Fall 2025
Women's Health is Brain Health
Mayo Clinic researchers have received a $10 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study how the removal of ovaries before menopause may affect brain health and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in women. The study is called SEED-AD (Sex-specific Effects of Endocrine Disruption on aging and Alzheimer’s Disease) and is led by Dr. Kejal Kantarci and Dr. Walter Rocca at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The team also includes Drs. Neill Graff-Radford, Gregg Day, and John Lucas from the Mayo Clinic Florida ADRC.
Why This Study Matters
For various medical reasons, some women must have both ovaries removed before menopause (called premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy, or PBO). When this happens at a younger age, there tends to be a higher risk of memory problems and brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Scientists believe this may be related to the loss of hormones, which can play an important role in brain health. SEED-AD will use advanced brain imaging and other biological indicators of disease (called biomarkers) to better understand how hormone changes affect the aging brain.
Fall 2025
In This Issue
What the Study Involves
The research team hopes to enroll 200 women from diverse communities to take part in:
- Memory and thinking tests
- Tests of physical function
- Surveys on health and lifestyle habits
- Blow draw and brain scans (MRI and PET imaging) to identify early signs of brain changes
Goal of the Study
By understanding how PBO affects memory and the brain, researchers hope to provide clearer guidance for doctors and women considering this surgery. They also hope the findings lead to better prevention strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
If you would like more information or would like to participate in this study, please contact us by clicking the connect with us button.
World Alzheimer's Leaders Meet in Toronto
The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) is the largest international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science and clinical practice. Each year, AAIC convenes researchers, clinicians and dementia professionals from all career stages to share breaking research discoveries and clinical practice education that will lead to improvements in diagnosis, risk reduction and treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other dementia. From basic science to dementia care, every aspect of the field’s growing knowledge of dementia is incorporated into this world-class conference.
This year’s conference was held in Toronto from July 27 -31, 2025. We are pleased to share with you a few of the exciting updates presented at the meeting.
Blood Based Biomarker Tests For Alzheimer’s Disease Are Everywhere!
A biomarker is something doctors and scientists can measure in the body that gives them information about your health. For example, blood pressure is a biomarker for heart health and blood sugar level is a biomarker for diabetes. In research on brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, biomarkers include things like findings on brain scans and memory tests. Certain proteins are an important class of biomarkers because they reflect what’s happening in the brain, even before symptoms are noticeable. Until recently, protein biomarkers could only be measured by examining fluid from the spine or using specialized brain scans; however, researchers have identified clues in the blood that can accurately measure these brain proteins. This discovery has led to the development of many different blood tests to detect Alzheimer’s disease.
Blood tests for Alzheimer’s can make diagnosis more accessible at a lower cost and with less burden than spinal fluid or imaging tests, but guidelines need to be in place to avoid misuse and less than accurate outcomes.
Members of an expert panel who reviewed 31 biomarker tests shared guidelines at AAIC that they created to maximize benefit and minimize potential harm from these tests. They recommended that, for now, the tests should only be used with people who have memory difficulty confirmed by experts at speciality memory clinics. In this manner there will be consistency in outcomes and patients can receive a proper care plan for moving forward. Work continues to put safeguards in place for wider use of Alzheimer blood tests in primary care settings.
Therapeutic Developments
Monoclonal antibodies remain the only proven disease -modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. Lequembi continues to show appropriate safety in patients receiving the medication.
A new medication, called trontinemab, is currently being studied in clinical trials and is showing that it may work faster and be safer than both Lequembi and the other FDA-approved medication, Kinsula. Trontinemab, like Lequembi and Kinsula, can only be administered intravenously (by IV); however, scientists are exploring other methods of delivery, including an older slow-release medication that can be inserted under the skin without having to go to a treatment clinic for monthly infusions.
Healthy Lifestyle Habits Improve Thinking Ability As We Age
Investigators reported findings from an Alzheimer’s Association study that tested two different lifestyle interventions on thinking ability in older adults who were at higher risk for dementia. Over 2000 people (1455 women; 656 men) between the ages of 60-79 took part in the study. All participants were sedentary (not exercising), not following a healthy diet, and had at least 2 other potential risk factors for dementia (family history, older age, vascular risk, or a member of an at-risk community, including African-American and Hispanic/Latino).
Half of the participants participated in structured meetings to learn, practice, and report their progress in engaging in physical exercise, nutrition, cognitive exercise and social engagement. The other half were given information on these lifestyle habits but left to implement them on their own. Thinking ability was measured every six months for two years. When the study ended, the researchers found that overall thinking ability improved in both groups, although the participants in the structured group showed a greater amount of improvement compared to the self-guided group. In fact, the structured group scored 1-2 years younger than their age, suggesting that healthy lifestyle habits slow brain aging in people at higher risk for dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Association has committed $40 million to follow participants over the next four years and plans to roll out these programs nationwide in the future, through apps and other programs.
