USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A February 2, 2017 EurekAlert! press release reported that UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (UsA2) was awarded the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award, for the development of inclusive research engagement networks to advance the recruitment of underrepresented populations into brain health research, namely Latinos and African Americans. To these ends, UsA2 has has launched a multi-pronged engagement strategy to build a national network of diverse researchers, patients, caregivers and stakeholder groups for collaboration and knowledge sharing around Alzheimer's research. "Alzheimer's is ravaging our communities," said Stephanie Monroe, Executive Director, AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer's (a UsA2 network). "Its rising economic costs, the toll imposed on those afflicted with and caring for those with the disease, and the loss of productivity demand more research geared to better understanding of how to prevent, treat and ultimately cure this disease."

MUST READS

A February 2, 2017 KSAT 12 (ABC) article reported on the importance of patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease taking their medications. AD specialists have noted an alarming trend: patients aren’t getting early diagnosis or taking provided medications, and they may be making a bad situation worse. Gary Small, MD, Geriatric Psychiatrist and Director, UCLA Longevity Center, said patients often don’t continue taking medications in early stages because they don’t see improvement. “It’s going to be easier to protect a healthy brain rather than trying to repair damage once it becomes extensive,” said Dr. Small. Medication alone isn’t enough. It needs to be part of a comprehensive plan that includes eating a healthful diet, exercise, social interaction and activities that stimulate the brain.

A February 1, 2017 Bloomberg Businessweek article reported on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the neurodegenerative disease found in the brains of at least 90 dead, former NFL players. Nobody knows how common CTE is among current and former NFL players, and not everybody who suffers repetitive head trauma gets the disease. A test for the living would begin to address this issue, devise prevention programs, and possibly find drugs to reverse the damage. A company called Quanterix has been making machines used by researchers to hunt for markers of concussions and neurodegenerative disease. In September, NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, published an open letter about commitment to player safety, saying that Quanterix was developing “a blood test to reveal a concussion diagnosis.” It would be, Goodell said, “a major breakthrough.” “We’re trying to develop the best tools, ones that will allow us to diagnose concussions in real time,” said Teena Shetty, a neurologist who consults with the New York Giants.

RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY

A February 2, 2017 Medical Xpress article reported on a research team at the University of Hong Kong who used an innovative neuroimaging tool to interrogate complex brain networks and functions. They successfully manipulated two pioneering technologies: optogenetics and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), for investigation of the dynamics underlying brain activity propagation. The synergistic combination of thsee two technologies has enormous potential to advance our understanding of the brain and lead to the development of new neurotechnologies for early diagnosis and intervention of brain diseases including autism, Alzheimer's disease or dementia. The findings are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.

A January 30, 2017 UPI article reported that seniors who engage in mentally stimulating activities are at less risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. A Mayo Clinic study followed 1,929 cognitively normal participants for an average of four years. Adults over 70 years old who did mentally stimulating activities like computer work, crafts, social activities and games, were at a decreased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. "Our team found that persons who performed these activities at least one or two times per week had less cognitive decline than those who engaged in the same activities only two to three times per month or less," said senior study author, Dr. Yonas Geda, Psychiatrist and Behavioral Neurologist, Mayo Clinic, Arizona.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

The BrightFocus® Foundation has announced its EyesOnALZ, a new citizen science project launched by the Human Computation Institute. Everyone can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease research and speed up drug discovery by playing a simple online game called Stall Catchers. The game is designed to help researchers at Cornell University search the brain for stalled blood vessels that may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.