April 9, 2019

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

MUST READS

An April 8, 2019 The New York Times article focused on scientists’ struggle to reframe their approach to beating Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, “Tests of anti-plaque drugs continue, despite the increasing recognition that many factors may combine to cause dementia — or that, perhaps, the true cause has yet to be found. What to do now?” Most patients with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis have mixed pathologies, leaving researchers in a classic chicken-or-egg conundrum trying to determine cause and effect. “These questions strike at the very definition of Alzheimer’s disease. And if you can’t define the condition, how can you find a treatment?”

DISPARITIES SPOTLIGHT

An April 4, 2019 The Sacramento Bee article reported that UC Davis Health was awarded $8.8 million by the state of California to study Alzheimer’s disease. Some researchers will focus on the role of racial disparities, diabetes, diet and infection, with particular focus on African Americans and Latinos. Many cases of dementia are linked to vascular damage, which can be mitigated through lifestyle and dietary changes, early diagnosis, and monitoring of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Other scientists will look at probiotics, obesity, gut problems, diabetes and bacterial infections and the link to cognition and brain inflammation.

HUMAN INTEREST

An April 7, 2019 Edhat Santa Barbara article focused on neuroscientist and novelist Dr. Lisa Genova’s recent talk at UCSB Arts And Lectures about Alzheimer’s disease. Genova’s grandmother had AD, so she learned to educate others through storytelling. According to the article, “We are wired for empathy despite societal pressures to suppress it. Stories can activate empathy. That moved Genova to write the book “Still Alice.” Which was then made into an Oscar-winning Hollywood movie.”

BRAIN HEALTH

According to an April 8, 2019 Newsweek article, researchers at the University of Louisville looked at the role our aging digestive systems play in the development of memory problems, and the potential of garlic to prevent cognitive decline. They gave mice allyl sulfide, a detoxifying, organic compound found in garlic. “Our findings suggest that dietary administration of garlic containing allyl sulfide could help maintain healthy gut microorganisms and improve cognitive health in the elderly,” said study co-author Dr. Jyotirmaya Behera.

YOUTH FOCUS

An April 8, 2019 The News-Enterprise article spotlighted Members of Western Kentucky University’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, who are riding their bicycles to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. They are preparing for an annual cross-country ride this summer, from California to Virginia. According to the article, “This year’s trip is the seventh for the organization and participants will ride from May 13 to July 20… Along the way, cyclists will set up in various towns, selling merchandise, requesting donations and raising awareness for the cause… the organization has raised $250,000 for the cause since its inception.”