April 11, 2019

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

An April 10, 2019 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s release applauded the introduction of the CHANGE Act, which would incentivize and equip providers with cognitive impairment detection tools for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, in particular in communities of color. According to UsA2 Chairman George Vradenburg, “We have always supported the work of developing a pharmacological cure, and will continue to do so, but drug development has proven to be more complicated than we could have ever predicted. We must also focus on additional pathways for detection, assessment, and diagnosis, including leveraging the latest science around delaying and possibly even preventing Alzheimer’s through various risk-modifying behaviors. The critically important CHANGE Act will equip and incentivize providers to do just this.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

An April 11, 2019 Medical Xpress article reported on the creation of the “Purdue model,” the most accurate-to-date depiction of the blood brain barrier showing three cell types: astrocytes, pericytes and brain microvessel endothelial cells, configured like the human brain. The hope is that this will translate into drug treatments for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. According to doctoral student Kelsey Lubin, “We are better able to predict how drugs and other therapies may cross the blood brain barrier earlier in the discovery process and potentially treat disorders of the brain because our model better resembles the actual setup within the body.”

BRAIN HEALTH

An April 10, 2019 Psychology Today article looked in new directions for Alzheimer’s disease treatments in light of the recent aducanumab failure, and questioning the “amyloid hypothesis” on a fundamental level. Manyresearchers are now looking to manage AD with multi-component treatments, similar to heart disease and diabetes, including lifestyle modifications such as exercise, healthy diet, proper sleep, cognitive engagement and stress management, all of which can reduce risk. The FINGER Study showed that such an approach resulted in 30% risk reduction for cognitive decline. The upcoming MIND-AD trial will use the FINGER protocol for participants who have a diagnosis of mild Alzheimer’s disease.

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

An April 10, 2019 Billboard article highlighted the use of music to treat people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. SingFit Prime, a therapeutic music program, caters to patients with cognitive decline in eldercare facilities and adult daycare centers. “To be able to express a song, you’re literally capitalizing on the whole brain. Language centers, timing centers, motor centers, planning centers -- you get this whole brain exercise,” said co-creator Andy Tubman. A 2018 University of Utah Health study scanned brain activity to demonstrate that familiar music lights up the brain, even with advanced Alzheimer’s.  

YOUTH FOCUS

An April 8, 2019 BBC News video and article spoke with Vicky Cunningham about her daughter, Mirryn, who has Batten disease, or ‘childhood dementia,’ a rare nervous system disorder. According to Cunningham, “The support from the public as well is totally heart-warming and the messages that Mirryn gets sent show us that we need to stand up and say, Batten's is real, dementia in children is real - it's very rare but it happens… Now, it's just about us making memories. There's nothing we can do to slow it down - there's nothing we can do to cure it.”