August 16, 2016

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

Alzheimer's Talks Today: Neuroscientist Dr. Jeffrey Iliff and his team have been at the forefront of research on how the brain clears waste and what it may tell us about how Alzheimer’s develops. This month on Alzheimer’s Talks, he’ll join us to share his groundbreaking research on the possible links between sleep and Alzheimer’s. Join us today from 4 to 5 p.m. ET for a fascinating conversation about this exciting research. Sign up here.


MUST READS

An August 16, 2016 New York Times blog article explained the differences between Alzheimer’s and dementia. According to the article, “Dementia is a general term for a set of symptoms that includes severe memory loss, a significant decline in reasoning and severely impaired communication skills; it most commonly strikes elderly people and used to be referred to as “senility.” Alzheimer’s disease is a specific illness that is the most common cause of dementia.”

An August 15, 2016 Time.com article profiled a new photography grant project that aims to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “In 2011, Martin’s mother, Diane, died after a five-year fight against the disease. “I saw up close what Alzheimer’s does to a person and their family,” she says. And that’s why she decided to launch the Bob and Diane Fund, an organization that will promote and help finance photographic work about Alzheimer’s and dementia.”

An August 15, 2016 Forbes.com article underscored the importance of healthy aging policies and behaviors to address diseases like Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “The road to healthy aging is long, starting as early as conception and birth. In fact, the future of our healthy aging is a trajectory, which goes back into our yesterdays and moves forward with us as we advance…For instance, we know that head concussions — even very minor ones — will accumulate along our life course, enhancing our susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. At the same time, we know that dodging the risk factors for chronic diseases such as diabetes is a crucial factor in healthy aging. Here again, public health campaigns would empower people to make the right choices.”

An August 15, 2016 The Washington Post article highlighted a tech company that is trying biohack memory loss and cognition. According to the article, “From an unassuming office in Venice Beach, his science-fiction-meets-science start-up, Kernel, is building a tiny chip that can be implanted in the brain to help people suffering from neurological damage caused by strokes, Alzheimer’s or concussions. The team of top neuroscientists building the chip — they call it a neuroprosthetic — hope that in the longer term, it will be able to boost intelligence, memory and other cognitive tasks.”