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The human brain is efficient at storing and retrieving information but how this is accomplished is not well understood. As loss of knowledge can be a major problem in disorders of aging, it is important to understand the procedures underlying the storage and retrieval of knowledge so that we may learn ways to prevent the loss from occurring.

In you are between the ages of 40 and 80, right-handed and have no history of neurologic problems, we invite you to participate in a study of this important question. The study involves a series of computerized and paper and pencil tests assessing different aspects of your knowledge of the world. The tests take approximately 3-5 hours to complete and can be completed in 1 or more sessions at a time of your choosing. The tests are administered near the Penn Memory Center in the Perelman Building or at the Penn Institute for Rehab Medicine (18th and South St, Philadelphia). You will be paid $15/hour for your time and transportation costs will be reimbursed.

If you are interested in participating or wish to learn more about the study, please contact Dr. H. B. Coslett, Professor of Neurology, at (215) 687-7550.

Collaborators at the Temple University Cognitive Neuropsychology Lab are recruiting participants age 65 and older to learn more about everyday functioning. 

If you are age 65 or older, fluent in English, and have mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment, you may be eligible to participate.

The study includes:

– Playing a video game requiring you to prepare a breakfast and a lunch

– Videotaping you preparing a breakfast and lunch with real objects

– Testing of your thinking skills

– Questionnaires about your everyday functioning and mood

– Talking with someone who knows you well to complete a brief interview and questionnaires about your daily functioning via phone, online, or in person.

Total Study Time: 2 study sessions, each 3-4 hours long; study sessions are 2-4 weeks apart.

Where do I go to do the study?  The study may be done at Temple University’s Main Campus or in your own home, wherever is easiest for you. 

How do I learn more and sign up?  Call (484) 843-1321 or email us at aging@temple.edu. Please leave a message and someone will return your call or email promptly!

By Cait Kearney

Penn Memory Center (PMC) researcher Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS, was elected Vice Chair of the Alzheimer’s Association ISTAART Diversity and Disparities Professional Interest Area (PIA).

“I am honored and excited to be voted in as the PIA’s Vice Chair for the upcoming term,” said Dr. Stites.

Alison Lynn, MSW, LCSW, has been promoted to Director of Social Work at the Penn Memory Center (PMC).  

As director, Lynn will continue to support individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) and their family unit throughout disease progression. 

Alison Lynn

“We want patients and caregivers to feel as though they have a safety net beneath them of someone who believes in them and can provide the tools they need to start this new part of their life,” said Lynn. 

The social work team at PMC has grown exponentially in the past few years and is working on providing more inclusive and diverse programming.  

As director, Lynn plans to continue expanding programming which is inclusive to people of different socioeconomic, racial, and religious backgrounds.  

“Often, educational resources are geared towards white upper-class individuals. Our team wants to start focusing on initiatives which celebrate different kinds of people, families, and relationships,” said Lynn.  

PMC Executive Director Felicia Greenfield, MSW, LCSW, is thrilled for Lynn as she embarks on this next chapter.  

“This promotion is richly deserved. As director of social work, Alison will continue to oversee PMC’s novel and high-quality care programs,” said Greenfield. “She brings compassion and excellence to all she does, and I am grateful to Alison for her contributions.”

Nicole Nissim

Editor’s Note: Nicole Nissim, PhD, is a 2021 Christopher M. Clark Scholar. She accepted a new position at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and PMC is excited to highlight Dr. Nissim’s journey and contribution.  

By Meg McCarthy

The human brain is like a football team, made up of complex parts that serve different functions for a common goal.

In this analogy, neuroplasticity is a sense of teamwork: if one “player” is injured, others adapt from their prior functions to better serve the team.

This concept of neuroplasticity was introduced to Nicole Nissim, PhD, during her undergraduate career at the University of Florida. After taking a physiological psychology course, she was inspired.  

“I was really fascinated by neuroplasticity, the fact that it naturally occurs, and that there are ways to improve it,” said Dr. Nissim. 

Neuroplasticity is particularly important for individuals with brain damage, which can result from short-term events such as having a stroke to long-term disease such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI).  

By Sharnita Midgett

How do the things we’ve experienced in our past impact tomorrow? Social and structural determinants of health (SSDoH) are the conditions—such as where we live, play, worship, study, grow up, and age—which can impact health later in life.

PMC researchers Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS, Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, PhD, ABPP/CN, Sharnita Midgett, MPH, and PMC Co-Directors David Wolk, MD, and Jason Karlawish, MD, and researchers at fellow Alzheimer Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) are studying how SSDoH impact our brain health as we age. In a recent paper published in the Gerontologist, the group proposed a framework for how dementia researchers could collect information about SSDoH from research participants.

SSDoH include factors like neighborhood environment, early childhood experiences, education, access to social support, parental background, socioeconomic status, early life stressors, and religion

 By Cait Kearney

Sharnita Midgett

Outreach Coordinator Sharnita Midgett, MPH, is moving on from the Penn Memory Center (PMC) to pursue a doctorate of education in health literacy at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. 

Midgett has played an essential role in PMC’s efforts to recruit and retain research participants and to provide brain health education to the public. She regularly represented PMC at health fairs, provided healthy brain aging talks to local communities, and devised strategies to increase the diversity of participants in PMC’s research studies.  

Of everything Midgett accomplished during her time at PMC, she said she is most proud of her work building official partnerships with West/Southwest Philadelphia community leaders.  

“Working with [PMC community partners] helped me grow not just in my job, but also as a person,” said Midgett. “Being surrounded by other Black leaders who also believe in the same cause that I do was really helpful and inspiring to me.” 

Alison Lynn, MSW, LCSW, associate director of social work at the Penn Memory Center (PMC), wrote a 2-part series on how to begin psychotherapy and the benefits of psychotherapy for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their family caregivers. As part of the series, Alison collected questions from the PMC community about psychotherapy. Here are Alison’s answers to your questions: