Memory Disorders Clinic

• Our Mission
• Clinic Staff
• Conditions Treated
• Resources
• Recent Publications
• Contact Us
• Links

The Mission of the Memory Disorders Clinic
The Memory Disorders Clinic at UIHC provides comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services for persons with Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurologic disorders. An integrated multidisciplinary approach is provided by experts in neurology, neuropsychology, neuroimaging, geriatric nursing, and cognitive rehabilitation. The Memory Disorders Clinic is also dedicated to research leading to improved understanding and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

Memory Disorders Clinic Staff

• Steven W. Anderson, PhD, Neuropsychologist, Co-Director
• Natalie L. Denburg, PhD, Neuropsychologist
• Deema Fattal, MD, Neurologist
• Geri R. Hall, PhD, ARNP, FAAN, Geriatric Nurse Clinician
• Matthew Rizzo, MD, Neurologist
• Cher Stephenson, MS, LMHC, CRC, Rehabilitation Counselor
• Ergun Uc, MD, Neurologist

Conditions treated by the Memory Disorders Clinic
The Memory Disorders Clinic provides multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurological conditions that affect memory. Any adult who is experiencing memory difficulties may be eligible for care. Among the conditions treated are:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Mild cognitive impairment
• Pre-senile dementia
• Vascular (stroke-related) dementia
• Lewy body disease
• Fronto-temporal lobar degeneration
• Pick's disease
• Primary progressive aphasia
• Corticobasal degeneration
• Traumatic brain injury
• Dementia associated with Parkinsonism
• Memory impairment secondary to sleep disorders
• Dementia in mentally retarded adults

Resources
Behavioral Neurology: Behavioral neurology is the subdiscipline of neurology that deals with disorders of cognition due to brain disease. Behavioral neurologists in the Memory Disorders Clinic provide neurological examinations, coordinate and interpret laboratory tests, and oversee pharmacological treatment.

Neuropsychology: All patients are provided with comprehensive evaluations of memory and other cognitive abilities, emotion, and behavior. These evaluations are an important component of the diagnostic process, and allow quantified evaluation of functional abilities. Repeated neuropsychological evaluations over time allow care providers to carefully monitor the course of demential syndromes. For many patients, neuropsychological evaluation provides a foundation for developing programs of cognitive rehabilitation or behavior management.

Neuroimaging: UI Hospitals and Clinics is equipped with state-of-the-art imaging facilities for non-invasive viewing of the brain. These tools include computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI), and positron emission tomography (PET). These tools are used in diagnosis and research to provide detailed pictures of brain structure and function, while maintaining patient comfort and safety.

Behavioral management: Experts in neuropsychological rehabilitation, geriatric nursing, and rehabilitation counseling provide patients and their families with guidance in managing the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes associated with aging and dementia. A resource room provides educational materials and contact information for caregiver support groups, dementia-related organizations, and library and internet resources.

Memory Disorders Registry: The Memory Disorders Clinic maintains a registry for research studies involving memory disorders and other cognitive changes that often occur with aging. The purpose is to maintain a current listing of older persons who may be willing to participate in studies designed to learn more about memory disorders associated with aging. The information collected in the registry will enable the investigators to learn about the risk factors that may be associated with these cognitive changes. We invite people to participate in this research registry if they have changes in aspects of memory, language, spatial skills or decision-making.

Driving Research: Investigators in the Memory Disorders Clinic maintain an active program of research aimed at improving driving safety in persons with neurological impairments. Headed by Dr. Matthew Rizzo, this research brings together detailed analysis of cognitive and visual-motor abilities, high-fidelity driving simulation, and on-the-road vehicles equipped with devices for continuous monitoring of driver behavior, in an effort to predict safe and unsafe driving and enhance driving competence in persons with and without neurologic disease.

Clinical Trials: One purpose of the Memory Disorders Clinic is to investigate new pharmacological and behavioral interventions for persons with memory disorders. At any time, there may be one or more ongoing investigations (Òclinical trialsÓ) of experimental treatments. Please contact us for more information.

Recent Publications from the Memory Disorders Clinic

Anderson, S.W. and Grabowski, T.J. (2003). Memory and the aging brain. Currents. Vol. 3, Iowa City: University of Iowa Health Care.

Anderson, S.W., Rizzo, M., Skaar, N., Stierman, L., Cavaco, S., Dawson, J., and Damasio, H. (2005). Amnesia and driving. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, in press.

Bondi, M. W., Houston, W. S., Eyler, L. T., & Brown, G. G. (2005). FMRI evidence of compensatory mechanisms in older adults. Neurology, in press.

