Monday, April 9, 2007

UT Southwestern Medical Center Alzheimer’s disease forum to focus on brain pathology

By Pegasus News wire

The Friends of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center will hold its Spring Public Forum on April 24 at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The talk, “Neuropathology One Century After First Description of Alzheimer’s Disease,” will be given by Dr. Charles L. White, professor of pathology at UT Southwestern.

The 7 p.m. forum in the Simmons/Hamon Biomedical Research Buildings on UT Southwestern’s North Campus, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., is open to the public at no charge. Complimentary valet parking will be available, but seating is limited and attendance should be confirmed by calling the UT Southwestern development office at 214-648-2344.

Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German neuropathologist and psychiatrist, studied stained brain slices from a woman with severe dementia in 1906, and discovered the distinctive plaques and tangles characteristic of the disease that now bears his name.

Dr. White is director of the Winspear Family Special Center for Research on the Neuropathology of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The Friends of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center was established in 1996 to provide financial support for Alzheimer’s research at the medical center. All of the group’s membership contributions go directly to support Alzheimer’s research at UT Southwestern.

Since its founding, the group has raised more than $750,000 for grants to researchers. This year, for the first time, two grants will be given, with $50,000 each being awarded to Dr. White and Dr. Hanzhang Lu, assistant professor in the Advanced Imaging Research Center and in radiology and psychiatry.

Membership begins at $500 annually and may be sent to Friends of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, P.O. Box 910888, Dallas, TX 75391-0888.

Members receive a newsletter and are invited to attend educational programs where they will learn about breakthroughs from leading scientists at UT Southwestern and other institutions.

Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center

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