Minding Memory

Michigan Medicine Podcast Network
  • 4.4 (7)
  • Medicine
  • Biweekly

Welcome to Minding Memory. In this podcast we discuss topics related to dementia research. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for dementia research, and we have topics for both those new to the space as well as old pros. We start with some basics, like: What exactly is dementia? What are the different types of dementia? What is the TICS, if not a swarm of blood-sucking insects?  But we also invite researchers on to discuss their interesting work to give you a glimpse at the questions, data, and methods moving the field forward.    Minding Memory is co-hosted by Matthew Davis and Lauren Gerlach. Matt and Lauren are health services researchers and professors at the University of Michigan. Matt’s PhD is in Data Science and Lauren is a geriatric psychiatrist. The Minding Memory podcast is part of the Center to Accelerate Population Research in Alzheimer’s (CAPRA) at the University of Michigan, supported by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Additional support also comes from the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The content of this podcast does not represent the views of the National Institutes of Health or the University of Michigan. Please consider subscribing to this podcast and make sure to check out our website. On our website you’ll also find links to the center’s seminar series and data products created specifically for dementia research.  You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 3d ago

    Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes: Balancing Medication Safety, Policy, and Dementia Care

    In this episode, Lauren Gerlach and Matt Davis speak with Theresa Shireman, PhD, Director of the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research and a Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, and Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. Dr. Shireman’s research focuses on pharmaceutical policy, pharmacoepidemiology, health services research, and medication use among vulnerable populations. Dr. Shireman discusses her recent study, “The Impact of Federal Antipsychotic Use Policy in Nursing Homes on New Diagnoses for Approved Indications in Dementia Residents,” published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study examines whether federal policies designed to reduce antipsychotic use in nursing homes were associated with increases in new diagnoses of conditions, such as schizophrenia, that exclude residents from publicly reported antipsychotic quality measures. Using an interrupted time-series design, the researchers examined changes following the 2012 National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and the 2015 addition of antipsychotic use to the nursing home Five-Star Quality Rating System. They found that neither policy was associated with an increase in new exclusionary diagnoses, challenging concerns that nursing homes were increasingly assigning these diagnoses to circumvent restrictions on antipsychotic use. The conversation also explores the benefits and risks of antipsychotic medications for people living with dementia, including the potential for serious adverse effects such as sedation, falls, stroke, and increased mortality. Dr. Shireman discusses how public reporting and financial incentives can influence prescribing practices, the limitations of using a single quality measure to evaluate nursing home care, and the importance of balancing medication safety with residents’ individual needs. The discussion highlights the need for shared decision-making among clinicians, nursing home staff, residents, and families, as well as greater investment in staffing, resources, and nonpharmacological approaches to improve quality of life for people living with dementia. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Article Discussed in the Episode: Shireman TI, Coulibaly N, Zhang T, et al. Impact of federal antipsychotic use policy in nursing homes on new diagnoses for approved indications in dementia residents. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024; 72(12): 3742-3752. doi:10.1111/jgs.19129 You can listen on the Michigan Medicine podcasting network and other podcasting platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This episode is also available on our CAPRA website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes: Balancing Medication Safety, Policy, and Dementia Care

  2. Oct 12

    Can Your Voice Reveal Early Signs of Alzheimer’s?

    In this episode, Lauren & Matt speak with Neguine Rezaii, MD, an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and a Board-Certified Neuropsychiatrist at Mass General Hospital. Dr. Rezaii’s research focuses on using natural language processing and artificial intelligence to improve the detection and classification of neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Rezaii talks about her recent study, “Voiceprints of Cognitive Impairment: Analyzing Digital Voice for Early Detection of Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias,” which explores how artificial intelligence can analyze short speech samples to identify subtle signs of cognitive impairment. The study used speech recordings from 120 individuals and found that features such as pauses, word choice and the specificity of language can help distinguish cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. The conversation also explores how a simple 30-second speech test could potentially be used in clinical settings to support earlier detection and monitoring of cognitive impairment, as well as the challenges and ethical considerations that come with using AI to analyze something as personal as a person’s voice. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Article Discussed in the Episode: Rezaii, N., Wong, B., Aisen, P. et al. Voiceprints of cognitive impairment: analyzing digital voice for early detection of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. npj Dement. 1, 35 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44400-025-00040-0 DOI; npj Dementia volume 1, Article number: 35 (2025) You can listen on the Michigan Medicine podcasting network and other podcasting platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This episode is also available on our CAPRA website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Can Your Voice Reveal Early Signs of Alzheimer’s?

