Claudia Kawas | |
---|---|
Awards | Potamkin Prize (2017) |
Academic background | |
Education | Swarthmore College MD, University of Louisville |
Academic work | |
Institutions | University of California,Irvine Johns Hopkins University |
Claudia H. Kawas is an American neurologist. As the Al and Trish Nichols Chair in clinical neurology at the University of California,Irvine,Kawas established the Leisure World Cohort Study to monitor the health and well-being of people 90 and older in Laguna Woods,California.
Kawas was born to parents Elias and Jeanette Kawas [1] and her family moved to Madisonville,Kentucky when she was in sixth grade. [2] She attended Madisonville North Hopkins High School and was a member of their speech and debate team. [3] [4] As a senior,she won first place in the extemporaneous speaking and dramatic interpretation division and was judged as the top speaker of the entire tournament. [5]
Upon graduating in 1970, [4] Kawas attended Swarthmore College for her undergraduate degree and completed her medical studies at the University of Louisville. [6] During her undergraduate degree,Kawas was encouraged to study brain injuries as a physician. [2]
Upon completing her medical degree,Kawas enrolled at Johns Hopkins University for a two-year fellowship in 1985. Upon completing the fellowship,she remained at the institution to study Alzheimer's disease. [1] As a faculty member,she collaborated with epidemiologist Walter Stewart and partook in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging. [7] In 1997,she co-led a study examining the impact of estrogen on the risk of Alzheimer's disease. [8] Kawas left Johns Hopkins in 2000 to accept a similar faculty appointment at the University of California,Irvine (UC Irvine). [6]
As the Al and Trish Nichols Chair in clinical neurology,Kawas established the Leisure World Cohort Study to monitor the health and well-being of people 90 and older in Laguna Woods,California. [9] In 2012,she was honored as a Visionary Woman for her clinical contributions to Alzheimer's disease research and care by the Orange County Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. [10] The following year,the National Institute on Aging renewed its funding for the Leisure World Cohort Study for another five years. [11]
In 2017,Kawas was presented with the Khalid Iqbal,Ph.D.,Lifetime Achievement Award in Alzheimer's Disease Research for her "for her numerous contributions to clinical and epidemiological research in Alzheimer’s disease,aging and dementia." [12] In the same year,she also received the American Academy of Neurology's Potamkin Prize for dementia research. [13]
Dementia is the general name for a decline in cognitive abilities that impacts a person's ability to perform everyday activities. This typically involves problems with memory,thinking,and behavior. Aside from memory impairment and a disruption in thought patterns,the most common symptoms include emotional problems,difficulties with language,and decreased motivation. The symptoms may be described as occurring in a continuum over several stages. Dementia ultimately has a significant effect on the individual,caregivers,and on social relationships in general. A diagnosis of dementia requires the observation of a change from a person's usual mental functioning and a greater cognitive decline than what is caused by normal aging.
Vascular dementia (VaD) is dementia caused by problems in the blood supply to the brain,resulting from a cerebrovascular disease. Restricted blood supply (ischemia) leads to cell and tissue death in the affected region,known as an infarct. The three types of vascular dementia are subcortical vascular dementia,multi-infarct dementia,and stroke related dementia. Subcortical vascular dementia is brought about by damage to the small blood vessels in the brain. Multi-infarct dementia is brought about by a series of mini-strokes where many regions have been affected. The third type is stroke related where more serious damage may result. Such damage leads to varying levels of cognitive decline. When caused by mini-strokes,the decline in cognition is gradual. When due to a stroke,the cognitive decline can be traced back to the event.
Cognitive reserve is the mind's and brain's resistance to damage of the brain. The mind's resilience is evaluated behaviorally,whereas the neuropathological damage is evaluated histologically,although damage may be estimated using blood-based markers and imaging methods. There are two models that can be used when exploring the concept of "reserve":brain reserve and cognitive reserve. These terms,albeit often used interchangeably in the literature,provide a useful way of discussing the models. Using a computer analogy,brain reserve can be seen as hardware and cognitive reserve as software. All these factors are currently believed to contribute to global reserve. Cognitive reserve is commonly used to refer to both brain and cognitive reserves in the literature.
The Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's,Alzheimer's,and Related Diseases was established in 1988 and is sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology. The prize is funded through the philanthropy of the Potamkin Foundation. The prize is awarded for achievements on emerging areas of research in Pick's disease,Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
Sir John Anthony Hardy is a human geneticist and molecular biologist at the Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies at University College London with research interests in neurological diseases.
