Agitation and behavior changes can shape Alzheimer’s journey For many, memory loss is the hallmark sign of Alzheimer’s and dementia. But dementia does more than cloud memory. It can alter how people communicate, change their personality and attitude and lead to agitation or erratic behavior. Dementia can cause lack of judgement, a lack of empathy or difficulty in interpreting and communicating feelings. Neither the person nor the behavior is the problem—the issue often lies in an unmet need or emotion that the person is trying to communicate. There are many kinds of dementia. And in turn, each

The inner ear is a biological mechanosensor specialized for detecting sound and balance. In vertebrates including humans, these mechanical stimuli are sensed by the inner ear sensory hair cells equipped with brush-like, actin-based protrusions called stereocilia. Development of functional stereocilia depends on specific motor proteins—namely, myosins—that actively transport their “cargo” along the actin track in stereocilia, including components of the mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) machinery. Our laboratory investigates how these myosin molecules localize themselves and their cargo

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The Smith Alzheimer’s Center at SIU Medicine is offering two new lab internship opportunities for undergraduate college students in 2025. Selected students will explore cutting-edge research associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The nine-week internships run from June 2 through Aug. 1. “We’re excited to launch this new opportunity for young researchers interested in learning more about aging and Alzheimer’s disease,” said Erin Hascup, PhD, executive director of the Smith Alzheimer’s Center. “This provides a direct, hands-on experience for future scientists to advance their journey toward