March 04, 2016

Today's Top News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A March 3, 2016 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s blog post by ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s and WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s founder Lynda Everman urged policymakers “to establish a new semipostal program benefiting Alzheimer’s research.” According to Everman, “On behalf of all Americans suffering with Alzheimer's and other dementias, their 15.5 million unpaid caregivers, and those yet to be diagnosed, please join UsAgainstAlzheimer’s in calling for an Alzheimer’s Disease semipostal to fund the search for a cure. Together we can help stamp out Alzheimer’s!” Sign the petition here.

A March 3, 2016 Psychology Today article by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s patient advocate Greg O’Brien highlighted the wide ranging impact of dementia on his family, including on his beloved dog Sox. According to O’Brien, “It wasn’t until later in this full circle walk with Sox that I learned about dog dementia, formally called “Canine Cognitive Dysfunction/Dementia,” (link is external)or CCD. Sox was a poster child for the disease with progressing symptoms. I had been in denial, as many do in Alzheimer’s: her pacing in circles; incontinence; getting lost in familiar places; not able to retrace her steps back into the house; staring off at times into deep space; not responding to directions she once knew; and sleeplessness at night. I promise, she didn’t drink out of my bowl. Sox, the caregiver, had met me in my place.”


MUST READS

A March 4, 2016 Medical News Today article reported that a new study finds that using a computer might reduce cognitive decline. According to the article, “The results were most marked in regards to those who used computers; the data showed that the participants using a computer on a weekly basis were less likely to develop memory and thinking problems over the course of the trials. Of the computer-use group, 17.9% of participants showed mild cognitive decline; for those who did not use a computer, the figure was 30.9%.”

A March 3, 2016 Huffington Post opinion piece by Timothy Armour underscored the importance of research funding to unlocking the mysteries of Alzheimer’s. According to Armour, “By committing to an increase in funding and to continued collaboration among researchers and institutions, we can achieve even more progress. We can lengthen the leaps we are making toward a cure; provide researchers with the ability to go down new, unexplored paths; retain smart young scientists in the field, and keep experienced scientists there. But mostly, our increased national consensus to cure Alzheimer's will provide hope for millions of children, family and friends who want one thing more than any other - a cure for the terrible disease that afflicts the people they love.” Timothy W. Armour is President and CEO of Cure Alzheimer's Fund.

A March 3, 2016 MD Magazine article reported on the use of deep brain stimulation as a treatment for Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “The procedure showed few negative effects in the ADvance Trial, a 12-month phase 2 study of 42 patients in six hospitals with mild Alzheimer’s disease. The study, which tested safety, efficacy, and tolerability, was led by Francisco Ponce, MD, Director of the Barrow Neurological Institute, part of Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.”


INTERESTING READS FROM AROUND THE WEB

AlzForum: Midlife Pep Does Not Curtail Alzheimer’s Biomarkers

The Washington Post: Apple Watch study aims to enroll 40,000 to uncover mysteries of how we sleep

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Exercise your brain like you do your muscles — for the same results

Science Codex: Alzheimer's disease: Early biomarker defined

Chicago Tribune: Weird science works in the fight against cancer