business Fest at 57 E. 16th Street in Chicago.
This Juneteenth celebration in Bronzeville will highlight local businesses. There will be BBQ and music from the 60’s and & 70’s. The Mesulam Center and South Loop Village will share a table promoting community resources for seniors, dementia and Alzheimer’s awareness, and research opportunities.
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Darby Morhardt, PhD, LCSW Appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law
Darby Morhardt, PhD, LCSW was recently appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law. The commission, which became effective April 12, is tasked with helping the Illinois Supreme Court more effectively address the needs and legal issues of older adults, particularly those living with dementia, and their families in the state of Illinois.
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CMS Decision on Aduhelm - April 2022
On April 7, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its decision to limit its coverage of Aduhelm only to those individuals enrolled in randomized clinical trials conducted in a hospital-based outpatient setting. With this timely and forward-looking decision, CMS will support the FDA by covering the drug and any related services (including, in some cases, PET scans if required by trial protocol) for people with Medicare who are participating in these trials.
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Music-Based Medical Interventions with Borna Bonakdarpour, MD
Music-based medical interventions can have remarkable therapeutic benefits for patients diagnosed with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and Aphasia. Cognitive Behavioral Neurologist Borna Bonakdarpour, MD, recently spoke with Breakthroughs Podcast to explain how he is using and studying these clinical interventions through the new Northwestern Music and Medicine Program.
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Meet the Pioneers of Primary Progressive Aphasia Research
Decades before the world learned about Bruce Willis’ aphasia diagnosis, Marsel Mesulam, MD was pioneering a new field of research on a similar neurological condition: primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a rare, overlooked and underserved syndrome that destroys a person’s language.
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Borna Bonakdarpour, MD and Ian Grant, MD Discuss Aphasia and Bruce Willis
On Wednesday, March 30, actor Bruce Willis announced that he would be stepping away from acting after receiving an aphasia diagnosis. Drs Borna Bonakdarpour and Ian Grant spoke with multiple news sources, including the New York Times, WBBM, AARP, and ABC7 Chicago, about aphasia and the causes and treatments of the disorder.
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SuperAging and Primary Progressive Aphasia Studies Recruiting Participants
Two of our key studies is actively enrolling participants.The SuperAging Study is for cognitively healthy individuals over age 80. Participants will complete memory and thinking tests and MRI brain scans. The Observational Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) Research Program is also recruiting individuals living with PPA to come to Chicago for several days to participate in a study designed to better understand progression in PPA and it’s link to brain changes. Participants will be asked to complete cognitive tests and have MRI and PET scans. Learn more about all of our active studies and join our registry here.
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ICRN Debuts One-Stop-Shop Platform for Alzheimer’s and Dementia-Related Resources
As part of the Alzheimer’s Awareness initiative funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Cognitive Resources Network (ICRN), administratively led by Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center (RADC), recently launched a newly revamped website as a one-stop-shop for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) care and resource information for all Illinoisans.
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