Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News
USA2 SPOTLIGHT
Join our Alzheimer's Talks TODAY from 4-5 pm (EST) with Dr. Laurie Ryan, Chief of the Dementias of Aging Branch and Program Director of Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials at the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Ryan will discuss clinical trial recruitment challenges and strategies.
MUST READS
A June 28, 2017 CBN News article highlighted the hashtag #MyAlzStory. People are using it on social media to bring awareness to Alzheimer’s disease and share stories in honor of Brain Awareness Month (June).
A June 27, 2017 Gizmodo article spotlighted The Dunedin Study, following 1,000 test subjects being studied by researchers since birth, looking for answers about aging. The study has received more than $12.5 million in research dollars, including from the U.S. Declining fertility rates, aging of baby-boomers and increasing life expectancy are putting strain on government systems. According to Lis Nielsen, Head of Individual Behavioral Processes Branch at the National Institutes of Aging, “There is strong epidemiological evidence supporting links between adverse exposures in early life (poverty, poor nutrition, maltreatment) and later life health and mortality. Research is needed to better understand what accounts for these associations.”
A June 27, 2017 PBS Newshour article reported that a human protein, CyP40, can change the shape of, and untangle the neurodegenerative clumps, that characterizes Alzheimer’s disease. In AD, proteins in the brain stick together in toxic, knotted clumps that cause cognitive decline. CyP40 is a human enzyme that helps healthy proteins mold into useful shapes and also unfolds and degrades ones that deform over time.
RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A June 28, 2017 EurekAlert! article focused on the use of the “Ambient Activity” unit, used by people living with dementia in long-term care facilities. It is an interactive tool designed to augment existing programs and activities to alleviate boredom and increase engagement. It utilizes Bluetooth technology to recognize and connect each resident with his or her individualized programming, such as slideshows of family photos, games, movie clips, and favorite music and can be activated anytime day or night by the resident.
EVENTS AND RESOURCES
Check-out "Our True Colors, A family’s Journey With Dementia” blog from a mother and daughter team blogging about their experience with dementia. Mark Roberts, husband and father, was diagnosed in 2014 with young onset dementia. The blog focuses on the positive aspects of life and living with dementia.