{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Bryan James, PhD on Alzheimer\u2019s and Epidemiology","description":"At some point in the last year or so, I started listening to the Epidemiology Counts podcast. I was thrilled to learn that the host, Bryan James, is a Chicago local at Rush University \u2014 and he\u2019s a CrossFitter at Goose Island CrossFit. Bryan and I recently collaborated on an article for BarBend about controlling the spread of Covid in gym, as well: COVID In Gyms: What The Research Says About Mitigating Spread. In his day job, Bryan\u2019s research focuses on the epidemiology of Alzheimer\u2019s disease, so I wanted to get his take on some common misconceptions about Alzheimer\u2019s. Most of us have a family member who has been touched by Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia, and my family is no different. Bryan\u2019s work focuses on population-level analysis of some of the things that give us \u201cbuffering capacity\u201d to delay the onset of dementia, as well as some of the hidden costs of Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia that don\u2019t always show up in our statistics. In Bryan\u2019s role as a podcast host, he is also an expert communicator about nuanced epidemiological topics and public health. There\u2019s a lot to talk about with the litany of public health communication catastrophes we\u2019ve seen through the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the descent into epistemic nihilism playing out daily on our social media feeds. Bryan has been wrestling with some of these problems in his own work, so his insight here is invaluable. Learn more from Bryan here: Podcast: Epidemiology Counts | Episode 1: Why should I trust that new health study? Website: Rush Profile Twitter: @bryandjames | @rushalzheimers Selected Publications: Late-Life Social Activity and Cognitive Decline in Old Age | Contribution of Alzheimer disease to mortality in the United States If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:51] The difference between Alzheimer\u2019s disease and dementia \u2014 and the role of cognitive reserve capacity in preventing dementia [13:36] How to determine causality in a multifactorial complex system \u2014 and the changes in \u201cprevalence\u201d and \u201cincidence\u201d of Alzheimer\u2019s over time [24:50] What does epidemiology tell us about developing cognitive reserve capacity? [33:29] Bryan\u2019s paper on the correlation between social activity and Alzheimer\u2019s [41:47] Controlling for reverse causality and potential outside causes in epidemiological research [50:04] The challenges in public health communication and the flaws in the way epidemiology research is presented in the media. [01:03:24] Misinformation, publicly communicating nuanced topics, combatting epistemic nihilism, and restoring trust in institutions that have made public mistakes [01:10:10] The Epidemiology Counts podcast and properly weighting the information from observational studies Links and Resources Mentioned: Grandpa Simpson walking in and out Lewy body dementias TDP-43 Pathology, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia in Old Age Amyloid plaques Neurofibrillary tangle Cognitive reserve in ageing and Alzheimer\u2019s disease Epidemiology, Prevalence and Incidence Image of Alzheimer\u2019s Brain vs Normal Brain Reverse Causality U.S. POINTER Study Person, woman, man, camera, TV \u201cPerson, Woman, Man, Camera, TV\u201d Video MoCA Montreal \u2013 Cognitive Assessment Assessment of memory complaint in age-associated memory impairment: the MAC-Q Controlling for a variable Effect of purpose in life on the relation between Alzheimer disease pathologic changes on cognitive function in advanced age \u201cSARS-CoV-2 and Potential Airborne Transmission\u201d from the CDC \u201cFAQs on Protecting Yourself from Aerosol Transmission\u201d from Jose-Luis Jimenez \u201cStill Alive\u201d Astral Codex Ten Gell-Mann Amnesia Malleus Maleficarum Prior probability ","author_name":"Todd Nief's Show","author_url":"http:\/\/toddnief.com","html":"