May 29, 2015

Alzheimer's Daily

MUST READS

A May 29, 2015 Cleveland.com opinion piece by Greg Brozeit called on Washington lawmakers to prioritize medical research funding. According to Brozeit, “Additionally, increasing the NIH budget would provide hope to families facing Alzheimer's disease, which affects 5.1 million Americans and is projected to reach 13.8 million by 2050. It would provide hope to the estimated 29.1 million Americans who have diabetes, 21 million of whom are undiagnosed. It would provide hope to the estimated 30 million Americans who suffer from approximately 7,000 different rare diseases…No one questions support for increased military costs in times of war. Neither should anyone question fighting diseases with all the resources we can muster. It's long past time for Congress and the administration to act decisively. Every American should remind them to do so — constantly. NIH is one of the crown jewels of American government; it is being tarnished. Not prioritizing its work as one of our most important national interests is a subtle but real form of discrimination that touches every American. If this continues, the fault, as Shakespeare observed, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Greg Brozeit is an independent consultant based in Fairlawn, Ohio, who works with cancer advocacy organizations and medical institutions.

A May 28, 2015 Huffington Post piece by author Joan Sutton highlighted the impact of misleading Alzheimer’s headlines and the false hope that they convey. According to Sutton, “The headline on the article reads: "New Alzheimer's treatment fully restores memory function." What great news! So great, that headline, or variations of it, have been circulating through the internet, forwarded from friend to friend for several years now. They refer to tests being conducted in many different labs around the world. As my husband died of Alzheimer's, everyone I know is quick to send them on to me…My quarrel with the misleading headlines has two aspects. First, they give false hope. And most important, they may discourage fundraising. Read a headline like the one quoted above, and why would you write a check for Alzheimer research? Yet the need for research money is greater now than ever, There is no shortage of ideas, or scientists willing to stake years of their lives trying to find a cure. There is a shortage of funds to finance their projects. The idea that there might be a cure that did not get to millions of patients, including someone you love, because we failed to fund the project? That should be society's nightmare. It is mine.”

Must Watch: A May 28, 2015 NBC News broadcast segment highlighted a Colorado program that uses art to help dementia patients cope with symptoms.


DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES  

A June Buffalo Spree article by radio show host and Alzheimer's caregiver Sandra White highlighted the impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia on caregivers. According to White, “With a comedic, classroom teacher-like voice and manner, she encourages participants to take a deep breath and exhale. “We have to change our behavior so their behavior can change,” she explained. She pointed out that breathing regularly is very important, and that it is a response, not a reaction to the disease. She shared information in a study, which revealed that those who take care of people with dementia have higher cortisol (dangerous stress hormone). In a stunning and sobering announcement, she said caregivers of loved ones with dementia are at high risk of developing dementia themselves. Snow said caregivers setting time aside to breathe five times a day will reduce their dangerous cortisol levels back to normal. Her advice: breathe. Feeling alone, stressed and helpless as a caregiver can be so tough; I know from my own experience as a full time caregiver. Five years ago I did not know that behind my dad’s big smile and booming laughter were early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. My mother, a retired registered nurse, took an Erie County six-week course, Powerful Tools for Caregivers, which I highly recommend. My lifeline was faith and the Alzheimer’s Association, which gave me support as a 24/7 caregiver. Today I am an advocate for Alzheimer’s awareness. In honor of my father, caregivers, ALZ and the medical community, I launched a radio show to help bring the experts to the airwaves every Monday at 12:30 p.m. on WUFO 1080am.” Sandy White is a former local and national television news reporter and anchor. She is the host of radio talk show, “Help Somebody,” airing at 12:30 p.m. everyMonday on WUFO1080am or wufoam.com


RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY

A May 28, 2015 The Verge article reported that MIT researchers successfully restored memories in mice with the use of blue light. According to the article, “Mice with amnesia could recall specific training after having their memories jogged by blue lights — the first time researchers have been able to suppress a memory and then restore it in an animal. And while that technical feat is impressive, what's more important is what the study in Science suggests: in some cases, memories that are lost due to brain trauma may still be present in the human brain…This use of blue light to activate certain cells is called "optogenetics." It’s the same technique that was used a few years, by the same group of researchers, to implant false memories in mice. But using it to recover a memory that had already been formed is completely new…If the finding holds up in future studies, it's bound to have a large impact on memory research going forward. But this work isn't going to help people who suffer from retrograde amnesia or Alzheimer's disease any time soon. "It's very difficult to be doing this in humans, partly for the ethical reasons — the work is invasive — but also because we tag the memories in the brain before they're learned," Ryan says. This means that if the researchers wanted to help someone recover a memory, they would have to be present when the memory was formed.”

A May 28, 2015 Medical Xpress article reported on new research linking poor diet and diabetes to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s’ disease. According to the article, “The scientist at the faculty of chemistry (FCQ) reproduces human consumption in biological models with different genetic conditions. He feeds the animals with a high calorie diet, then analyzes the resulting metabolic disorder, triglycerides, insulin resistance, obesity and overweight development triggered in type II diabetes. By measuring the effects on the brain, the analysis determined the existence of inflammation and neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, important areas for the proper functioning of short and long term memory. "With a diet based on high carbohydrates neurodegenerative conditions arise associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases," says Trevino Mora.”