August 29, 2013

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Researchers identify new protein that triggers age-related memory loss, the rising cost of aging, and Sen. Klobuchar's warns against balancing the budget on the backs of Alzheimer's sufferers (read more). 
 

Must reads

  • An August 28, 2013 Associated Press article (via The Washington Post) reported that researchers at Columbia University have "identified a new protein in the brain that triggers age-related memory loss, a finding that may someday lead to new treatments to reverse it." According to the article, "They discovered that a certain gene in a specific part of the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center, quits working properly in older people. It produces less of a key protein.That section of the brain, called the dentate gyrus, has long been suspected of being especially vulnerable to aging. Importantly, it’s a different neural neighborhood than where Alzheimer’s begins to form." Also covered by Agence France Presse, US News & World Report, and others. 
  • An August 28, 2013 Bloomberg article reported on the increasing costs of aging and age related conditions like Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Looking after the aging, especially those with mental and physical incapacities, is almost always emotionally and physically exhausting for families. It can also become a financial nightmare as families struggle to cover the costs of medical care, assisted living facilities and nursing homes -- a burden far greater than most people realize...Worldwide, 35.6 million people have dementia, according to the World Health Organization. Those numbers are expected to double by 2030. Meanwhile, strokes permanently disable 5 million a year. While most people plan for their inevitable mortality with life insurance and a will, many ignore the risk of permanent incapacity, which can be far more devastating to their family’s finances."
  • An August 28, 2013 Post Bulletin (MN) article reported on Sen. Amy Klobuchar's (D-MN) efforts to raise awareness of the negative impacts of sequestration on medical research, including Alzheimer's research. According to Sen. Klobuchar, "We need to take a much longer term approach to (the budget) and have targeted spending cuts instead of balancing the budget on the backs of Alzheimer's patients."