Musings on Memory and Aging

The new diagnostic criteria for bvFTD and why they matter

For years, the medical and scientific community considered frontotemporal dementia (FTD) a rare disease that could not be distinguished from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) until after a patient’s death. As our technology and understanding have improved, so has our ability to diagnose disease. A correct diagnosis helps not only the patient and family put a name to their experience, but also helps physicians direct treatment and determine research opportunities. Doctors use specific, validated criteria to confirm a suspected diagnosis. Read more

Music and the Mind

Once a month, Hellman Visiting Artist Heidi Clare leaves Colorado and comes to San Francisco with her fiddle to lead a workshop on music and the mind at UCSF. These workshops are always great fun and lead to both fascinating discussion and great music. Recently Heidi and opera singer/scientist Indre Viskontas lectured at the Memory and Aging Grand Rounds about music, emotion and brain. They presented some of the neurological and psychological effects of listening to and performing music. Read more

UCSF’s efforts to harness and understand the impact of music therapy on the brain was featured in a recent PBS NewsHour story on “The Healing Power of Music.” Read more