“With the right medications, activities, and other treatments, we can bring meaningful quality to peoples’ lives, while at the same time learning a lot about the human brain and how it works.”
Dr. Jason Brandt has made it his life’s work to bring some order to the apparently order to the mental world of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory-impairing neurological disorders. A clinical and research neuropsychologist, Dr. Brandt wears a number of hats. At The Copper Ridge Institute, he is one of the original members of the senior faculty and chair of the Research Committee. At the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, he is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Division of Medical Psychology and Professor of Neurology.
All of those titles reflect his concentration on finding new and better ways to understand, diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, and to transmit that knowledge to others who care for dementia sufferers.
Dr. Brandt’s work focuses on the memory disorder of Alzheimer’s disease and how it differs from that seen in other forms of dementia, such as Huntington’s disease or cerebrovascular disease. Why, for example, can some Alzheimer’s disease victims recall, in vivid detail, incidents from their youth, but are unable to remember anything about a conversation that just took place? Why do memory cues and prompts appear to be more effective in patients who have subcortical brain disorders than those who have cortical disorders like Alzheimer’s disease? Is there any way of predicting which older adults with mild memory impairments will go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease? Can the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications forestall the onset of some forms of dementia?
“There are different areas and circuits in the brain that are important to different types of memory. The area used to learn and remember new things is different from the areas that store old, overused information and motor skills,” Dr. Brandt explains. “The more we learn about how the brain functions- and where in the brain and how different types of dementia originate- the greater our ability to effectively treat and perhaps someday prevent these diseases.”
“The Copper Ridge Institute is a wonderful place to do research and to help people with dementia,” Dr. Brandt says. “We have made a lot of progress here in determining the best care and treatment for dementia patients. And we are always very mindful of the extreme generosity of the Copper Ridge residents and families who participate in our research. The patients and families who come here are committed to helping find scientific answers to questions about the care and treatment of dementia.”
A lot has changed since Dr. Brandt received his doctorate in psychology from Boston University in 1982. “It used to be that physicians would make a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and say there was nothing more they could offer. Over the years, we have learned there are lots of things we can do to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias – and we have learned many of those things here at the Institute. With the right medications, activities, and other treatments, we can bring meaningful quality to people’s lives, while at the same time learning a lot about the human brain and how it works.”
“I can honestly say that I learn something from every resident with whom I interact – patients are my best teachers. And everyone here at Copper Ridge is dedicated to the care of the resident as well as to the research. This is an environment in which people are clearly interested in learning to do things better, and working in this kind of atmosphere is incredibly rewarding. When I tell my colleagues at other university medical centers about Copper Ridge, the Institute, and what we’ve been able to do here, they are astonished”, he adds.
“It is clear that medical science is making very rapid progress in understanding the basic biology of Alzheimer’s and related diseases. But at the same time, we need to learn more about their clinical characteristics and what we can do to lessen their impact on patients and their families,” he says. “Until there are cures and preventions, that work will be ongoing. But the Copper Ridge Institute has already made – and continues to make – great contributions to that knowledge.”