August 30, 2019

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

An August 23, 2019 Smith Life Communities post spotlighted ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s member Rabbi James Michaels, who contributed a chapter to UsA2’s “Dementia-friendly Worship: A Multifaith Handbook for Chaplains, Clergy and Faith Communities.” A pastoral caregiver, Michaels shares his insights on prayer with the aging community. “When I began my tenure, all our services used standard prayer books. I saw that people with dementia and disabilities needed books which could not be purchased. As a result, we began to create our own prayer books to meet their needs. People in our skilled nursing residences have different needs from residents in independent living so we created different prayer books and led services to respond to these needs,” said Michaels.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

An August 29, 2019 Alz Forum article looked at the link between Alzheimer’s disease and the TREM2 microglial receptor, which supports the health of microglia and their responses to amyloid. A new study found that people with increased TREM2 in cerebrospinal fluid declined more slowly on memory tests. Also covered by Science Daily.

An August 26, 2019 Being Patient article looked at a new study focusing on the long term, cumulative impact of small subconcussive hits to the head, which can result in brain damage and heightened dementia risk. Traumatic brain injuries can impact thinking, memory, sensations and emotions. Researchers found that two brain proteins, GFAP and UCH-L1, which appear in the blood after an injury, increased in patients with nonconcussive head trauma. “A unique feature of this study is that it includes patients who hit their heads but have no symptoms. This group is rarely — if ever — included in biomarker studies,” said lead study author Dr. Linda Papa of Orlando Health.

ICYMI

According to an August 13, 2019 Alzheimer’s Foundation of America press release, the AFA awarded $100,000 to NYU Winthrop Hospital for its work on new Alzheimer’s disease treatments. Researchers will isolate and examine exosomes to understand differences between healthy individuals and those with AD. “NYU Winthrop’s non-invasive exosome approach may prove to be one of the best methods for evaluating the human system in order to advance Alzheimer’s research. Examining these particles from brain neurons is like conducting detective work, since they provide clues as to what is actually occurring in the brain itself,” said Dr. Allison Reiss.

NOTE FROM USA2

Alzheimer's Daily will take a short break in observance of Labor Day on Monday, September 2, 2019.