June 29, 2015

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

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MUST READS 

A June 28, 2015 The Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Ann Hedreen underscored the importance of clinical trial research in the fight against Alzheimer’s and offered a glimpse into the clinical trial process. According to Hedreen, “The best moment of my first spinal tap came after it ended. I was not supposed to move, so I lay still and watched the lab technician deftly drip my cerebrospinal fluid into 50 tubes, one drop at a time. ‘You have just created 50 samples for Alzheimer’s research,’ he said. Fifty samples. From a couple of tablespoons of fluid. Fifty samples, in exchange for allowing myself to be numbed with one needle and then delicately poked with another while I lay curled on my side. It felt like the most useful thing I’d ever done. Certainly, it was the most useful thing I’d ever done to fight Alzheimer’s disease…This is an exciting time to volunteer, as the pace of progress is accelerating. And though funding for Alzheimer’s research still lags behind dollars spent on cancer and heart disease, the gap is narrowing. Thanks to movies like “Still Alice” and advocates like Glen Campbell and his family, we’re getting bolder and better at talking about it. In her teaching prime, I know what my mother would have said about volunteering for Alzheimer’s research. She would have said the same thing she always did when we tried to get out of doing something hard, new or scary: ‘Oh, don’t be silly.’ As in, ‘Oh, don’t be silly—of course we’ve got to do this.” With you, Mom.’” Ms. Hedreen is a writer, documentary filmmaker and the author of “Her Beautiful Brain” 

A June 29, 2015 The Associated Press article (via The Blaze) highlighted the importance of sex-based Alzheimer’s research. According to the article, “Nearly two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women, and now some scientists are questioning the long-held assumption that it’s just because they tend to live longer than men…One worrisome hint is that research shows a notorious Alzheimer’s-related gene has a bigger impact on women than men. ‘There are enough biological questions pointing to increased risk in women that we need to delve into that and find out why,’ said Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Association. Last month, the association brought 15 leading scientists together to ask what’s known about women’s risk. Later this summer, Carrillo said it plans to begin funding research to address some of the gaps.”


POLITICS AND POLICY 

A June 27, 2015 Duluth News Tribune opinion piece by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called for greater investment in biomedical research for the U.S. to remain a global innovation leader. According to Sen. Klobuchar, “Medical innovation is not uniquely American, but it is something that has always set us apart. Today, however, we find ourselves at a crossroads. While the United States remains the largest global spender on research and development, our investments are flat-lining while other countries like China are rapidly catching up. If we are going to maintain our spot as a leader in innovation, and if we are going to finally unlock cures for cancer and treatments for Alzheimer’s, we need to boost our investments in biomedical research — like the cutting-edge work done at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The national nerve center for that research is the National Institutes of Health, or NIH.”

A June 27, 2015 Tulsa World opinion piece by Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) called for action against Alzheimer’s. According to Rep. Cole, “The rapid growth and widespread impact of Alzheimer’s is truly a national health crisis. More than five million Americans have it today, and based on the current trend, 16 million could have it by the middle of this century. Each year, billions of dollars are spent caring for people living with Alzheimer’s, which is burdensome to family members who often serve as caregivers and draining to the American economy. In fact, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately one in every five Medicare dollars is spent on a person with the disease. If our response and action plan are left unchanged, all signs lead to even greater financial and human costs…It’s the most painful thing in the world to helplessly watch those we love waste away at the hands of a terrible disease. While the funding provisions announced still have to be worked through the legislative process, I am pleased that the House is beginning to make strides toward finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.” 

A June 26, 2015 Michigan Live opinion piece by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) underscored the importance of 21st Century Cures to tackling diseases like Alzheimer’s. According to Rep. Walberg, “That begins with reforming the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval process. Right now it takes an average of 15 years for a new drug to go from the laboratory to the pharmacy. Removing unnecessary red tape will streamline the process and accelerate getting new breakthroughs to market…As the population ages, diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, and more affect a growing number of Americans. It often feels like there is no hope for families that are suffering. The 21st Century Cures Act can begin to change that. By investing in cutting edge health research and our innovation infrastructure, we can find better cures to bring a healthier future in reach for patients. At a time when partisan gridlock dominates the headlines, the 21st Century Cures Act is a unique opportunity to set aside party politics and enact bold solutions to improve the lives of the American people.”


RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

A June 29, 2015 The Economic Times article reported that a new study from Brigham Young University found that “People with a genetic tendency to high blood pressure ( BP) have a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease.” According to the article, “But the connection may have more to do with anti-hypertension medication than high blood pressure itself. ‘It's likely that this protective effect is coming from antihypertensive drugs,’ said co-author John Kauwe, associate professor of biology at Brigham Young University, US. The study analysed genetic data from 17,008 individuals with Alzheimer's and 37,154 people without the disease.” 

A June 29, 2015 The Daily Illini article reported that University of Illinois students “designed a therapeutic stuffed fox to help people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.” According to the article, “In addition to using the prototype to help others, the group submitted it for the 2015 James Dyson Award. The submission, called "TherapAlz," stands for therapy and Alzheimer’s disease. According to its website, the James Dyson Award is a contest that runs in 18 countries, including the U.S., France and Japan, and is open to university students and recent graduates who are studying engineering, industrial design and product design…Before building the TherapAlz, the team interviewed caregivers and participated in group interactions with caretakers at Champaign's Circle of Friends, an adult day center that provides assistance, activities and supervision for adults who suffer from Alzheimer's and memory loss. Kathy Rhoads, owner of Circle of Friends, said the fox may seem simple at first, but it can really be beneficial to a patient's health.” 


CAREGIVING

A June 29, 2015 NPR Morning Edition segment highlighted the power of technology to ease the caregiving burden. According to the article, “Especially in the early stages of Aurora's illness, practical concerns loomed large. Sometimes she would wander in the middle of night. Her husband, Arturo Martinez, 75, took to sleeping on the floor in front of the door, worried Aurora might end up falling in the street and being hit by a car…A handful of tech start-ups are making the same case. In San Francisco, Lively markets a system of networked sensors and a watch that can pick up on activity around the house and let family members or care providers know if there's a worrisome change.”

A June 26, 2015 CNN article reported on the benefits of counseling for Alzheimer’s caregivers. According to the article, “‘Caregiving has been shown by many research studies to be extremely stressful,’ says Mittelman. ‘To have impact on the physical and mental health of the family member. In fact, the latest figures put out by the Alzheimer's Association show health care costs for caregivers (are) approaching $10 billion a year in the United States.’ Enter the NYU Family-Spouse Caregiver Intervention Project. It's based on nearly 20 years of data gathered from a randomly controlled study of caregivers. Mittelman started the study in 1987 with funding from the National Institutes of Health. ‘We compared those who got the NYU intervention to those who got the usual care,’ Mittelman says, ‘and we proved the benefit of providing support for the caregiver, particularly the spouse and partner. They were less depressed and had more healthy behaviors.’ That can greatly reduce the cost of care. Mittelman points out that in Minnesota, one of 11 states that have implemented the program in various areas and the longest running program, a follow-up study showed ‘the state of Minnesota could save $996 million in a 15-year period if every caregiver of a person with dementia received the NYU caregiver intervention.’”