January 27, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Pat Toomey joins bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, Pro Football Hall of Fame member Rayfield Wright's struggle with dementia, and how a single-celled amoeba might be the key to developing new Alzheimer's treatments (read more). 
 

 

Must reads

  • A January 26, 2014 TribLive.com (PA) article reported on US Senator Pat Toomey's (R-PA) efforts to raise awareness of Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Toomey last week said he will join the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, which works to raise national awareness about the disease and secure money for research. The disease is the most common form of dementia, or loss of brain function, that affects memory, thinking and behavior.His family's experience with Alzheimer's — Toomey's grandmother and two aunts died of the disease — inspired him to take a more active role in the fight for a cure." 
  • A January 26, 2014 New York Times article profiled former pro football player Rayfield Wright's struggle with dementia. According to the article, "Only recently — albeit through the fog of his worsening dementia, which he acknowledged publicly for the first time last week in an interview at his Texas home — has he realized that he is not in this by himself after all. Wright, 68, is among more than 4,500 players who have sued the N.F.L., contending that the league concealed for years what it knew about the dangers of repeated hits to the head. This month, a federal judge rejected a proposed $765 million settlement that would compensate players young and old for those injuries." [Full article attached]
 
Research and science 
  • A January 27, 2014 RT.com article reported that "Scientists have discovered a way to study the causes of Alzheimer disease using a simple single-celled amoeba, which leads to a better understanding of how human proteins mutate." According to the article, "It reveals that the so-called ‘social’ amoeba has become an essential source in the understanding of how human proteins function, whose mutations are associated with the development of dementia. It could lead to the creation of a new generation of treatments for this incurable disease."
  • A January 20, 2014 Washington Post article reported on the growing technology market focused on helping aging baby boomers live in their homes independently for longer. According to the article, "The market is small but could explode as more people enter retirement, analysts said. The devices could provide independence to some elderly people, but they also pose familiar questions about how to best ensure privacy is protected."
  • Leading Foundations Partner On $3m Initiative To Accelerate Research And Discover Treatments For Alzheimer's [Press Release] (1/24/14)