MUST READS

A September 5, 2018 Medical News Today article spotlighted a new study which investigates how tau protein, a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, might contribute to brain cell damage. The study looked at the possibility that in AD, tau disrupts nuclear pores, which allow the cell nucleus to communicate with the rest of the cell. According to the article, “This was evidence of a "functional link" between the presence of tau protein and damage to the nuclear transport mechanism.” Also covered by Science Daily.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A September 5, 2018 Medical News Today article featured the work of scientists at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark who calculated 10-year absolute risk estimates for dementia. The estimates are based on age, sex and the APOE gene. The goal is to identify high risk people early on in order to implement preventive measures. Also covered by Medpage Today, and others.

A September 4, 2018 News Medical Life Sciences article highlighted a new study, "Utilizing Semantic Intrusions to Identify Amyloid Positivity in Mild Cognitive Impairment,” from researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. According to the article, “The investigators predicted those at greatest risk for AD using the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L), a tool developed at the University of Miami. The LASSI-L allowed researchers to uncover specific memory deficits that aligned with imaging findings for abnormal brain amyloid accumulation.” Also covered by Science Daily. 

YOUTH FOCUS

In a September 3, 2018 “Kids Meet” video, watch Crystal meet Miriam, who has Alzheimer’s disease. According to Miriam, while explaining AD, “There’s a Packman going around eating my brain!” “Maybe you could just create a ghost in your brain and then eat Packman and go bye-bye, and then the ghost goes away,” said Crystal.

LIFESTYLE

A September 5, 2018 Being Patient article looked at the unique challenges of dating with dementia. “Dementia is a lonely disease, even when you have a partner,” said Scott Drevs, now aged 52, who received a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis when he was 44. According to the article, “Loneliness itself imposes a significant risk. In a 2013 study of over 2,200 people, feeling lonely led to a 64 percent increase in likelihood of developing dementia. Once diagnosed, social isolation can cause a much faster decline for dementia patients, according to Lon Schneider, M.D., director of the California Alzheimer’s Disease Centers.”

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A September 4, 2018 The Irish Times article focused on a team of researchers taking a broad look at beta-amyloid, both inside the brain and in neurons/synapses (gaps between cells). According to Professor Saak V Ovsepian of the German Research Center for Environmental Health in Munich, “The whole Alzheimer story was developed on what happens outside the brain cells. We are saying that it is important to look really closely at what happens with amyloid beta inside the cells too, at how it is produced and processed.” He stresses though, that the insights currently relate more to the development of the disease.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Listen to “Caregiver Chats: Live Q&A with Gerontologist Lakelyn Hogan” on Friday, September 21 at 1pm (EST). Home Instead Senior Care® Caregiver Advocate Lakelyn Hogan leads the first “Remember for Alzheimer’s” Facebook live event on World Alzheimer's Awareness Day. Learn about new research, emerging trends, caregiver support, professional development and more. Lakelyn will answer caregiving questions live, or email in advance to: [email protected].