The population of older adults living with dementia is expected to swell to nearly 14 million by 2050 and is estimated to cost the US economy more than 500 billion each year. In the absence of a cure for Alzheimer's disease, the primary cause of dementia, there's interest in understanding modifiable risk factors. In theory, getting a handle on the modifiable risk factors for dementia, would enable public health efforts to reduce cognitive decline in dementia at the population level. We've come a long way in understanding the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias. However, there's still work to be done. In this episode, we'll speak with Dr. Josh Ehrlich, a researcher at the University of Michigan, who has examined vision impairment as a risk factor for dementia. 

Joshua Ehrlich Faculty Profile: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/ophthalmology/joshua-r-ehrlich-md-mph

Articles Referenced in the Podcast:  

Ehrlich JR, Goldstein J, Swenor BK, Whitson H, Langa KM, Veliz P. Addition of Vision Impairment to a Life-Course Model of Potentially Modifiable Dementia Risk Factors in the US. JAMA Neurol. 2022 Jun 1;79(6):623-626. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0723. Erratum in: JAMA Neurol. 2022 Jun 1;79(6):634. PMID: 35467745; PMCID: PMC9039828. 

New York Times Article, July 2022: New Dementia Prevention Method May Be Behavioral, Not Prescribed 

Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care (2020)  

Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, Ames D, Ballard C, Banerjee S, Brayne C, Burns A, Cohen-Mansfield J, Cooper C, Costafreda SG, Dias A, Fox N, Gitlin LN, Howard R, Kales HC, Kivimäki M, Larson EB, Ogunniyi A, Orgeta V, Ritchie K, Rockwood K, Sampson EL, Samus Q, Schneider LS, Selbæk G, Teri L, Mukadam N. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. Lancet. 2020 Aug 8;396(10248):413-446. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6. Epub 2020 Jul 30. Erratum in: Lancet. 2023 Sep 30;402(10408):1132. PMID: 32738937; PMCID: PMC7392084. 

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ 

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