Penn FTD Center at International Neuropsychology (INS) Conference

To represent Philadelphia following the Superbowl win, the Penn FTD Center took to the International Neuropsychology (INS) Conference in New Orleans from February 12-15. The Penn FTD Center was represented by Dr. Emma Rhodes with Institute on Aging Summer Training in Aging Research (STAR) mentee Alexandra Ackerman, Dr. Rory Boyle, and Dr. Sheina Emrani. The topics spanned across multiple key research areas, including how structural and social determinants of health, or the conditions under which people are born, grow, live, work and age, affect FTD risk and progression, diagnostic clarity of FTD and conditions that look similar to FTD but have different underlying causes, and the effect of damaged glial cells, or cells that help neurons work the way they should, on thinking and memory impairments in people with FTD. 

Dr. Rory Boyle presented on how living in socioeconomic disadvantaged neighborhoods, compared to living in socioeconomically advantaged areas, can result in worse thinking and memory abilities in people with FTD.

Alexandra Ackerman presented on her work with Dr.  Rhodes to show how behavioral symptoms, including mood and personality changes, can help clinicians differentiate people who have behavioral variant FTD from those who have a non-progressive form of behavioral changes unrelated to FTD.

Finally, Dr. Emrani presented her work on cognitive outcomes in relation to brain inflammation, showing that brain inflammation in people with FTD can add to thinking and memory difficulties, even when considering the effects of the harmful protein (tau) often linked to the diagnosis of FTD. 

None of this work could have been done without the wonderful participants and family members at the Penn FTD Center. Our team looks forward to attending and presenting at more conferences to further research and scientific findings of FTD. 

~ Sheina Emrani, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow