September 05, 2013

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Online tools to manage dementia, Rep. Chaka Fattah advocates for neuroscience funding, and the latest from researchers working to stop Alzheimer's (read more). 
 

Must reads

  • A September 5, 2013 New York Times article highlighted online lessons developed to help caregivers and sufferers manage dementia. According to the article, "Dr. Gitlin is an expert on “person-centered” care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and the originator of a massive open online course (M.O.O.C.) on this condition, which will be offered through Coursera for five weeks starting in mid-October. You can sign up now…The course offered by Dr. Gitlin and her collaborator, Nancy Hodgson, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins, is free to anyone who wants to enroll. Dr. Gitlin and Ms. Hodgson expect about 20,000 people worldwide to do so, reflecting the concern internationally over Alzheimer’s."
  • A September 4, 2013 Huffington Post piece by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) focused on the importance of investing in neuroscience and innovation. According to Rep. Fattah, "Funding neuroscience research now will reap tangible benefits for the lives of citizens across America, as well as the potential to increase our country's global competitiveness…The World Health Organization estimates that neurological disorders affect up to one billion people around the world. Here at home, it's estimated that neurological illness affects more than 50 million Americans annually. These numbers remind us that advancing America's understanding of neuroscience and the human brain is truly a grand challenge of the 21st Century."
 
Research and science 
  • A September 4, 2013 NBC Today show segment and article highlighted the work of researchers to develop a treatment for Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Over the past several decades scientists have begun to unravel the complicated process that leads to the death of brain cells and, ultimately, the disease we call Alzheimer’s. That new understanding may lead to therapies that can halt the disease before symptoms appear and brains are irreparably damaged." 
  • A September 4, 2013 WNCN.com (NC) article and video segment reported on the work of Duke University scientists to develop an Alzheimer's treatment. According to the article, "At Duke University Medical Center, 12 labs are actively involved in Alzheimer's research. Doraiswamy said until recently, one of the main challenges facing doctors was detecting the disease that, by nature progresses, very slowly."