Rosie Curiel Cid, Psy.D., is an Associate Professor and Chief of Cross-Cultural Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (CNSA) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. For more information on the CNSA’s treatments and services, click here or visit the UHealth Collective.
MEET DENISE DELAINE:
Busy with church and family, Denise Delaine wanted to make sure her memory wasn’t waning.
“Where’s my phone? Where’s my keys? It takes me a little longer than I think I should to remember,” said Denise.
She enrolled in a brain study at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Rosie Curiel Cid, Psy.D., an Associate Professor and Chief of Cross-Cultural Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience says the goal is to eradicate diseases like Alzheimer’s.
“Alzheimer’s disease is a disease of the aging brain, and it is a condition that causes symptoms such as memory loss, difficulty multitasking, losing the course of a conversation, and it is progressive,” Dr. Curiel Cid said.
At the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging, researchers work with study participants like Denise to develop better methods to detect and treat Alzheimer’s Disease and other related dementias.
“We can, just by a simple blood draw, see if a person has elevated Alzheimer’s disease proteins in their blood. We have neuroimaging where we have PET scans that show whether or not the proteins are accumulating in the brain. We’ve developed new ways to detect and screen people and that research is going really well,” said Dr. Curiel Cid.
She adds we all need to take charge of our own brain health.
“Exercise, sleep well, have good social connections, treat your mental health, have good nutrition. This is all critical so that you can age well because the country is aging, and the world is aging,” Dr. Curiel Cid said.
“I play brain games, different kinds of exercises. I’m socially active, interacting with other people, family, friends, neighbors, church members,” said Denise.
She hosted a health fair at her church to raise awareness. Denise knows participation is the path to a cure.
“We invited Dr. Curiel Cid to be the speaker, to talk to us about the connection between brain health and heart health. We can help make the hope a reality,” Denise said.
FOCUSING ON YOU
Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicineis a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit YouTube channels for UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.
Above content provided by UHealth, the University of Miami Health System