July 1, 1999

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RESEARCH GRANTS AWARDED

SPRINGFIELD, IL — The Illinois Department of Public Health has awarded five grants, totaling nearly $110,000, for Alzheimer’s disease research, Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director, today announced.

Funding for the grants is from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Fund, a special fund to which taxpayers can contribute through their IL-1040 income tax returns. Since 1986, when the fund first appeared on the tax forms, nearly $1.8 million has been donated to support 96 research projects.

“Alzheimer’s disease exacts a devastating toll on many levels — physical, emotional, social and financial — from the persons who suffer from it and from the afflicted person’s family and friends,” Dr. Lumpkin said. “Illinois taxpayers have repeatedly shown their great generosity by helping to fund the critical research that is needed to find the causes and most effective treatments for this disease.”

Victims of this age-related form of dementia suffer a progressive loss of memory, attention span and the ability to learn. The disease affects nearly 4 million Americans, about 200,000 in Illinois. These numbers are expected to increase dramatically during the next 25 years, however, as the country’s population ages.

Grant requests were reviewed by the Department in consultation with the Alzheimer’s Disease Assistance Act Advisory Committee and Peer Review Panel. Members of the advisory committee include professionals who work with people with Alzheimer’s disease, researchers, victims’ family members and representatives of the general public.

The five grant recipients this year are —

• Adrianna B. Ferreira, M.D., Ph.D., Northwestern University, “Beta amyloid deposition and neuritic dystrophy: a mechanistic link,” $20,000
• Larry F. Hughes, Ph.D., Southern Illinois School of Medicine, “The relationship between visual spatial contrast sensitivity and extrapyramidal motor symptoms in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and diffuse Lewy body disease,” $20,000
• Paul Joshua Reber, Ph.D., Northwestern University, “Nondeclarative memory and cognitive skill learning in Alzheimer’s disease,” $30,000
• Julie Ann Schneider, M.D., Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, “A beta 40, A beta 42 and memory impairment in aging and Alzheimer’s disease,” $19,997
• Rebecca Jean Sisk, Ph.D., R.N., Bradley University, “Secondary caregiving: activities, rewards and costs,” $19,951

Illinois’ voluntary income tax funds must raise a minimum of $100,000 by October 1 each year to remain on the IL-1040 forms. As of the end of June, Illinois taxpayer donations to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Fund stood at nearly $117,000, ensuring that the fund will appear on Illinois tax forms for the 14th consecutive year.

Illinois Department of Public Health 535 West Jefferson Street Springfield, Illinois 62761 Phone 217-782-4977 Fax 217-782-3987 TTY 800-547-0466 Questions or Comments