Does a healthy lifestyle impact

brain aging? What are the early

markers for Alzheimer’s disease?

These are among the perplexing

questions being explored by Jeffrey

Burns, MD, principal investigator

of several brain aging research proj-

ects at the University of Kansas

Medical Center.

Burns is collaborating with

other researchers in the KU School

of Medicine’s Department of

Neurology, the Landon Center on

Aging, the Hoglund Brain Imaging

Center and the Energy Balance Lab

on the KU campus in Lawrence to

look at these questions.

For example, his Brain Aging

Project is enrolling people 65 years of

age and older who have little or no

memory problems, as well as those in

the early stages of Alzheimer’s dis-

ease. The project, which began in

November, looks at how physical fit-

ness and metabolism levels, weight

and body fat may impact brain aging.

It will also look at the structure and

volume of the brain itself and how it

changes with age.

“We believe this is the only large-

scale effort in the state of Kansas and

the greater Kansas City area to inves-

tigate human brain aging, Alzheimer’s

disease and the factors that contribute

to the rate of aging,” said Burns. “Our

hope is to determine the early markers

for the disease and, eventually, discov-

er ways to delay dementia onset and

promote healthier aging.”

Study participants attend four

sessions that include a complete

neurological and physical examina-

tion, memory testing, an MRI brain

scan, various laboratory tests, and

metabolic and fitness testing.

Pat Laubinger, MPA, RN, is the

clinical research nurse and study

coordinator. Phyllis Switzer, a psy-

chometrician, conducts the memory

testing. Others working on the proj-

ect include Bill Brooks, PhD,

director, Hoglund Brain Imaging

Center; Joseph Donnelly, PhD,

Energy Balance Lab; and Matthew

Mayo, PhD, Preventive Medicine

and Public Health.

Burns and his team are reviewing

recent evidence linking diabetes and

insulin metabolism with Alzheimer’s

disease. Their study coincides with

the launch of the Alzheimer’s

Association’s educational campaign

that encourages people to make

healthy lifestyle choices to help

reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

or other dementia.

Burns came to KUMC in July

from Washington University in

St. Louis where he was a postdoc-

toral fellow in the Alzheimer’s

Disease Research Center. His long-

term goal is to seek funding from

the National Institutes of Health to

create an Alzheimer’s Disease

Center at KUMC.

For more information about

this project or to enroll in the study,

contact the Brain Aging Project

office at 8-0685.

Page 2 What’s News

Page 3 Front & Center

Page 4 Classifieds, etc.

The University of Kansas Medical Center

02 DECEMBER 2004 • VOLUME 6 • NUMBER 49

Inside

Jeffrey Burns, MD, recently launched a new Brain Imaging Project to studyhuman brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers Untangle Brain Aging Mysteries

2

Registrar/Assistant DeanThe KUMC Division of Student

Services will welcome Chris Meiers

as the new registrar and assistant

dean Dec. 6.

Meiers earned his bachelor’s and

master’s degrees from Fort Hays

State University. He has served as

senior admissions counselor at Fort

Hays State University and associate

registrar in the KUMC Division of

Student Services. Most recently,

Meiers was associate registrar at the

University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Stress ManagementThe University of Kansas

Hospital’s Employee Assistance

Program (EAP) will offer free stress

management training during the

holiday season.

The Centers for Disease Control

estimates that 80 percent of employ-

ees experience stress in their lives

and want to do something about it.

The hospital’s EAP partners at

New Directions will present two

workshops to help employees iden-

tify the origins of stress, recognize

the impact of stress on daily life

and develop a plan for effectively

managing it.

The workshops will be held in

Lied Auditorium, at 10:30 a.m.,

Wednesday, Dec. 8, and at 3:30 p.m.,

Tuesday, Dec.14.

Holiday PartiesHospital and university employ-

ees will celebrate the season with

holiday parties during December.

The theme for this year’s hospi-

tal parties is “Celebrate the Sharing,”

and attendees are encouraged to

bring nonperishable food items or

monetary donations for Harvesters.

Employees will receive invita-

tions, which should be used for

admittance. Here is the party schedule:

• Hospital: Wednesday, Dec. 22,

2:30-4:30 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m.,

cafeteria.

• Support Services: Wednesday,

Dec. 22, 2-3:30 p.m., cafeteria.

• Broadmoor Building: Tuesday,

Dec. 21, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.,

second-floor conference room.

• Dialysis Building: Wednesday,

Dec. 22, noon-1:30 p.m., break

room.

• KU MedWest: Thursday, Dec. 16,

3:30-6:30 p.m., community room.

