November 05, 2013
Today's Top Alzheimer's News
Researchers find the pre-clinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease causes nearly an identical brain response as multiple sclerosis, one Alzheimer's patient-advocate tells his diagnosis story, and how one artist is using his paint brush in the fight Alzheimer's (read more).
Must Reads
- A November 4, 2013 HealthCare Daily article reported that researchers from the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine have found "The pre-clinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease—before patients experience significant memory loss and functional decline—causes nearly an identical brain response as the disease that leads to multiple sclerosis." According to the article, "The research does not necessarily link multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s the first study to confirm that a massive brain inflammatory response is activated in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s. The findings could potentially change the path of Alzheimer’s research and treatment options, and create the possibility of an early screening test for the debilitating brain condition."
- An October 29, 2013 Everyday Health article by USA2 Activist Michael Ellenbogen told the story of his early onset Alzheimer's diagnosis and highlighted the need to act now against Alzheimer's. According to Ellenbogen, "The laws we have in place today do not take into account the needs of people suffering from dementia; we need to rethink not only how we regard people with this disease, but also how we look after them. We need to have things in place not only to help those suffering live vital and productive lives, but also provide the means necessary for them to die with dignity and at a time of their choosing. We need to take our heads out of the sand; we can no longer turn a blind, this is a very real problem, this is happening now to millions of people across America." Michael Ellenbogen is an Alzheimer’s patient advocate and author of From the Corner Office to Alzheimer’s.
Research and science
- A November 4, 2013 New York Times video and article profiled the progress of America's "war on cancer" launched by President Richard Nixon. According to the article, "It was 2008 and a woman my editor and I knew had just died of cancer. One of the last things she said to my editor was a bitter lament: “What ever happened to the” [expletive] “war on cancer? ”Well, I told my editor, it was clear we hadn’t won that war. But the question was why. Why was progress so slow? Was it that cancer is a difficult disease or was it that other impediments got in the way? I thought it was probably that cancer was hard to fight. But it turned out that was only part of the problem. Much money was being spent, but not always wisely, medical experts said." Behind paywall / full article attached
- A November 4, 2013 WWLTV.com (LA) article reported on the unlikely collaboration of Dr. Nicolas Bazan, an LSU neuroscientist, and artist Taryn Moller Nicoll. According to the article, "The first of a dozen or so works will be a large oil of a study she has done of Rita Hayworth. She died of Alzheimer's, initially misdiagnosed as alcoholism-induced dementia. The progression of what changing and dying neurons look like under a microscope, is interpreted to show what slowly strips a person of memories and personality." According to Dr. Bazan, "It's terrible to see the progression of all of these brain diseases that we have no cure, and we need more research and we need more funding. We need more support and the only way to do that is creating awareness."