Must reads

• A September 15, 2014 Globe and Mail article (Canada) reported on the use of big data to fight Alzheimer's and included an interview with George Vradenburg. According to the article, "The idea is to use supercomputers to search through reams of patient data – everything from MRI scans to the results of cognitive testing to lipid levels – for patterns that might reveal the precise cause of neurodegenerative disorders, which have so far proved stubbornly difficult to predict, halt or even slow down. George Vradenburg, convener of the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease and the founder of the advocacy organization USAgainstAlzheimer’s, said attitudes toward dementia are beginning to change, although the disease still lags well behind cancer, heart disease and HIV-AIDS in terms of research funding.Part of the reason Alzheimer’s has attracted fewer public and private research dollars in the past is that victims of the disease cannot speak for themselves and their caregivers are too exhausted to speak for them, said Mr. Vradenburg, who delivered a keynote speech capping off the meeting."
• A September 15, 2014 Wall Street Journal article reported on the emergence of Alzheimer's prevention programs. According to the article, "While Alzheimer's prevention is being widely studied, prevention programs at large medical centers are rare. Some of the field's leading experts say there isn't sufficient evidence to support making recommendations beyond eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly, advice that everyone should heed. There is no cure or particularly effective treatment for Alzheimer's…Dr. Isaacson doesn't believe physicians should wait for additional randomized controlled trials before working with patients on Alzheimer's prevention. He takes a personalized approach that factors in age, gender, race, family history and lifestyle, in addition to physiological markers such as inflammation, metabolism and genetics."
• A September 15, 2014 Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Marc Agronin called for an ice bucket challenge for dementia. According to Agronin, "Ironically, federal research dollars for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias have generally remained static in the range of $600 million a year, compared to at least $10 billion in annual collective spending on research for heart disease, cancer and HIV…With rapidly aging societies across the planet producing growing waves of dementia patients, caregivers and costs, we need a moral equivalent of war here for a disease that promises to swamp our health-care systems in the coming decades. This should be incentive enough for more investment in dementia research…How many ice water plunges do we need to prevent this sad future?" Marc Agronin is the medical director for mental health and clinical research at Miami Jewish Health Systems and an affiliate associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.