September 19, 2017

Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News

MUST READS

A September 18, 2017 Toronto Sun opinion piece by radio host Jerry Agar explores his fear of losing memories, as opposed to dying, because “It is all we are.” He came to grips with this fear after watching “I’ll Be Me,” about Glen Campbell’s descent into Alzheimer’s. According to Agar, “I am not afraid of death. It is inevitable. I am afraid of Alzheimer’s.” 


A September 18, 2017 NJ.com article looked at the EXERT study, working to demonstrate that exercise can halt or reverse cognitive loss in people with memory issues. A sedentary lifestyle is considered a prime contributor to Alzheimer's disease. The study is recruiting adults between 65 to 89, with mild memory loss or mild cognitive impairment, to exercise four times a week over 18 months.


According to a September 18, 2017 Alzforum article, people born after 1928 are 85 percent less likely to develop dementia than those born before that year, although the reasons are unclear. These finding are from a report led by Carol Derby and researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, mirroring numerous studies regarding dementia incidence in the developed world.  


A September 18, 2017 Medical News Today article cited a study looking at a TOMM40 gene variant that may be "orchestrating" the cognitive decline typical of dementia. According to study author Thalida Em Arpawong, "Typically, ApoE4 has been considered the strongest known genetic risk factor for cognitive decline, memory decline, Alzheimer's disease, or dementia-related onset. [But our] study found that a TOMM40 variant was actually more influential than ApoE4 on the decline in immediate memory - the ability to hold onto new information."


REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

A September 19, 2017 Charity Today article spotlighted Heather Cooper Ortner, named President and Chief Executive Officer of Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles (ALZGLA). According to Cooper Ortner, “By providing a multitude of free programs and on-going assistance, ALZGLA is clearly bringing much needed support to those with Alzheimer’s as well as their family and caregivers here in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.


A September 18, 2017 KTAR News article reported on a $5 million Alzheimer’s disease research grant from the private Swiss foundation NOMIS to a collaboration of Arizona institutions, already considered the nation’s leading model in collaborative research. According to collaboration leader Dr. Eric Reiman, “It capitalizes on complementary strengths of all of our institutions to address problems together in a more powerful than any of us could do on our own. This new grant is a perfect example of that collaboration.”