Bondi, M. W., Houston, W. S., Salmon, D. P., Corey-Bloom, J., Katzman, R., Thal, L.J., & Delis, D. C. (2003). Neuropsychological deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease in the very-old: Discrepancies in raw vs. standardized scores. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 9(5), 783-795.

Cavaco, S., Anderson, S.W., Allen, J.S., Castro-Caldas, A.L. and Damasio, H. (2004). The scope of preserved procedural memory in amnesia. Brain, 127, 1853-1867.

Denburg, N. L., Buchanan, T. W., Tranel, D., & Adolphs, R. (2003). Evidence for preserved emotional memory in normal elderly persons. Emotion, 3, 239-253.

Denburg, N. L., & Fastenau, P. S. (2005). Effects of modality, intentionality, and age on verbal memory. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition. in press.

Denburg, N. L., Tranel, D. & Bechara, A. (2005). The ability to decide advantageously declines in some normal older persons. Neuropsychologia, in press.

Fastenau, P.S., Denburg, N.L., & Abeles, N. (1996). Age differences in retrieval: Further support for the resource-reduction hypothesis. Psychology and Aging, 11, 140-146.

Grabowski TJ, Cho HS, Vonsattel JP, Rebeck GW, Greenberg SM. (2001). Novel amyloid precursor protein mutation in an Iowa family with dementia and severe cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Annals of Neurology, 49: 691-693.

Greenberg SM, Shin Y, Grabowski TJ, Cooper GE, Rebeck GW, Iglesias S, Chapon F, Tournier-Lasserve E, Baron JC. (2003). Hemorrhagic stroke associated with the Iowa amyloid precursor protein mutation. Neurology, 60: 1020-1022.

Houston, W. S., Delis, D. C., Lansing, A., Jacobson, M. W., Cobell, K. R., Salmon, D. P., & Bondi, M. W. (2005). Executive function asymmetry in older adults genetically at-risk for Alzheimer's disease: Verbal versus design fluency. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, in press.

Persad, C.C., Abeles, N., Zacks, R.T., & Denburg, N.L. (2002). Inhibitory changes after age 60 and their relationship to measures of attention and memory. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 57, 223-232.

Rebeck GW, Cho HS, Grabowski TJ, Greenberg SM. (2001). The effects of AbetaPP mutations and APOE polymorphisms on cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Amyloid, 8, Supplement 1: 43-47.

Reed LA, Grabowski TJ, Schmidt ML, Morris JC, Goate A, Solodkin A, Van Hoesen GW, Schelper RL, Talbot CJ, Wragg MA, Trojanowski JQ. (1997). Autosomal dominant dementia with widespread neurofibrillary tangles. Annals of Neurology, 42: 564-572.

Rizzo, M., Anderson, S.W., Dawson, J., Myers, R. and Ball, K. (2000). Visual attention impairments in Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 54, 1954-1959.

Rizzo, M., Anderson, S.W., Dawson, J. and Nawrot, M. (2000). Vision and cognition in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia, 38, 1157-1169.

Rizzo, M., McGehee, D., Dawson, J., and Anderson, S.W. (2001). Simulated car crashes at intersections in drivers with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, 15, 10-20.

Rizzo M, Nawrot M. (1998). Perception of movement and shape in Alzheimer's disease. Brain, 121: 2259-2270.

Rizzo M, Reinach S, McGehee D, Dawson J. (1997). Simulated car crashes and crash predictors in drivers with Alzheimer disease. Archives of Neurology, 54, 545-551.

Rizzo, M., Stierman, L., Skaar, N., Dawson, J.D., Anderson, S.W., and Vecera, S.P. (2004). Effects of a controlled auditory-verbal distraction task on older driver vehicle control. National Academy of Sciences: Transportation Research Record, 1865, 1-6.

Suhr, J.A., Anderson, S.W., and Tranel, D. (1999). Progressive muscle relaxation in the management of behavioral disturbance in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 9, 31-44.

Uc, E.Y., Rizzo, M., Anderson, S.W. , Shi, Q. and Dawson, J.D. (2004).Driver route-following and safety errors in early Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 63, 832-837.

Uc, E.Y., Rizzo, M., Anderson, S.W. , Shi, Q. and Dawson, J.D. (2004).Driver landmark and traffic sign identification in early Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, in press.

Contact Information

Memory Disorders Clinic
Department of Neurology, UIHC
200 Hawkins Drive, 2155 RCP
Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone: 319-356-0872
Fax: 319-356-4505

Links

• Alzheimer's Association
• National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• Family Caregiver Alliance
• UI Center on Aging