Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute

Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP)

Promise for the advancement in the early detection and prevention of AD is possible through the collaborative efforts of the WAI; the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology, the Department of Neurology, and the Wisconsin Comprehensive Memory Program; and the Madison VA Medical Center, Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). With support from the Northwestern Mutual and Helen Bader Foundations in Milwaukee, the WAI developed the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP).

The WAI is currently recruiting 850 adult children of persons diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 350 people whose parents did not have Alzheimer’s disease into WRAP. For information on joining WRAP, click here.

Participants in WRAP whose parent(s) have AD are being studied because of their increased risk of developing AD and because they are the ones most likely to benefit from advances in our understanding of it.

Participants in WRAP provide health, lifestyle, and genetic information and complete memory and cognitive testing every 4 years. It is hoped that participants will continue to participate in WRAP for 15 years, but are free to withdraw at any time.

If you would like to learn more about WRAP and possible participation, please contact Janet Rowley at the WAI.

Phone: 608-829-3306 or 1-800-417-4169
Email: jsrowley@wisc.edu

As part of WRAP, many participants choose to enroll in memory research studies conducted by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, Wisconsin Comprehensive Memory Program that look at such things as the relationship between cholesterol-lowering medications and AD, and the use of functional magnetic imaging of the brain to detect signs of AD in early stages of the disease process. Click the link above for further information on studies at the Wisconsin Comprehensive Memory Program.

WRAP Findings to Date

ARTICLE: Middle-Aged Children of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease: APOE Genotypes and Cognitive Function in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention
Written by Mark Sager, MD, Bruce Hermann, PhD, and Asenath La Rue, PhD, Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute. Published in the Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology, Vol. 18, No. 4, December 2005. © Sage Publications.

POSTER: An Examination of the Latent Structure of the Neuropsychological Test Battery of the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheiemr's Prevention
Authors: Maritza Dowling, PhD, Bruce Hermann, PhD, Asenath La Rue, PhD, Mark Sager, MD. International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, July 2008.

POSTER: Preliminary Findings from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention
Authors: Mark Sager, MD, Bruce Hermann, PhD, Maritza Dowling, PhD, Janet Rowley, Asenath La Rue, PhD. International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, July 2008.

POSTER: Interactive Effects of Family History of and Childhood Learning Problems on Midlife Memory Performance
Authors: Asenath La Rue, PhD, Bruce Hermann, PhD, Nicole Wright, BA, Maritza Dowling, PhD, Mark Sager, MD. International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, July 2008.

The Urgency of Our Mission

In 2008, it is estimated that there are as many as 5.2 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer's disease, and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050.

Every 71 seconds, an American develops Alzheimer's disease. By mid-century, an American will develop the disease every 33 seconds.

One in six women and one in 10 men who live to be at least age 55 will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their remaining lifetime.

Approximately 10 million of the 78 million U.S. baby boomers who were alive in 2007 can expect to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

African-Americans are more likely than Caucasians to have Alzheimer's disease.

The number of African-Americans entering the age of Alzheimer risk (age 65 or older) is expected to more than double to 6.9 million by 2030.

70 percent of people with Alzheimer's disease live at home, cared for by family and friends.

In 2007, 9.8 million family members, friends and neighbors provided unpaid care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.

The direct costs to Medicare and Medicaid for care of people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and the indirect costs to business for employees who are caring for people with Alzheimer's disease amount to more than $148 billion annually.

Source: Alzheimer's Association (2008). 2008 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures.

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Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP)

WRAP Findings to Date

The Urgency of Our Mission