The university holiday party is set

for Friday, Dec. 17, from 2-5 p.m., in

the School of Nursing Atrium. The

theme for this year’s event is “The

Hagen Polar Express,” in honor of

retiring KUMC executive vice chan-

cellor Donald Hagen, MD. Food,

drinks and entertainment will be pro-

vided, and the university community

will have the opportunity to say good-

bye to Hagen and his wife, Karen.

Employees are also encouraged

to bring new children’s books for a

community book drive. Books will

be donated to the library of Frank

Rushton Elementary School,

Kansas City, Kan.

Hospital Retirement Hospital employees may con-

tribute new amounts to the Voluntary

457(b) Retirement Plan, effective

January 1, 2005.

The maximum amount employ-

ees can contribute each year has

increased from $13,000 to $14,000.

Employees who are 50 and over or

who will reach age 50 by the end of

2005 may contribute an extra

$4,000 to their plans during the cal-

endar year.

To enroll or make changes to

their Voluntary 457(b) Retirement

Plans, employees should stop by

Hospital Human Resources, 5040

Delp, or the AIG Valic office, Room

1017, main hospital. For more infor-

mation, contact Kim Self at 8-4521

or the AIG Valic office at 8-0113.

Family FundraiserThe KUMC chapter of the

Student National Medical Associa-

tion (SNMA) is helping the family

of a Rosedale Middle School stu-

dent during the holidays. The

student’s nine-person family lives in

a local shelter.

The SNMA is collecting labels

from Best Choice brand products at

two campus locations and trading

them for cash. Donors may bring

labels or money and pledged dona-

tions to Stoland Lounge noon-

1 p.m. Wednesdays or to the cafe-

teria noon-1 p.m. Fridays through

Dec.10. In return for collected

labels, Apple Market will donate

cash to the fundraiser.

For details, contact Josephine

Agbowo at jagbowo@kumc.edu.

Decking the HallKUMC Auxiliary members began hanging garlands, bows and ornaments

Nov. 29 in celebration of the holidays. Ginny Pugh placed tinsel and orna-

ments on the top section of the hospital lobby tree.

Winter WeatherThe KUMC campus received about

8 inches of snow Nov. 24, leaving

parking lots, trees, sidewalks and

buildings covered with a white layer

(above). The wet snow proved too

much weight for several limbs and

small trees across the region, including

the tree outside the Olathe entrance.

3

All in the FamilyBelow, Forrest Hoglund, chairman of KU First: Invest in

Excellence, carried an oversized check across the field Nov.

6 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. The check represented

the $24.9 million com-

mitted by KU and

hospital staff, faculty

and retirees during

the Family Campaign,

the employee part of

KU First. A total of

3,205 faculty, staff

and retirees from the

university’s four cam-

puses, including

KUMC, made pledges

or donations to the

campaign.

Captured MomentsFreelance journalist and photographer Lorna Tychostup

shared her experiences in Iraq during a Nov.19 slideshow

and discussion in the School of Nursing. Tychostup showed

photographs of Iraqi buildings, families, children and every-

day sights. The Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity

and Students Educating and Advocating for Diversity

(S.E.A.D.) co-sponsored the event. Pictured in front of the

photojournalist’s moving portraits were, from left, Sheila

Hegde and Aaron

Haug, co-presi-

dents of S.E.A.D.,

Tychostup, and

Patricia Thomas,

MD, associate

dean, Cultural

Enhancement

and Diversity.

Thursday, Dec. 2• 2005 American Heart Association

Heart Walk fundraiser: jewelry,scarves, purses and more, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., outside cafeteria. Cash andchecks only. 20 percent of proceedsgo toward the 2005 Heart Walk team.Also Dec. 3.

• “Dynamics of Endothelial CellBehavior in the Murine Allantois,”Erica Perryn, graduate student,Department of Anatomy and CellBiology, 4-5 p.m., Orr-Major 1025.

• History of Medicine Lecture:“Physicians in Combat,” KendallMcNabney, MD, 4:45 p.m. recep-tion, 5:30 p.m. lecture, ClendeningAuditorium.

Friday, Dec. 3• KUMC Bookstore Holiday Sidewalk

Sale, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Stoland Lounge.For more information, visithttp://www.kumedbooks.com.

• Biochemistry Formal Seminar:“Caspase-2-Mediated Engagementof the Mitochondrial ApoptoticPathway,” John D. Robertson, PhD,

11 a.m.-noon, Orr-Major 1023.

• Brown Bag Research Seminar:“Long-Term Care in Indian Country,”Linda Redford, RN, PhD, noon-1 p.m., School of Nursing B011.

• Visiting Professor Presentation: “OnHuman Aging, Balance and Falls,”James A. Ashton-Miller, PhD, noon-1 p.m., Wahl West. Lunch providedfor first 30 people.

