MUST READS

A December 14, 2017 USC News article explored the “Jalisco gene mutation,” affecting people descended from a common ancestor in the Mexican state, which causes early-onset Alzheimer’s. Children of Jalisco patients have a 50 percent chance of carrying the mutation and the risk of passing it on to their kids. According to USC Researcher John Ringman, “I saw my first Jalisco patient in 1999. I wasn’t particularly interested in dementia at the beginning of my career. Then I saw these families getting Alzheimer’s in their 40s. This isn’t a phenomenon of aging, and I thought if we can learn to prevent this, my life’s work will be accomplished.”

A December 14, 2017 Reuters article reported that Harvard researchers developed a way to sequence the genomes of individual neurons (brain cells) to see what changes (gene mutations) are normal, and what happens in specific brain diseases, potentially presenting targets for treatments that stave-off dementia and cognitive decline. They found that genetic mutations increased in number with increasing age in normal neurons, but brain regions associated with age-related degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline were especially affected.

A December 14, 2017 Reuters article looked at the use of “Paro,” a robotic baby harp seal, to help treat people with dementia. Family members reported that Paro encouraged verbal and visual engagement, improving patients’ expressions of pleasure and reducing their agitation in general. According to Dr. Karen Thodberg of Aarhus University in Denmark, “Non-pharmacological interventions, solutions and treatment, such as robotic seals, dog visits, and taking nursing home residents into nature, need much more focus. We need to know more about how we can improve the lives of this growing population group. The research in this field is still young.”

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOY

According to a December 13, 2017 Gizmodo article, researchers are studying whether video games like Super Mario 64 can be used to maintain brain health. A small study published in PLOS One suggests that it can increase the amount of the brain’s gray matter (growth in the hippocampus) and improve short-term memory. According to Greg West of the University of Montreal, “ “We know from a large body of previous research that people with more gray matter in their hippocampus are less at risk of developing certain neuropsychiatric illnesses,” like Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.”