Archive
07 November 2022
The GECONEU is the acronym of the project “Genetic counseling in European universities: The case of neurodegenerative diseases” which aim to develop an online Course for University students focusing on Genetic Counseling. The main goals and central impact of this project is to support people and society to better understand the aims of genetic testing and the usefulness of genetic counseling by involving students in an innovative learning and teaching setting. This project will provide the opportunity to take all the factors of an appropriate training course to society into account by involving the families of people with Neurodegenerative disorders in the development of the learning and teaching outcomes consequently improving their visibility and enhancing their level of knowledge. read more
Contact I Dr. Birgit Teichmann, Dipl. Biologin, Gerontologin M. Sc. I Tel. +49 6221 54 8124 I E-Mail: teichmann@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
28 June 2022
Prof. Cornelia Wrzus started as president-elect of the Society for Ambulatory Assessment (SAA)
Prof. Cornelia Wrzus started as president-elect of the Society for Ambulatory Assessment (SAA), which continues as president after two years. SAA is an international society that connects researchers studying behavior, emotion, cognition, and physiology in daily life. The methods focus on experience sampling, ambulatory assessment of physiological parameters, mobile sensing, and assessment of ambient environmental characteristics. Photo: Schwerdt
Kontakt I Prof. Dr. Cornelia Wrzus I E-Mail: cornelia.wrzus@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de
04 March 2022
Identifying Alzheimer's risks - as early as 17 years before diagnosis
PRESS RELEASE DKFZ Nr.12/2022
In order to develop approaches for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's dementia in clinical trials, it would be helpful to be able to identify people with a particularly high risk of developing the disease. But which biomarkers can indicate an increased likelihood of disease early on in symptom-free people who actually develop Alzheimer's later? This was investigated by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University and Ruhr University Bochum, as well as the Saarland Cancer Registry. The team now identified the protein GFAP, whose blood concentration is already elevated up to 17 years before the clinical diagnosis of dementia, as a potentially promising early biomarker... 
article
Contact I Dr. Hannah Stocker I E-Mail: stocker@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
19 November 2021
Feelings about Ageing amidst Increased Quality of Life and Societal Perceptions
NEWSROOM HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITY
Empirical studies have proven that the quality of life of older people has improved over the last several decades. Yet this has no effect on their subjective experience of ageing. Older people do not view their own ageing experience any more positively than their same-aged peers about twenty years ago. This conclusion is reached in a study led by ageing researchers and psychologists of Heidelberg University and Humboldt University of Berlin using data on views of ageing in Germany and the USA. The reasons may include...
DOI: 10.1037/pag0000649
Contact I Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Wahl I Tel. +49 6221 54 8127 I E-Mail: wahl@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
22 February 2021
This study examined the applicability of the health action process approach (HAPA) to walking duration in older adults and the added value of extending the HAPA by intrinsic motivation. Self-reports from older adults (N = 309; Mage = 78.7, 70–95 years) regarding activity-related intrinsic motivation and HAPA variables were collected at the baseline of a fall prevention intervention study. Walking duration...
Contact I Sarah Labudek I Tel. +49 6221 54 8140 I E-Mail: labudek@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
28 January 2021
Carl Zeiss Foundation funds interdisciplinary practice study at Heidelberg University with the sum of approximately 4.5 million euros
PRESS RELEASE No 7/2021
Can interconnected digital assistance systems enhance the quality of life of people in older age? Scientists in an interdisciplinary research project at Heidelberg University are exploring this question in a representative practice study. The participating researchers want to investigate how well these technical aids can be used and what benefit they achieve. The Carl Zeiss Foundation has made approximately 4.5 million euros available for the SMART-AGE project in the context of its “Breakthroughs” programme. The project is scheduled to run for five years.
Contact I Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Wahl I Tel. +49 6221 54 8127 I E-Mail: wahl@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
15 January 2021
The ApoE Locus and COVID-19: Are We Going Where We Have Been?
THE JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY
Four decades ago in 1985, alleles of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε2/ε3/ε4 became famous for explaining 16% of genetic variance in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the benchmark study of Sing and Davignon (1): total blood cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B were elevated by ApoE ε4 (ApoE4) allele and lowered by ApoE ε2 (ApoE2). The adverse associations of ApoE4 with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (1) were extended to shortened longevity in 1987 (2) and then to risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) in 1993 (3). The next year,...
