June 23, 2016

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

Must Watch: Check out the webcast of The Hill’s recent event "Pathways to Prevention: A Policy Discussion on Research & Treatments for Alzheimer’s" held in partnership with Eli Lilly and featuring Jill Lesser, president of the WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s Network and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s board member. Watch here

A June 22, 2016 Atlanta Black Star article reported on the growing impact of Alzheimer’s on African Americans and featured UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Stephanie Monroe. According to Monroe, “Because of the stigma that’s attached to mental health we don’t speak about it as that [kind of] issue. The first challenge, frankly, is to make people aware that the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are not normal. A lot of people in the African-American community — and I think so many older people depending on their level of awareness — believe that memory loss is a normal part of aging, therefore when they begin to see those symptoms they don’t seek help.”

Webinar: June 28th, 12:00pm EST - 1PM EST - Alzheimer's and Dementia PPRN: Opportunities for Collaborations in PCORnet | Join WebEx meeting here (Meeting number: 733 558 176 | Meeting password: 1234) Join by phone: 1-855-244-8681 Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada) 1-650-479-3207 Call-in toll number (US/Canada) Access code: 733 558 176


MUST READS

A June 23, 2016 Forbes.com article highlighted Annexon Biosciences’ efforts to “fight Alzheimer’s by stopping the immune system from removing synapses that we need for normal neuronal functioning.” According to the article, “The idea at Annexon is to make antibodies that inhibit a protein called C1q. Biologists know this as one of the initiating actors in the classic complement pathway, an important part of the innate immune system.”

A June 22, 2016 Science Daily article reported that “A new study is helping to explain why the long-term use of common anticholinergic drugs used to treat conditions like allergies and overactive bladder lead to an increased risk of developing dementia later in life.” According to the article, “A new study from Western University is helping to explain why the long-term use of common anticholinergic drugs used to treat conditions like allergies and overactive bladder lead to an increased risk of developing dementia later in life. The findings show that long-term suppression of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine -- a target for anticholinergic drugs -- results in dementia-like changes in the brain.”

A June 22, 2016 EurekAlert article reported that “Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is one of six recipients of a five-year, $10.8 million award from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, to establish the Coordinating Center for Genetics and Genomics of Alzheimer's disease.”