WRAP Updates: The Next Wave of WRAP Testing Begins September 2006

In September 2006 we will begin the second wave of testing which is critical if we are to understand the many factors that influence the risk of developing AD. The second evaluation will be identical to the first with the following modifications:

First, there will be a few additional memory tests and blood tests added to the evaluation. The added blood tests include C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and α1 anti-chymotrypsin which are measures of inflammation thought to be important in the development of AD. For those who live near Madison or stay overnight in Madison prior to the assessment, we would like to have the blood drawn after you have had either nothing to eat or eaten only toast and tea prior to the testing.

Second, we will be asking you to allow us to take a waist-hip measurement as an indicator of weight and body shape. Our preliminary data (fMRI and cerebral spinal fluid) suggest that obesity (and possibly diet) can have a detrimental effect on the brain. There is accumulating evidence from other studies that mid-life obesity is an important predictor of developing AD in late life. Waist-hip measurements, when combined with height and weight, are the most accurate assessment of body weight and shape and possibly the risk of developing AD.

Third, the assessments of physical, cognitive and social activities are now more detailed because of the increasing evidence that these activities may be involved in the development of AD. This information will also be used in the development of a new program, “Take Charge,” for persons in this study who may develop changes in memory, but who may not yet have AD.

WRAP Updates: "Take Charge" Program

As WRAP progresses we know that there will be persons enrolled in this project who will eventually develop changes in cognitive ability, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and/or AD. For those of you who show changes in cognitive abilities on this second or subsequent waves of testing, we will contact you and conduct either an over-the-telephone evaluation or ask that you come to the University of Wisconsin Memory Assessment Clinic to see me for evaluation. For those of you who are found to have mild cognitive impairment (often a precursor to AD), disease, you will be offered an opportunity to enter a program called “Take Charge.”

Too often, persons who develop cognitive impairment or AD feel like victims and that nothing can be done. We believe that the science and the results of this project so far suggest that non-pharmacologic interventions may be useful in altering the course of pre-clinical AD and possibly prevent or delay the onset of AD. The ability to slow cognitive decline in persons who are asymptomatic has not been well studied because there has never been a study like WRAP. Dr. Asenath La Rue, Senior Scientist at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, is in the process of developing “Take Charge” that will incorporate the latest findings from this study and other studies from around the world and then made available to WRAP participants.

Questions? Phone 608-829-3306 or 1-800-417-4169 or email jsrowley@wisc.edu