USA2 SPOTLIGHT

AARP and WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s invite you to Voices of Action: Addressing the Economic Disparities of Dementia for Women. Participate in an interactive educational discussion on the economic disparities of Alzheimer’s and related dementias facing women. Wednesday, April 19, 2017 from 9am–2pm (EST) in Washington DC.

An April 9, 2017 Diverse Elders Coalition blog post by Latino Network Leader Jason Resendez highlighted the link between inequality and brain health. According to Resendez, "Brain health must be a priority public health concern as our nation grows more diverse and health threats like Alzheimer’s loom large. I’m encouraged to see this dialogue take place at the Aspen Summit on Inequality & Opportunity and it is essential that it continues in research labs, congressional hearing rooms, doctors’ offices, and community centers across the country."

MUST READS

According to an April 7, 2017 STAT opinion piece by Ronald DePinho, MD (past President and Professor, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Vice-Chair, ACT for NIH), the proposed NIH budget cuts will jeopardize America’s leadership in biomedical research in the 21st century. He writes that all Americans, not just the research community, need to be engaged in this debate. DePinho cites Alzheimer’s disease statistics to highlight the challenges we face in biomedical research.

An April 7, 2017 EurekAlert! segment and article focused on the life and work of Reisa Sperling, MD (Harvard Medical School; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Aging Brain Study at Massachusetts General Hospital), whose father and grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease. Working with the “catch it early” philosophy, Sperling and Paul Aisen (USC) are testing this theory with the new A4 study. “It's the first trial in a population we refer to as preclinical Alzheimer's disease,” said Aisen.

An April 5, 2017 Sacramento Bee segment and article focused on California’s new guidelines aimed at easier and earlier diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease. The new guidelines are a “game changer” in helping address the “ever-increasing need for dementia assessment,” according to Dr. Charles DeCarli, Neurologist and Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Center at UC Davis. Earlier diagnosis can lead to earlier treatments, and allow families to address financial, caregiving and support needs.

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

According to an April 7, 2017 San Diego Union-Tribune article, America’s first direct-to-consumer genetic testing service has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. 23andMe plans to market testing for 10 conditions including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. However, experts in the field warn that the tests don’t provide an actual diagnosis, but rather indicate whether a person’s genes put them at risk.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

According to an April 4, 2017 Harvard Gazette article, Alzheimer’s researchers are beginning to turn toward early detection and prevention, including healthy lifestyle changes, as opposed to treatment post-diagnosis. New findings that amyloid beta accumulates in the brain a decade or more before symptoms occur, coupled with the recent failures in AD clinical trials, are supporting the “catch it early” idea. University of Southern California researchers are working on the A4 trial, the first to test on people who are ‘preclinical.’