Bernd Fritzsch

Fritzsch named Collegiate Fellow

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) has named Professor of Biology Bernd Fritzsch as Collegiate Fellow, the college’s highest faculty honor, in recognition of his distinguished research, teaching, and service. Fritzsch will serve a renewable five-year appointment as CLAS Collegiate Fellow.

“Professor Fritzsch is a leading neuroscientist internationally,” CLAS Dean Chaden Djalali said, “and it is my great privilege to name him Collegiate Fellow. His influential research has been key to establishing the University of Iowa’s reputation as a vital center...

Mercedes Bern-Klug

Report offers tips to help plan final arrangements

Family members experience many emotions when a loved one dies. What can be lost during the grieving are decisions about final arrangements.

A new report from the University of Iowa aims to ease the stress for individuals and families wrestling with end-of-life decisions, from choosing a funeral home to paying for services, burial, and related expenses.  To read the article in its entirety, click...

Kumar Narayanan, M.D., Ph.D.

Timing, cognitive issues in Parkinson’s disease

The ability to consciously guide movements over a timeframe of a few seconds is a simple but universal thinking skill in mammals. It also is an ability that is consistently impaired in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and for University of Iowa neurologist Nandakumar Narayanan, MD, PhD, that makes “timing” an ideal tool to study cognitive problems in PD. In a new study, published online in the journal Current Biology, the researchers show for the first time that brain stimulation of specific neurons at a specific frequency can improve timing in mice that are missing dopamine. The...

Jan R. Wessel, Ph.D.

Jan Wessel Awarded Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Psychophysiology

University of Iowa AMBI Faculty member, Jan Wessel, was an the 2016 Early Career Award winner at the recent 56th Annual Meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 21-25, 2016. Wessel, an Assistant Professor who joined the UI faculty in October 2015, holds appointments in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences as well as the Department of Neurology. He presented his talk on September 24, 2016, entitled "Cognitive Control After Surprising Events: A Universal-Fronto-Basal Ganglia Mechanism." The Center on Aging and the Aging Mind and Brain Initiative congratulate Dr. Wessel on this award.
John Hale

Why Iowa should lead on aging issues

The linked article, "Why Iowa Should Lead on Aging Issues," published in the Des Moines Register on Saturday, July 30, is written by John Hale of The Hale Group and Elevate Aging.  The UI Center on Aging asks you to take a moment to read the article that brings attention to the need for action on aging and caregiving issues in the state of Iowa, to give people a flavor for why action is needed, and to encourage people to get engaged.  We are working with Elevate...

Auriel Willette from Iowa State University

Center on Aging Affiliate from Iowa State uncovers links between obesity and the brain

Auriel Willette, a scientist from Iowa State University, became an affiliate with the Center on Aging and the Aging Mind and Brain Initiative in 2015.  Read about his recently discovered links between obesity and the brain.

The Iowa State University assistant professor in food science and human nutrition says one-third of the American population is obese. While the physical impact of obesity on physical health is well-documented, Willette is curious about what obesity does to the brain.

“We focus on all these diseases that could kill you, but people tend to think of those...

How does dementia onset in parents influence unmarried adult children's wealth

AMBI Faculty member, Kanika Arora, Ph.D., authored an article that appearing in the journal, Social Science and Medicine.  The abstract:  There is a growing concern that long-term care (LTC) needs of older adults lead to negative financial consequences for their family members. This paper examines whether the onset of dementia in parents influences wealth change among unmarried adult children regardless of their status as informal caregivers....

Older Iowans Graphic

Statistics on Older Iowans - 2015

Quick facts about aging Iowans (data source U.S. Census Bureau unless otherwise noted):

  • In 2010, 26 of Iowa's 99 counties had a population of 20% or more of age 65 and older.  In 2040, that number is projected to be 83.
  • 51,646 - The number of people age 65 and over in Polk County, making it the largest population of this age group in any county in 2013.
  • Over a quarter of Iowans age 65 and over in 2013 lived in Polk, Linn, Scott, Black Hawk, Dubuque, Pottawattamie, Woodbury, and Johnson Counties.
  • 83,667 - The number of Iowans age 65 and older in
    • ...

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