Monday, Dec. 6• Student Wellness Informational

Table, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., StolandLounge. Also Dec. 7.

Tuesday, Dec. 7• Surgery Grand Rounds: “TPN or I.V.

Food Poisoning?” Paul Schloerb, MD,7-8 a.m., Clendening Auditorium.

• The Society for Neuroscience GrassTraveling Scientist Lecture: “The Pathfrom Nerve Growth Factor to AxonAssembly,” William Snider, MD, 11 a.m.-noon, Wahl West Auditorium.

Wednesday, Dec. 8• Internal Medicine Grand Rounds:

“Hepatoma Management,” James F.

Trotter, MD, 8-9 a.m., Sudler 3015.

• Central Plains Geriatric EducationCenter Fall Series: “NeurologicalDisorders in Older Adults,” AprilMcVey, MD, and Jeffrey Burns, MD,12:30-2:30 p.m., Landon Center. Toregister, contact Eva Baughman at 8-1464 or ebaughman@kumc.edu.

Coming Up

Classifieds, etc.Automotive

2001 Honda Odyssey SE, meticulouslyclean, 1 owner, power doors/locks/win-dows, keyless entry, alarm, TV/DVD/VCR,CD player, recent maintenance check/oilchange/alignment, 76K miles, $16,000.816-537-7997.

1993 Lexus SC300, pearl white, 5-speedmanual, leather, 6-CD changer, new tires,excellent condition, $6,500. 816-985-9887.

1991 Saab 900 convertible, clean, black,tan leather interior, looks good, runs well,black top with push-button operation,automatic, sheepskin seatcovers, $3,400OBO. 816-756-2802.

For Sale

Kenmore portable dishwasher, less than 3years old, $50. 913-299-9068.

Wurlitzer spinet piano, vintage 1950s,recently tuned, great sound, $500. 816-531-0992.

Cherry wood-finished dining room tablewith 3 removable glass inserts, 6 chairswith ivory-colored jacquard fabric, $250OBO. 816-674-7659.

KU men’s basketball tickets, vs. Universityof Louisiana-Lafayette, 2 reserved seats inupper northeast corner, 7 p.m., Dec. 11,face value $40/ticket. 913-390-5691.

2 twin-size box spring/mattress sets withmetal frame, used only 2 years in a smallchild’s room, very good condition, $150for both beds. 913-558-5279.

White desk with keyboard tray, 2 shelves,3 drawers (1 for hanging files), $100;white dresser, 6 drawers, great condition,purchased 1999, $100 or $175 for set.913-236-4763.

1-carat diamond gold house ring, size 7,papers included, $150; 11/2-carat diamondgold engagement ring, $350; authenticGucci signature hobo with silk signaturedust bag, black, excellent condition, origi-nal price $799, asking $225. 816-419-8263.

Completely remodeled house, 2 BR,upgraded plumbing/electric, 3 blocks fromKUMC, nice yard, zero down, priced forquick sale, $595/month. 913-940-0356.

House, cute, well cared for, Roeland Park, 2BR, beautiful hardwood floors, updateddécor, neutral colors, 10 min. from KUMC/Plaza/Westport, available for move-in mid-dle of December, $129, 950. 913-636-1446.

For Rent

2 BR, 1 BA, LR, new kitchen, FR, garage,5300 Sherwood, Roeland Park, $750/month.913-980-4690.

Irene M. Cumming Donald Hagen, MDPresident and CEO Executive Vice ChancellorThe University of University of KansasKansas Hospital Medical Center

Laura Coffey, EditorCarolen Collins, Internal Communications Manager

Kirk Buster, Graphic DesignJan Lewis, Editorial Manager

Val Renault, Senior WriterMary King, Communications Services Director

In The Center is a weekly employee publication published by The University of Kansas Hospital’sCommunications Services Department. Send story ideasto Laura Coffey, Bldg. 48, Room 1074, e-mail lcoffey@kumc.edu or call 8-0446.

Ad Policy - Send or bring your ad, 30 words or less, to Bldg. 48, Room 1070, fax to 8-0241, or e-mailinthecenter by noon Thursday of the week before it isto run. Ads run free of charge for employees, studentsand volunteers. All ads must include the advertiser’sname and work extension (or student box number) forverification. Only home phone numbers–no pagernumbers or work extensions–will be published. Pleaseinclude area code. No ads for commercial services orpets for sale will be accepted. Ads will not be taken bytelephone. Ads may be held a week if space is limited.

3901 RAINBOW BOULEVARD • KANSAS CITY, KS 66160 • (913) 588-5000 • WWW.KUMC.EDU