August 20, 2013
Today's Top Alzheimer's News
Copper linked to Alzheimer's disease, the UK to hold a global summit on dementia December 11, 2013, and Alzheimer's and the arts (read more).
Must Reads
- An August 19, 2013 Los Angeles Times article reported that "New research finds that copper in amounts readily found in our drinking water, the foods we eat and the vitamin supplements we take likely plays a key role in initiating and fueling the abnormal protein build-up and brain inflammation that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease." Also covered by AFP, Voice of America, and BBC.
- An August 19, 2013 Alzheimer's Society (UK) post announced that the British government will hold a global summit on dementia in London on December 11, 2013. According to the article, "Health ministers from the G8 countries will be invited to a high level meeting to discuss coordinating efforts to tackle the condition, including an international approach to dementia research."
- An August 19, 2013 USA Today article highlighted the benefits of dance and art as Alzheimer's and dementia therapies. According to the article, "Much of the evidence supporting the therapeutic power of the arts is anecdotal. Designing controlled experiments, after all, presents challenges. Still, those who work in this arena say the arts are a natural way to reach a person who is withdrawing cognitively…Listening to music, dancing, creating or appreciating art can awaken responses. Some studies have shown that after nursing home residents listen to music they become less agitated and aggressive and have fewer hallucinations. Other studies have found that people with another type of dementia develop a compulsion to create artwork, perhaps as a way to channel their emotions and communicate.