July 6, 2018

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

MUST READS

According to a July 5, 2018 Forbes article, the BAN2401 drug to treat mild Alzheimer’s disease, which lowers levels of beta amyloid in the brain, is showing signs of success. According to the article, “Drugmakers Biogen and Eisai said the top dose of an experimental Alzheimer's drug slowed deadly brain-destroying disease over the course of 18 months in patients in the milder, early stages of the disease, reversing an earlier result from the same study that showed the drug had no benefit at 12 months. Full data were not released, but will be unveiled at a future medical meeting.” Also covered by Reuters and Investors

A July 4, 2018 EurekAlert! release reported that scientists in Montreal utilized structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans on people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease to track brain degeneration in AD. They observed a pathway whereby cholinergic neuron degeneration spreads from one region of the brain to another. According to Taylor Schmitz of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University, "This study shows PET and sMRI scans could potentially be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease before cognitive symptoms appear, giving doctors a better window of time to work on prevention. Drugs that promote the delivery of acetylcholine to these cortical regions could be one way to prevent degeneration."

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A July 3, 2018 Being Patient article looked at the link between eyesight and cognition. A University of Miami study of people over 65 found that worsening vision is a better indicator of worsening cognition than the reverse. According to the article, “Poor vision can affect cognition in one of two ways, according to most scientists. First of all, it can lead to poorer wellbeing and inability to care for oneself, resulting in a lack of stimulation—known as the sensory loss consequence theory. The second is that vision and cognition degrade at the same pace based on a common factor like inflammation. Because this study found that vision was more likely to determine cognition, the authors theorized that the first is true.”

CAREGIVING CORNER

A July 6, 2018 NPR “Your Health” Morning Edition radio segment focused on the needs of caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Vicki Bartholomew in Nashville started a support group for wives who are caregivers to their husbands with AD. The Alzheimer's Foundation of America is conducting a national tour to advocate for better support for caregivers. According to Charles J. Fuschillo Jr., "We have to do everything we can to educate a caregiver, to provide them with the best practices on caring for somebody… We want to do everything we can to avoid caregiver burnout.”