CCNA’s Talking Brains Webinar Series

UPCOMING WEBINARS

December 3, 2024, 12 PM – 1 PM EST

Navigating risk-taking in the presence of anosognosia: Decision-making capacity challenges in Alzheimer’s disease with Dr. Thomas Tannou

Objectives

    1. Understand the ethical challenges of supporting risk-taking in neurodegenerative diseases with anosognosia.
    2. Assess decision-making capacity in older adults with cognitive impairment and anosognosia in high-risk situations.
    3. Analyze the influence of anosognosia on decision-making under risk and ambiguity.
    4. Develop strategies to ethically support risk-taking in patients with neurocognitive disorders and anosognosia.

Abstract

Decision-making capacity is a critical issue in the care of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, particularly when anosognosia—the inability to recognize one’s own cognitive deficits—is present. This presentation explores the ethical and clinical challenges posed by risk-taking behaviors in older adults with neurocognitive disorders, focusing on how anosognosia complicates the evaluation of decision-making abilities. Through a review of recent research and clinical cases, we will examine the impact of anosognosia on the perception of risk, the ability to assess potential consequences, and the dynamics of shared decision-making between patients, caregivers, and clinicians. Special attention will be given to understanding how risk-taking decisions evolve in situations of ambiguity and uncertainty. We will discuss neuropsychological tools, such as the Iowa Gambling Task and the Balloon Analog Risk Task, to illustrate how impaired risk awareness affects decision-making in this population. Strategies for supporting ethical risk-taking in everyday situations, particularly when the goal is to allow patients to age in place, will also be presented. The role of caregivers and the potential for utilizing smart home technologies to monitor and manage risk will round out this discussion, offering clinicians practical tools for navigating these complex cases.

Please note that registration is required. Click here to register for this webinar.

December 10, 2024, 12 PM – 1 PM EST

Food on the brain: Nutrition in Indigenous communities 

Abstract

Join us for a webinar on nutrition and brain health in Indigenous communities. This presentation discusses the importance of incorporating language, culture, and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge into nutrition, the impact of environmental contaminants on food systems, and the necessity for strength-based and community-based research in this area. First Nations community members will also share teachings on diet and wholistic health.

Please note that registration is required. Click here to register for this webinar.

January 14, 2025, 12 PM – 1 PM EST

Brain rhythms, proteinopathy, and neurochemistry along the Alzheimer’s disease continuum with Dr. Alex Wiesman

Abstract

Separate lines of research have shown that Alzheimer’s disease alters both the signaling and chemical systems of the brain. However, it has remained unclear how the brain’s chemical systems shape the signaling alterations and build-up of harmful proteins associated with the disease. We use multiple types of brain imaging to examine this question and find that three of these neurochemical systems (acetylcholine, serotonin, and dopamine) shape the signaling alterations and protein build-up that characterize the Alzheimer’s disease continuum. Importantly, we find that the involvement of different chemical systems dictates which cognitive and behavioral symptoms are associated with these changes, indicating a key role for neurochemistry in understanding the clinical relevance of brain alterations in Alzheimer’s disease.

Please note that registration is required. Click here to register for this webinar.

PAST WEBINARS

October 8, 2024

Modest dietary carbohydrate restriction to sustain healthy cognitive aging

Download a PDF version of Stephen Cunnane’s slides for this presentation

April 23, 2024

Sex and Gender research in CCNA: A sampling of current projects and future directions

April 9, 2024

Why sensory-cognitive research in aging and dementia requires a multi-disciplinary approach

March 12, 2024

Diversity in dementia research: Ethics and imperatives 

February 20, 2024

Feasibility of delivering physical and cognitive interventions with older adults remotely in their own homes in New Brunswick – SYNERGIC@HOME 

February 13, 2024

Is frailty a modifiable risk for dementia? 

January 30, 2024

The journey to self-determination in Indigenous dementia research in Canada 

January 23, 2024

 “Yes, It’s Possible!”: Engaging People with Lived Experience in National Meetings 

Infographic

January 16, 2024

Issues in dementia care for rural populations

December 12, 2023

Immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare service use and experiences among persons living with dementia and their caregivers: a mixed methods study in four provinces

November 28, 2023

Profiling brain changes associated with apathy across neurodegenerative disorders 

November 14, 2023

Advancing the field of driving and dementia

October 31, 2023

SYNERGIC Trial: The first Canadian multidomain intervention trial to improve cognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment

October 3, 2023

Results of ENGAGE trial and next steps

September 19, 2023

New features and data querying workshop

September 5, 2023

Food for thought: The role of dietary intake and nutrition risk in cognitive health among older adults

June 27, 2023

Creative Connections: The CCNA Training Program in Phase II 

June 13, 2023

The impact of Canada’s Pivotal Work in Dementia Diagnosis and Care in Primary Care Settings – Will governments and specialist clinicians engage?

May 30, 2023

Amyloid clearance by amyloidolytic activity

April 25, 2023

Selective immunotherapies for Alzheimer’s disease and synucleinopathies

March 23, 2023

An honest conversation on building meaningful engagement with diverse communities in dementia research

January 18, 2023

Understanding stigma against dementia during COVID-19: Lived Experience and Social Media Research

November 30, 2022

Cohesion, At-homeness, and Playfulness (CAP): A place-based model to prevent cognitive decline in the community

August 15, 2022

Staging Alzheimer’s disease in vivo

May 26, 2022

Indigenous engagement and data governance in practice

Open access learning resources:
Good Data (2019)
The State of Open Data (2019)
Indigenous Data Sovereignty (2016)

March 29, 2022

Communicating about medications and other therapies in a way that is meaningful to people with lived experience of dementia

January 19, 2022

Arts-based knowledge translation: Piece of mind

July 21, 2021

Biomarkers in research and care: Applications and implications

April 8, 2021

Situating the “new dementia” – context and diversity in dementia prevention

Click here to view the presentation slides

February 2, 2021

Researcher-entrepreneurs panel

September 8, 2020

Increasing participant diversity in health research: Literature review and lessons learned from the ENGAGE trial

August 7, 2020

Improbable encounter

July 9, 2020

From 0 to 100 in Remote Dementia Research: A Practical Guide

Download the presentation here

Download the consent form here

 

Go back to top