  3. Sep 28

    Is the United States Lagging Behind Europe in Memory Improvement?

    In this episode, Lauren & Matt speak with Neil Mehta, PhD who is the associate dean for research and a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Mehta’s research focuses on US life expectancy trends, the effects of obesity on disability and mortality, the sources of socioeconomic status disparities in mortality, and patterns of health in the United States and Europe.     Dr. Mehta talks about a recent manuscript from the NIA-funded TRENDS study called “Trends in Memory Function and Memory Impairment Among Older Adults in the United States and Europe, 1996 to 2018.”, which looks at data from several sources to compare trends in memory function across 13 different countries.  The transcript for this episode can be found here.  Neil Mehta, PhD Faculty Profile     Article Discussed in the Episode:  Myrskylä M, Hale JM, Schneider DC, Mehta NK. Trends in Memory Function and Memory Impairment Among Older Adults in the United States and Europe, 1996-2018. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2024 Nov 7;79(21 Suppl 11):S11-S21. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glae154. PMID: 38953519; PMCID: PMC11542220.  You can listen on the Michigan Medicine podcasting network and other podcasting platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This episode is also available on our CAPRA website.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Is the United States Lagging Behind Europe in Memory Improvement?

  4. Sep 14

    The Care Ecosystem: Supporting People Living with Dementia and Their Families

    Welcome back to Season 6 of Minding Memory! In this episode, Lauren & Matt speak with Dr. Katherine (Kate) Possin, who holds the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Professorship at the University of California, San Francisco Fein Memory & Aging Center.     Dr. Possin talks about the Care Ecosystem, a telephone and web-based model that provides ongoing education, support, care planning, and coordination for people living with dementia and their care partners. They’ll dig into how the Care Ecosystem was developed, and what studies have shown about its impact on people living with dementia.    The transcript for this episode can be found here. Katherine Possin, PhD Faculty Profile The Care Ecosystem at the UCSF Fein Memory & Aging Center    Article Discussed in the Episode:   Atkins KJ, Kahn JG, Possin KL. Cost-effectiveness and impact at Scale of Collaborative Care and Lecanemab for Alzheimer's Disease. Alzheimer's Dement. 2026; 2:e70054. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsa3.70054    You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Care Ecosystem: Supporting People Living with Dementia and Their Families

  5. May 4

    Addressing Senior Social Isolation in the Community

    In this episode, Matt & Lauren build off their previous conversation with Ashwin Kotwal about social isolation by speaking with Eve Lefkowitz, the Executive Director of the non-profit organization, A Conversation to Remember, which connects older adults – including those who live with cognitive decline – with young adult college students to combat the epidemic of social isolation and loneliness.  Lauren & Matt learn about the populations this non-profit serve as well as perspectives on how to address social isolation with older adults.    Episode Transcript Resources: c2r.chat: Conversations to Remember You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Addressing Senior Social Isolation in the Community

  6. Apr 20

    The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on Cognitive Health

    In this episode we're going to discuss a topic that's increasingly recognized as central to cognitive health and social connection. We'll define what it is and what happens when it's missing. Social isolation and loneliness are now widely discussed as public health concerns, and evidence has really mounted that social disconnection has profound effects on health, including cognitive decline and dementia risk. To help us think through this, we're joined by Dr. Ashwin Kotwal, a geriatrician and health services researcher at UCSF and the director of the Social Connections and Aging Lab. His work examines how social relationships shape aging related outcomes, including cognitive health, disability, and mortality.  The transcript for this episode can be found here. Additional Links:    Ashwin Kotwal Faculty Profile  Social Connections & Aging Lab @ UCSF    Relevant Articles:   Kotwal AA, Cenzer IS, Yaffe K, Perissinotto C, Smith AK. End-of-life health care use among socially isolated and cognitively impaired older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2023 Mar;71(3):880-887. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18131. Epub 2022 Nov 23. PMID: 36420540; PMCID: PMC10023302.    Kotwal AA, Allison TA, Halim M, Garrett SB, Perissinotto CM, Ritchie CS, Smith AK, Harrison KL. "Relationships, Very Quickly, Turn to Nothing": Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Adaptation to Changing Social Lives Among Persons Living With Dementia and Care Partners. Gerontologist. 2024 Apr 1;64(4):gnae014. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnae014. PMID: 38499400; PMCID: PMC10948338.    Kotwal AA, Cenzer I, Hunt LJ, Ankuda C, Torres JM, Smith AK, Aldridge M, Harrison KL. Psychosocial distress among spouses of persons with dementia before and after their partner's death. J Am Geriatric Soc. 2024 Aug;72(8):2336-2346. doi: 10.1111/jgs.19030. Epub 2024 Jun 1. PMID: 38822746; PMCID: PMC11323186.  You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on Cognitive Health