Contact I Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Wahl I Tel. +49 6221 54 8127 I E-Mail: wahl@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
24 July 2020
Intelligent Alliances. Robot Assistants for Better Quality of Life in Old Age
RUPERTO CAROLA 16/2020
One of the great challenges of ageing societies is ensuring that older adults can enjoy a good quality of life as long as possible. For many older people, autonomous motor behaviour is a major aspect of such quality of life. However, compensatory aids that are able to help with impaired motor behaviour – sit-to-stand and walking in particular – are mostly “analogue” devices, many of them quite inflexible and unable to meet the highly heterogeneous needs of older users.
https://heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/index.php/rupertocarola/article/view/24190/17905
Contact I Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Wahl I Tel. +49 6221 54 8127 I E-Mail: wahl@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
16 June 2020
THE RICHARD KALISH INNOVATIVE PUBLICATION ARTICLE AWARD 2020
The NAR Director Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Wahl has been selected as the recipient of the 2020 Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Article Award for his recent publication “A conceptual framework for studying COntext Dynamics in Aging (CODA)”. The Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award recognizes insightful and innovative publications on aging and life course development in the behavioral and social sciences. The award ceremony will take place at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) in November 2020 in Philadelphia (USA).
Contact I Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Wahl I Tel. +49 6221 54 8127 I E-Mail: wahl@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
04 May 2020
Aging in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Avoiding Ageism and Fostering Intergenerational Solidarity
THE JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY I PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES
The editorial of the upcoming issue of „The Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences“ is devoted to the ageism problem in times of COVID-19 pandemic.
Contact I Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Wahl I Tel. +49 6221 54 8127 I E-Mail: wahl@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
27 February 2020
ZEITSCHRIFT FÜR GERONTOLOGIE+GERIATRIE
For more than 16 years, the Robert Bosch Foundation’s funding has been aimed at providing most suitable approaches for dealing with dementia as well as supporting those affected and their relatives in living with dementia. In 2012, the Robert Bosch Foundation launched the program “People with Dementia in Acute Care Hospital” which aims to make the hospital stay of patients with dementia as a secondary diagnosis as relaxing as possible. The Graduate Program “People with Dementia in Acute Care Hospital” was established at the Network Aging Research of the Heidelberg University in 2016.
The research program is managed jointly by Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Andreas Kruse, Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Konrad Beyreuther, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Bauer and Dr. Birgit Teichmann. The goal of this program is to examine innovative approaches to patient care delivery for people with dementia in acute care hospitals. New findings obtained in interdisciplinary studies shall be used subsequently to enhance quality of life for people with dementia during and after their hospital stay.
The "Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie" special edition, which is funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation, provides an ideal platform for making both research findings and related translational research projects available to the public, including scientists and practitioners.
Issuing Editor I Birgit Teichmann, Jürgen M. Bauer, Konrad Beyreuther and Andreas Kruse
Contact I Dr. Birgit Teichmann I Tel. +49 6221 54 8124 I E-Mail: teichmann@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
05.02.2020
The Research Training Group "People with Dementia in the Acute Hospital" funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation under the scientific direction of Andreas Kruse, Konrad Beyreuther, Jürgen M. Bauer and Birgit Teichmann has set itself the goal of researching innovative approaches to dealing with dementia in the acute hospital. Congress languages are English and German. All talks and panel discussions will be translated simultaneously. For international participants: Please get into touch with us if you are in need of interpreting services.