Meet a Community Champion
Sherri Randolph
Ms. Sherri Randolph has been an avid supporter of people with Alzheimer’s disease for many years. She is a tireless advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association and among the founding members of the Mayo Clinic ADRC Community Ambassadors. She is always willing to do whatever it takes to support caregivers and to inspire others to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s disease.
What moved you to put your efforts into helping those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias?
I am a former caregiver. My brother and I cared for our mother for 13 years as she journeyed through Alzheimer’s Disease. Our mother was a dedicated health care provider and served for many years as a nursing professional and administrator. During those years I was also working full-time and raising a child. Sadly, she succumbed to this awful disease in 2016. After her passing, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with all the time on my hands. I knew that I wanted to do something that would honor her, so I decided to stay in the fight for a cure. I knew they would never find a cure in her lifetime, but one could only hope.
I joined the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) as a Community Ambassador, because Mayo Clinic ADRC staff were great, helping us understand what was happening to our mom and assisted with giving her the best quality of life possible. I also started volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association. I participated in the Rally in Tally a few times but realized my story was not best shared in politics.
Ultimately, I started a support group in my community at my church for caregivers. I started sharing my story publicly. I realized that by sharing my story with others I was helping them on their journey.
Why is community outreach important to you?
I do outreach because it is important and it is a way for me to give back.
Volunteering at my church as Nursery Director and Co-leader of our healthcare ministry keeps me busy. I also make myself available to our community outreach services when I can. I share resources available to those living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia and their families. There are so many resources available that are unknown, and I want to educate my community as much as possible. I participate in healthcare events around the city sharing resource information with others.
I want to be an advocate for caregivers as well as those living with dementia. I enjoy assisting the Mayo Clinic ADRC outreach team in their community education programs, health fair information tables, and dementia outreach to churches.
What do you think about dementia research?
Clinical research is important to get a better understanding of how different groups are more or less susceptible to dementia and other diseases. For example, I really would like to know and better understand why African American and Hispanics are at higher risk for these diseases than other racial and ethnic groups. Is it genetic, environmental, diet-related, something else? If we don’t participate in these studies, we’ll never know. There have been a lot of advances since my mother had this disease, but we all need to keep doing our part and participating in studies if we’re going to reach a cure during my lifetime.
Meet an ADRC Team Member
Dr. Neill Graff-Radford
Updates on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia: Prevention is key.
Dr. Neill Graff-Radford is a world-renowned expert on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-related dementia. He is a Professor of Neurology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science and has worked in the field of Behavioral Neurology since 1981. He is the founding Principal Investigator of the Mayo Clinic Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC), which he has led since its beginnings in the late 1980s. Recently, Dr. Graff-Radford hosted a "Celebration of Research" luncheon for ADRC study participants, where he shared some exciting new research advances. We are pleased to highlight some of these updates with our Let's Talk Brain Health readers.
Blood Pressure and Brain Health
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for both heart disease and dementia. The SPRINT study (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial), published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), looked at whether lowering blood pressure more aggressively could help protect the brain. The study found that aiming for a lower blood pressure target (below 120 mm Hg) reduced the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment compared to a higher target (below 140 mm Hg). This suggests that keeping blood pressure well-controlled is not only good for the heart but may also help protect memory.
How Fast Are You Aging?
Researchers from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit in New Zealand developed a test called Dunedin PACE, which acts like a “speedometer” for aging. Instead of just showing how old your body is, this test estimates how quickly it is aging. The test looks at chemical changes on DNA from blood cells to measure biological aging. Findings from the Framingham Heart Study suggest that eating a healthy diet may help slow this process, offering protection for the brain over time.
Sleep and Brain Health
Sleep plays a powerful role in memory and brain function. Studies show that getting about 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night is linked to lower amounts of amyloid (a protein associated with Alzheimer’s) in the brain. Both too little and too much sleep may increase risk. Symptoms of sleep apnea should also be treated promptly, since untreated sleep problems can speed up memory decline.
The Air We Breathe
There is new information on how the air we breathe might influence overall brain health. Research suggests that long-term exposure to air pollution may raise the risk of dementia by about 3%. While that number may sound small, it adds up across large populations. Air quality is important not just for the lungs, but for the brain too.
Vaccines and Dementia Prevention
The recombinant shingles vaccine has been associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease A recent study found that individuals who received the shingles vaccine had a 20% lower risk of developing dementia over a seven-year period compared to those who did not receive the vaccine. This protective effect was particularly notable in women, who are more susceptible to both shingles and dementia.
