The Nun Study began in 1986, with the aim of answering the question of what causes Dementia and Alzheimer’s. But this study has a connection to Milwaukee that you may not have known about! Today on WTMJ Conversations, Sister Charlene Zeisset talks with WTMJ’s Libby Collins about the origins and practice of the Nun Study, the legacy left by those involved, and what we can learn from it. It’s all ahead on this fascinating edition of WTMJ Conversations! Listen in the player above.
A partial transcript is provided below, courtesy of eCourt Reporters.
LIBBY COLLINS: What exactly was the objective of that study?
SISTER CHARLENE ZEISSET: Initially, it was a study of aging, and it kind of kept evolving.
There was another researcher that Dr. Snowden worked with, and he had been trying to do studies where he would enroll people from dementia clinics, so you have s skewed population in that there were no normal brains. And he said it would be great if we could have more people willing to donate their brains. And Dr. Snowden said, I think I know a group that might be willing to do that.
LIBBY COLLINS: What were some of the other evaluations? I mean, how often were the sisters studied? What was the protocol?
SISTER CHARLENE ZEISSET: Dr. Snowden and his other doctors that worked with him in the research felt that the sisters would be more comfortable if our sisters did the assessments. So, they taught two of our sisters how to do all the different tests that they submitted the members to each time that they had an assessment. They did physical assessments, so like activities of daily living, grip strengths seemed to be important to follow, they thought that was important. And then there would be cognitive tests.
