November 06, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

The decline of brain science in the US, the WHO calls on nations to prepare for aging populations, and Google partners with Autism Speaks to cure Autism (read more). 

Must reads

  • A November 5, 2014 Time article reported on the decline of brain science in the United States. According to the article, "Brain science is taking a hit, according to a recent series of papers published in a special issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron. “While the disease burden and economic impacts are on the rise, progress in the development of new therapeutics and treatment approaches has appeared to have stalled,” reads an editorial introducing the issue. “Approval for new therapeutics (whether drugs, devices, or other treatment approaches) for nervous system disorders have been declining and most of the treatments we currently have are not disease modifying.”…Still, researchers of a third paper focusing on Alzheimer’s disease argue that even though stopping neurodegeneration progression “seems daunting at the moment,” the brain and Alzheimer’s community should be encouraged by other fields that have successfully stopped disease onset with prevention efforts—like lowering cholesterol for cardiovascular disease."
  • A November 5, 2014 Voice of America article reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) called on nations to prepare for aging populations. According to the article, "The World Health Organization (WHO) says governments must prepare now to deal with an increasingly aging world.  Otherwise, it warns the growing burden of chronic disease will seriously affect the quality of life of older people and create economic and other hardships for national health systems…Authors of the WHO reports say dementia and Alzheimer's are the biggest cause of dependency in richer countries.  Although people are living longer, evidence shows they are not necessarily healthier than before."
USA2 highlights 
  • A November 3, 2014 Tikkun book review by ClergyAgainstAlzheimer's co-founder Rabbi Richard F. Address highlighted "Where Two Worlds Touch: A Spiritual Journey Through Alzheimer’s Disease." According to the article, "Reverend Dr. Jade C. Angelica introduces us to her approach to caregiving for people with Alzheimer’s by reminding us that it is about “the power and potential of true encounter.” That “true encounter”, inspired in many ways by Buber, Heschel, and a host of others, is a motif that is unpacked in her readable and informative narrative about her personal journey with her mother." Reverend Dr. Jade C. Angelica is a founding member of ClergyAgainstAlzheimer's. 
Research, science, and technology 
  • A November 6, 2014 CNBC article reported that "Autism Speaks, Google and geneticist Dr. Stephen Scherer have devised an ambitious plan to upload the complete genomes of 10,000 autistic patients and their families to a cloud database that will be searchable, sortable and shareable with researchers around the world."  According to the article, "If successful, the $50 million project could not only help doctors understand and treat autism but change the way illnesses are tackled in the 21st century…Scientists have long believed that studying genes is the key to understanding disorders like autism, Down's Syndrome and Alzheimer's. By seeing which gene mutations are shared by people with a certain condition, researchers can isolate the causes of the disease and design drugs to treat it."
  • A November 5, 2014 The Telegraph article (UK) reported that "Scientists have discovered how to get drugs into the brain to help prevent the build up of the sticky plaques which are thought to cause Alzheimer's disease."