The Importance of a Healthy Lifestyle
The U.S. POINTER study, which is a large clinical trial, confirms what many smaller studies have shown: lifestyle changes make a difference. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and managing vascular risk factors (like blood pressure and cholesterol) were linked to better thinking and memory compared to controls. These findings underline a powerful message: what’s good for the body is also good for the brain.
Dr. Graff-Radford suggests several lifestyle tips to support healthy brain aging:
- Manage cardiovascular risk factors: control blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and weight; avoid smoking
- Stay mentally active: challenge your brain with learning, reading, or puzzles
- Exercise regularly: aim for aerobic and strength activities each week
- Take a daily multivitamin (if recommended by your doctor)
- Treat depression and care for mental health
- Check your vitamin D and supplement if levels are low
- Eat brain-healthy foods: fish, leafy greens, beans, berries, and green tea
- Follow a Mediterranean or MIND diet
- Get quality sleep: aim for 7–8 hours; treat sleep apnea if present
- Maintain good dental hygiene
- Stay up to date on vaccines, including the shingles vaccine
- Treat hearing and vision problems promptly
- Limit alcohol use
- Protect yourself from air pollution when possible
More about Dr. Graff-Radford: Dr. Graff-Radford served as Chair of the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic Florida from 1994 -2004. In 2016 he was named the David Eisenberg Professor at Mayo Clinic. His clinical research in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias has resulted in more than 800 peer review papers. He has served as an Executive Committee Member of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers and served as the Chair of this Committee as well. He has also served on several committees for the American Academy of Neurology. In 2023 he was awarded the Mayo Distinguished Investigator Award.
What's Cooking?
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic Staff
This colorful chicken salad is both delicious and nourishing, combining fresh flavors with ingredients that support brain health. Juicy pineapple adds natural sweetness and vitamin C, while broccoli, spinach, and red onion deliver antioxidants and nutrients to hard-working brain cells. The dressing ties it all together with heart-healthy fat from olive oil while a hint of cinnamon brings warmth and the power to reduce inflammation and keep blood sugar in check. Overall, this dish delivers much of what you need to keep both your body and brain feeling their
best!
Chicken Salad with Pineapple and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
For the salad;
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each about 5 ounces
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained except for 2 tablespoons juice
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onions
For the vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
- Cut each chicken breast into cubes (about 1 inch).
- In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked chicken, pineapple chunks, broccoli, spinach and onions.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Pour dressing over the salad. Toss gently to coat evenly. Serve immediately.
Community Pages
Dementia Friendly Brentwood
Brentwood community volunteers, 2nd Mile Ministry, and the ADRC Outreach team continue to engage in ongoing discussions to create a Dementia Friendly Community program in the Brentwood neighborhood. On July 8, the partners toured one of Brentwood's community gardens to envision how the garden might play a role in making Brentwood more dementia friendly.
The Potter’s House International Ministries
The Mayo Clinic ADRC outreach team has partnered with The Potter’s House to provide community programs on brain health and memory loss. On July 12, community residents participated in an informational meeting to learn about healthy brain lifestyle habits and the basics of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia. Another program is planned to raise community awareness and will offer free memory screenings.
New Town Memory Café
On August 22, Dr. John Lucas from the Mayo Clinic ADRC joined New Town’s Memory Café and Caregiver Support Group to share some of the latest news about Alzheimer’s care and treatment from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, and to discuss strategies people can use to help lower their risk of Alzheimer’s and related brain diseases as they age.
Calendar of Events
NEW TOWN SUCCESS ZONE COMMUNITY IMPACT DAYS
1401 Grunthal Street
Jacksonville, FL 32209
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
October 25, 2025
November 22, 2025
December 2025
SCHELL SWEET COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER FOOD DISTRIBUTION
1697 Kings Road, Jacksonville, FL 32209
9:00 AM - Noon or while food lasts
October 11, 2025
November 8, 2025
December 13, 2025
MEMORY CAFÉ
Socialization and support for those with memory loss and their caregivers
3rd Saturdays of each month at 11:00am (unless otherwise noted)
Wallace Small Community Center
1083 Line Street, Jacksonville, FL 32209
Saturday, October 18, 2025 - Focus on Caregiving, Speaker: Jolita Wainwright
Thanksgiving Celebration: Thursday, November 20
Holiday Gathering: December (date to be determined)
Contact: Marcia Ellison (904) 866-3363 or Willetta Richardson (904) 470-8899 or Tina Logan (904) 651-5075
VISION KEEPERS
4th Thursday of the Month
6:00-8:00PM
Dinner always served
Call (904) 470-8899 for details
Spread the Word About Brain Health
Spread the Word About Brain Health!
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