  7. Apr 6

    Convoys of Caregiving: Arab American Families Living with Dementia

    In this episode, Matt & Lauren speak with Kristine Ajrouch, PhD - a new member of our CAPRA leadership team. Kristine is a Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research whose work focuses on aging, health, immigration and family in the United Statues and the Middle East; social networks over the life course; and Arab American identity and well-being.    Kristine discusses a recent article that examined an intervention to improve outcomes among Arab American caregivers who provide care to a family member living with dementia. She also shares what this work teaches us about caregiving as a family system rather than the responsibility of a single individual.   The transcript for this episode can be found here.   Link of Interest:  Kristine Ajrouch Faculty Profile    Article referenced in podcast:  Ajrouch KJ, Barada FM, Janevic MR, Antonucci TC. Supporting Arab-American Families Living With Dementia: Testing a Culturally Adapted Program. J Appl Gerontol. 2025 Apr;44(4):515-519. doi: 10.1177/07334648241281153. Epub 2024 Sep 23. PMID: 39313309.  You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Convoys of Caregiving: Arab American Families Living with Dementia

  8. Mar 23

    Neighborhood Income and Cognitive Health

    Welcome back to Minding Memory! In today’s episode, Lauren & Matt speak with Dr. Laura Zahodne – a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and an affiliate of the Institute for Social Research. She's a clinical neuropsychologist by training and studies how psychosocial experiences shape late life, cognitive health, and risk of neurodegenerative disease.  Also, a new member of our CAPRA leadership team!      In this episode, we’ll get to know Laura a little better and talk with her about one of her research studies, the Neighborhood Racial Income Inequality in Cognitive Health, which looks at the association between racial income differences and a variety of cognitive measures.  The transcript for this episode can be found here.   Links of Interest:   Laura Zahodne Faculty Profile   Introduction to the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project    Articles Referenced in Podcast:  Zahodne LB, Sol K, Scambray K, Lee JH, Palms JD, Morris EP, Taylor L, Ku V, Lesniak M, Melendez R, Elliott MR, Clarke PJ. Neighborhood racial income inequality and cognitive health. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Aug;20(8):5338-5346. doi: 10.1002/alz.13911. Epub 2024 Jun 27. PMID: 38934219; PMCID: PMC11350017.    Hu Y, Elliott MR, Meier HCS, Chen L, Walters ME, Sol K, Zahodne LB. The impact of census-tract level mortgage discrimination on cognitive function: accounting for measurement instability in small-area data via joint modeling. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Nov 4;194(11):3258-3266. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwaf131. PMID: 40522478; PMCID: PMC12634109.   You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Neighborhood Income and Cognitive Health
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Welcome to Minding Memory. In this podcast we discuss topics related to dementia research. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for dementia research, and we have topics for both those new to the space as well as old pros. We start with some basics, like: What exactly is dementia? What are the different types of dementia? What is the TICS, if not a swarm of blood-sucking insects?  But we also invite researchers on to discuss their interesting work to give you a glimpse at the questions, data, and methods moving the field forward.    Minding Memory is co-hosted by Matthew Davis and Lauren Gerlach. Matt and Lauren are health services researchers and professors at the University of Michigan. Matt’s PhD is in Data Science and Lauren is a geriatric psychiatrist. The Minding Memory podcast is part of the Center to Accelerate Population Research in Alzheimer’s (CAPRA) at the University of Michigan, supported by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Additional support also comes from the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The content of this podcast does not represent the views of the National Institutes of Health or the University of Michigan. Please consider subscribing to this podcast and make sure to check out our website. On our website you’ll also find links to the center’s seminar series and data products created specifically for dementia research.  You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Michigan Medicine Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Regents of the University of Michigan
  • Show Website
    Minding Memory

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