Photo: Adobe Stock
Contact I Dr. Birgit Teichmann I Tel. +49 6221 54 8124
05.02.2020
Special issue "People with Dementia in the Acute Hospital"
MAGAZINE FOR GERONTOLOGY + GERIATRIC: For the past 16 years, the Robert Bosch Stiftung has been focusing its funding on one, to find the best possible way to deal with the disease dementia and those affected and support relatives in their "life with dementia". To hospitalizations for Patients with the secondary diagnosis to make dementia gentler, the Robert Bosch Foundation sponsored in 2012 the program "People with dementia in acute hospital" at the Network Aging Research of the University of Heidelberg. The scientific direction lies with Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Andreas Kruse, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Konrad Beyreuther, PD Dr. Jürgen Bauer and Dr. med. Birgit Teichmann. The goal of the Research Training Group is the research of innovative approaches for dealing with dementia in the acute hospital. Due to the interdisciplinary cooperation in the Kolleg, new scientific and Findings to promote the quality of life of people with dementia during and be developed after the stay in the acute hospital. The supplement of the magazine for gerontology and geriatrics, funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation thus represents the optimal platform to gain scientific knowledge and its to make translational projects accessible to the public, both from practitioners as well as scientists. Issuing Editor I Birgit Teichmann, Jürgen M. Bauer, Konrad Beyreuther and Andreas Kruse. Contact I Dr. Birgit Teichmann I Tel. +49 6221 54 8124 I E-Mail: teichmann@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
20.06.2019
Cäcilia-Schwarz-Award for innovation in old aid
The German Association for Public and Private Welfare has awarded the Cäcilia Schwarz Promotion Award in the category of “Innovation in the Welfare of Older People” to Dr Carl-Philipp Jansen, research associate at the Network Aging Research. Dr Jansen has received this award in recognition of his dissertation, which tackles both the determination and modification of physical activity and movement behaviour of older people in the inpatient nursing care setting. “I am very proud that our work has also been highly appreciated with regard to real-life practice. This way, it will be far more than just a research project,” said the NAR sports scientist in his acceptance speech. The award ceremony took place on June 19, 2019 in Berlin.
Photo credits: Holger Groß
Contact I Dr. Birgit Teichmann I Tel. +49 6221 54 8124
01.01.2018
NAR Lecture with Prof. Colin L. Masters on 29th October: Progress on the Road to Preventing Alzheimer´s Disease through Targeting the Amyloid Aß Pathway
On 29th October 2018, Prof. Colin L. Masters will hold a talk on Alzheimer’s disease at the NAR. He is currently the Co-Head of the Neurodegeneration Division of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (Melbourne, Australia) and one of the world’s leading experts in the field of neurodegenerative disorders. Over the past 30 years, his research has been primarily focused on the pathology of Alzheimer’s, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, and Kuru diseases. In collaboration with Prof. Konrad Beyreuther Prof. Colin L. Masters has analysed the role of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. Contact I Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Konrad Beyreuther Netzwerk AlternsfoRschung I Tel. +49 6221 54 6845
25.04.2018
Cardiovascular Drugs and Therap I 04.2018: Purpose To provide the first systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies on the association of abnormal serumpotassium and cardiovascular outcomes. Methods Medline and ISI Web of Knowledge were systematically searched from inception until November 24, 2017. Data synthesis of relevant studies was performed using random effects model meta-analyses. Contact I Liesa Katharina Hoppe (Apothekerin) Doktorandin am Netzwerk AlternsfoRschung I Tel. +49 6221 54 8143
08.03.2017
Potentially Inappropriate Medication Linked to Increased Mortality in Older Adults
JAMDA 01 March 2017: Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) are drugs that pose unnecessarily high risk for older persons, as they are associated with an increased mortality of their users. This is the conclusion of a systematic review conducted by the junior research group led by Prof. Dr. Ben Schöttker. According to Clarissa Muhlack, the first author of the review and research associate at the NAR, the mortality of the study participants with PIM was 1.6 times higher than the mortality of those who did not take these medications. This association, however, has not yet been detected, as many studies contrarily did not show any influence of PIM on the mortality rate of older people. Yet, on a basis of a thorough analysis, the NAR researchers have succeeded to detect bias in these studies. “Our results underline once more that PIM should be avoided in older adults,” Clarissa Muhlack said. Written by I Clarissa Muhlack Junior Researcher at Network Aging Research I Tel. +49 6221 54 8143
original publication
23 February 2017
JAD 20 February 2017: Thessaloniki, Greece, February 20, 2017 – Greek researchers demonstrated the potential of a self-administered virtual supermarket cognitive training game for remotely detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI), without the need for an examiner, among a sample of older adults. MCI patients suffer from cognitive problems and often encounter difficulties in performing complex activities such as financial planning. They are at a high risk for progressing to dementia however early detection of MCI and suitable interventions can stabilize the patients’ condition and prevent further decline. Contact I Stelios Zygouris Research Psychologist, PhD candidate I Aristotle University of Thessaloniki/ Network Aging Research.
