Comprehensive Center for Brain Health Studies How Our Brains Age
Center Aims to Improve Brain Health and Eliminate Diseases Like Alzheimer’s
James Galvin, M.D. is the Founding Director of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Comprehensive Center for Brain Health. For more information about the studies and services the center offers, click here or call (561) 869-6808.
MEET GERALDINE AND ALAN:
Geraldine Reese lost her mother to Alzheimer’s, and her older sister was recently diagnosed.
“And she says, ‘What’s your name?’ That hurt me,” says Geraldine.
Interested in her own brain health, she went to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, led by founding director and world-renowned neurologist James Galvin, M.D.
“Our center is designed to really help us understand how people’s brains age and what we could do to potentially improve their brain health,” Dr. Galvin says.
Here at the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, over 100 participants so far have taken part in a series of cognitive tests, all to better understand the risks of diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Through projects like the Healthy Brain Initiative, participants like Alan Schachter undergo tests that challenge the brain and body.
“You do the alphabet while you’re walking and do it backwards,” says Alan.
“One of the really interesting things and, I think, that really drives a lot of our research is this concept of resilience. So, what makes our brain stronger? Your social activity, your cognitive and mental activity, your physical activity, your diet and the practice of mindfulness,” says Dr. Galvin.
Geraldine keeps her brain active by writing, including this book dedicated to her mom’s journey through Alzheimer’s.
“With the grace of God, we get through it,” Geraldine says.
Video transcript compiled by Janna Ross for ‘Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine,’ a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit UHealth’s YouTube channel.
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, brain health, dementia, Dr. James Galvin, focusing on you, Healthy Brain Initiative, memory, Mild Cognitive Impairment, neurologist
