USA2 SPOTLIGHT

An October 23, 2018 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s press statement from Chairman George Vradenburg addressed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's likely Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. According to Vradenburg, “Justice O’Connor is not only a trailblazer, she is one of the sharpest legal minds our country has ever known, dedicating her life to service and justice. I admire that she has chosen to share her story. Conversations about cognitive impairment and brain health – within families, with healthcare professionals, and publicly – are critical to busting stigma and changing the way we care for our brains. Like many people living with Alzheimer’s, Justice O’Connor embodies dignity and courage in the face of great adversity.”

MUST READS

An October 23, 2018 Live Science article looked at how to distinguish between different forms of dementia. According to the article, “Indeed, dementia diagnoses remain a bit shaky. There are "a number of people who get told they have Alzheimer's but they don't actually have it," Edelmayer [Rebecca Edelmayer of the Alzheimer's Association] told Live Science. To make matters more confusing, many people don't have "pure" Alzheimer's disease or a "pure" other form of dementia, but rather, a mixture of different dementias.”

MUST LISTEN

An October 24, 2018 WBUR 90.9 “Here & Now” radio segment interviewed Dr. Paul Newhouse of the Vanderbilt Center for Cognitive Medicine, in the wake of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's announcement that she has dementia. According to Newhouse about lifestyle modifications, “The other approach that a lot of us are very interested in is, can we use lifestyle approaches to modify the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Can we use things like physical exercise, dietary approaches and other kinds of activities that we think will lower the risk of developing this disease.” 

CAREGIVING CORNER

The Secretary of Health & Human Services is seeking nominations to serve on the Family Caregiving Advisory Council, part of the “RAISE Family Caregivers Act,” which requires the development, maintenance and update to an integrated national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. The Advisory Council will bring together relevant federal agencies and individuals from the public and private sectors to advise and make recommendations. Nomination deadline is Monday December 3, 2018.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

An October 22, 2018 Science Daily article reported that a new study, co-funded by the NIH, uncovered a link between indicators of gene activity and Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, “The group investigated changes to the activity of genes which are not caused by variation in the actual genetic code. It is an exciting avenue for research because unlike the DNA sequence, these so-called epigenetic processes can potentially be altered by environmental factors, providing a possible future avenue to influencing their activity.”

SEX MATTERS

An October 24, 2018 Being Patient “Brain Talks” spoke with Dr. Rebecca Nebel of the Society for Women's Health Research about why it's important for researchers to focus on how Alzheimer's disease affects men and women differently, and how these differences impact basic research and clinical trials. 

PROFILES IN COURAGE

An October 23, 2018 Tracey Lind: Interrupted By God blog post reflected on a strong memory from her childhood. Lind, who was keynote speaker for The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration Hope Rising Gala, has dementia. Lind writes, “I walk in and realize that my earrings and scarf (so carefully selected to finish off the evening’s attire) are sitting on the dresser. And nobody noticed…. I laughed, and said, “Well, what can you expect. I have dementia.””