The prevention of dementia involves reducing the number of risk factors for the development of dementia,and is a global health priority needing a global response. Initiatives include the establishment of the International Research Network on Dementia Prevention (IRNDP) which aims to link researchers in this field globally,and the establishment of the Global Dementia Observatory a web-based data knowledge and exchange platform,which will collate and disseminate key dementia data from members states. Although there is no cure for dementia,it is well established that modifiable risk factors influence both the likelihood of developing dementia and the age at which it is developed. Dementia can be prevented by reducing the risk factors for vascular disease such as diabetes,high blood pressure,obesity,smoking,physical inactivity and depression. A study concluded that more than a third of dementia cases are theoretically preventable. Among older adults both an unfavorable lifestyle and high genetic risk are independently associated with higher dementia risk. A favorable lifestyle is associated with a lower dementia risk,regardless of genetic risk. In 2020,a study identified 12 modifiable lifestyle factors,and the early treatment of acquired hearing loss was estimated as the most significant of these factors,potentially preventing up to 9% of dementia cases.
John Quinn Trojanowski was an American academic research neuroscientist specializing in neurodegeneration. He and his partner,Virginia Man-Yee Lee,MBA,Ph.D.,are noted for identifying the roles of three proteins in neurodegenerative diseases:tau in Alzheimer's disease,alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease,and TDP-43 in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens,and is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances,symptoms can include problems with language,disorientation,mood swings,loss of motivation,self-neglect,and behavioral issues. As a person's condition declines,they often withdraw from family and society. Gradually,bodily functions are lost,ultimately leading to death. Although the speed of progression can vary,the typical life expectancy following diagnosis is three to nine years.
Geriatric neurology is the branch of medicine that studies neurologic disorders in elderly.
Kristine Yaffe is an American Cognitive decline and dementia researcher. She is the Scola Endowed Chair and Vice Chair and Professor of Psychiatry,Neurology and Epidemiology and the Director of the Center for Population Brain Health at the University of California,San Francisco. In 2019,Yaffe was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Carl Wayne Cotman is an American neuroscientist. He is a professor of neurology at the University of California,Irvine School of Medicine,where he is also the founding director of the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. He is known for researching the neurochemistry of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. His research has shown,for example,that physical exercise increases production of brain-derived neurotropic factor,which protects neurons from aging-related damage and promotes the growth of new ones.
Eva-Maria Mandelkow is a German neuroscientist and Alzheimer's disease researcher at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE),Bonn.
Rebecca Gottesman is Senior Investigator and Stroke Branch Chief at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Before joining NINDS,she was Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University. Gottesman completed a B.A. in Psychology at Columbia University (1995),an M.D. at Columbia University (2000),and a Ph.D. in Clinical Investigation at Johns Hopkins University (2007). She is a Fellow of the American Neurological Association (2012) and a Fellow of the American Heart Association (2015).
LATE is a term that describes a prevalent condition with impaired memory and thinking in advanced age,often culminating in the dementia clinical syndrome. In other words,the symptoms of LATE are similar to those of Alzheimer's disease.
Rosa Rademakers is an American neurogeneticist and professor within the Department of Neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic. Her research centers on the genetic basis of neurodegenerative diseases,such as identifying causal genes and their function,exploring familial risk factors,and the mechanism of the degeneration. Her neurodegenerative diseases of focus include "Alzheimer's disease (AD),frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)." She received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology,a Master of Arts in Biochemistry,and a Ph.D. in Science,all from the University of Antwerp. Originally from the Netherlands,she came to the Mayo Clinic in 2005 for a post-doctoral fellowship,and in 2007 she was given a lab director position.
Gladys Elena Maestre is a neuroscientist from Venezuela who is a professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine. She is known for her work on Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Jennifer J. Manly is an American neuropsychologist. She is a Professor of Neuropsychology in Neurology at the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and the Taub Institute for Research in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease at Columbia University. Manly studies how race,culture,socioeconomic status,and education influence the risk of cognitive decline in aging.
Gerard David Schellenberg is an academic neuropathologist who specializes in the research of Alzheimer's disease. He is the director of Penn Neurodegeneration Genomics Center as well as a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a leading contributor to Alzheimer's disease research.
Cassandra Szoeke is an Australian medical researcher and practicing physician in internal medicine,with a sub-specialisation in neurology.
Ruth M. Benca is an American psychiatrist and researcher in the fields of sleep medicine and neuropsychiatry. She is professor and chair of the department of psychiatry and human behavior at Wake Forest School of Medicine.