February 13, 2015

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

MUST READS 

A February 12, 2015 NPR article urged caregivers and family members to reach out in "creative ways" to dementia patients on holidays like Valentine's Day. According to the article, "Sometimes, when people are diagnosed with dementia, even the most well-meaning of us may lower our expectations of them. Sometimes, that's appropriate. According to the Alzheimer's Association, one in three senior citizens in the United States will die with some form of dementia and, sadly, many of these people suffer in their lives from far more serious cognitive impairments than my mother's. But it's always worth trying to reach out in creative ways, because the results may surprise us.Not every dementia sufferer would respond to a book of science writing. Some, instead, may light up when given other books or presented with music. My Valentine this week goes out to dementia sufferers and their families and caretakers. It's not an easy thing to cope with, for anyone who is afflicted — to any degree — or anyone who loves someone afflicted. These special moments may occur, though, and they matter so much."

A February 12, 2015 Baltimore Sun article profiled Martin and Joyce Glass and their life with Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Glass is one of several men who visit each day to care for a wife with advanced dementia, staff members say. About 5 million people suffer from Alzheimer's, which attacks the brain, eventually leaving sufferers unable to speak or move. Women are the "epicenter" of Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Women make up about two-thirds of Alzheimer's patients — but they also make up more than 60 percent of caregivers. The cadre of men who arrive each day at Sunrise stand out. Love, as lived here, has little to do with the roses, diamonds and fancy dinners associated with Valentine's Day. These men show their love by spoon-feeding soup, wiping away crumbs and speaking quiet words to wives who do not appear to hear." 


RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

A February 12, 2015 New York Times article reported on research into oversized brain cells called Economo neurons and their correlation to "exceptional memory." According to the article, "Ms. Gefen and her colleagues are now starting to publish the results of these post-mortem studies. Last month in The Journal of Neuroscience, the scientists reported that one of the biggest differences involves peculiar, oversize brain cells known as von Economo neurons. SuperAgers have almost five times as many of them as other people. Learning what makes these brains special could help point researchers to treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of mental decline. But it is hard to say how an abundance of von Economo neurons actually helps the brain. “We don’t know what they’re doing yet,” said Dr. Mary Ann Raghanti, an anthropologist at Kent State University who was not involved in the new study. As soon as the Northwestern scientists began enrolling SuperAgers in their study in 2007, the team took high-resolution scans of their brains. The SuperAgers had an unusually thick band of neurons in a structure called the anterior cingulate cortex, the scientists found; it was 6 percent thicker on average than those of people in their 50s."

A February 12, 2015 Associated Press article reported on Johnson & Johnson's efforts to develop better diagnostic tools for diseases like Alzheimer's. According to the article, "That's the goal of three research projects launched by Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical research arm, Janssen Research & Development. The projects, announced Thursday, aim to prevent illnesses — particularly ones related to aging and lifestyle — including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease and Type 1 diabetes. "A hundred years from now, someone's going to look back on us and say, 'Can you believe they waited until you got a disease and then did something?'" Dr. William Hait, head of Janssen research and development, said in an interview with The Associated Press. The scope of the effort is a first for a major drug company. There are a few small-scale projects by groups of scientists or small technology companies collecting genetic data or blood samples from patients to learn more about diseases and develop new therapies, in one case for possible preventive treatments."

A February 12, 2015 GizMag article reported that magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided ultrasound has been shown to reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in mice. According to the article, "The treatment was found to improve brain performance in the animals and has the researchers hopeful that the technique may prove effective in improving cognitive behavior in humans.Scientists at Toronto's Sunnybrook Research Institute were exploring the effects of the therapy on transgenic mice, a variant of mice that have increased plaque on the hippocampus (a part of the brain responsible for memory). These mice show symptoms typical of Alzheimer’s in humans, such as memory loss and learning difficulties, and are therefore used in research relating to the disease."


SPORTS

A February 12, 2015 WBUR interview with Ann McKee, a professor of neurology and pathology at the Boston University School of Medicine (MED), highlighted the evolution sports-related head injuries.