Wharton lab
Past Studies
On this page you will find information about our studies that are closed to enrollment and may have publications regarding results. Data analysis is always ongoing, but we pride ourselves on sharing our findings as often and as efficiently as we can!
Previous Studies
On this page you will find information about our studies that are closed to enrollment and may have publications regarding results. Data analysis is always ongoing, but we pride ourselves on sharing our findings as often and as efficiently as we can!
HEART: Health Evaluation in African Americans Using RAS Therapy
An Alzheimer’s prevention-based research clinical trial to see if an FDA-approved blood pressure medication has beneficial effects in African-Americans by affecting the blood flow and the amount of plaque in the brain. Enrollment for this trial has concluded.
ASCEND
ASCEND was a two year observational research study to see if blood flow in your body is related to factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. A total of 82 participants were enrolled. Blood pressure was evaluated in a few different ways, to help give us a clear picture of how well it is controlled and the effects on the body and brain. We analyzed how these measures of blood flow are related to thinking ability, to blood flow in the brain, and to enzymes that cause the brain plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. This study is closed to enrollment and all participants have completed procedures. Data analysis is ongoing, but some results have been published.
Related Publications:
Baseline Results: The Association between Cardiovascular Risk and Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease Pathology (ASCEND) Study
EXERT
​The EXERT study is a national, 18-month long, clinical trial to test whether physical exercise can slow the progression of mild memory loss and/or mild cognitive impairment in older adults between the ages of 65-89. This study is testing whether aerobic training, or stretching/balance/range of motion exercise, can improve memory and thinking skills and other measures of brain health in people with mild memory loss or lapses. Almost 300 participants have been enrolled nationwide. Enrollment is closed at our site, but not all participants have completed the study.
ACT
This study examined the effects of Tango Dance and Health Education in African American female caregivers on inflammatory biomarkers, cognition, mood, and mobility/balance. Participants attended a tango dance class or a health education class twice a week for twelve weeks, and attended several clinic visits to obtain biomarkers and measures of cognition and mobility. This study enrolled 62 participants and all have completed study procedures. Data analysis is ongoing.
Related publications:
Mismatch Between Subjective and Objective Motor Improvements With Adapted Tango Intervention in Older Adults
Rationale and Design of a Clinical Trial of Adapted Tango to Improve Negative Health Impacts in Middle Aged African-American Female Caregivers of Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease (ACT Trial)​
The Spirit Lives On: Art, Music, and the Mind
A three-part project, sponsored by the Emory University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Atlanta Master Chorale, took place between August 2015 and January 2016. “The Spirit Lives On” sought to increase the community’s awareness of issues facing persons living with a dementing illness and their caregivers, with an emphasis on the particular prominence of the illnesses in the African American community.
The photography project was led by Thomas England, an Emory instructor and world-renowned photographer who has created portraits of presidents, famous musicians and numerous world leaders. It focused on dementia as a family disease and highlighted the family caregiving experience.
Spouses and adult children of individuals with dementia received cameras and were invited to four workshops that provided instruction on producing digital images and storytelling through photography. Edna Bacon, an experienced art therapist, potter and Carlos Museum docent, led four sessions with five dementia patients and their caregivers.
The sessions began in the galleries of the Carlos Museum, focusing on two or three objects, and they ended in the museum’s Tate Room where participants reflected and created their own artwork based on the objects they observed. Eight pieces of artwork by eight participants are featured in this part of the exhibit. The culmination of the program was a special concert by the Atlanta Master Chorale and the Morehouse Glee Club held in January 2016 at Emory's Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.
"The Spirit Lives On: Art, Music and the Mind" -- an Alzheimer's Study
Photojournalism-Based Intervention Reduces Caregiver Burden and Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease Family Caregivers
Related publications: