MUST READS

A June 12, 2019 Today article highlighted a series of puzzles designed to show healthy people the confusion and stress that people with dementia live with. According to the article, “The humiliation of not being able to complete a simple task leads to anger, for example. There’s also fear and stress because failing such tests could lead to job loss or a confiscated driver’s license. People might lash out because no matter how hard they try, they feel like a failure. Depression is a common outcome, the project explains.”

A June 12, 2019 Medical News Today article examined the notion of ‘cognitive reserve’ as it applies to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Cognitive reserve, the brain's ability to preserve and maintain cognitive function despite damage, is believed to be boosted by a high level of education and to help ward off dementia. But a new study from Johns Hopkins found no link between cognitive reserve in midlife and a lower risk of developing AD. According to study lead Dr. Rebecca Gottesman, “Our study was designed to look for trends, not prove cause and effect. The major implication of our study is that exposure to education and better cognitive performance when you're younger can help preserve cognitive function for a while, even if it's unlikely to change the course of the disease.”

HUMAN INTEREST

A June 14, 2019 Sports Illustrated article reported that Broncos owner Pat Bowlen died last week from Alzheimer’s disease at age 75. Bowlen, who owned the Denver team since 1984, will be posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “Pat Bowlen was driven by the will to succeed and his competitive spirit made him a great leader. We all will greatly miss him and his kindness, passion and wisdom. Pat had a deep love for the game of football, the Broncos and the City of Denver,” wrote NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Also covered by The New York Times, USA Today, and others.

ALZ TECH

A June 11, 2019 Tech Crunch article looked at the work of startups to provide early diagnoses and preventative measures against Alzheimer’s disease. Neurotrack’s cognitive assessment tool, recently launched in Japan, follows eye movements to create a cognitive function baseline, which is then combined with brain training, and diet, exercise and sleep modifications. According to the article, “The company claims it has the the first fully integrated, clinically validated platform that can assess a person’s cognition through its cognitive assessment — which can predict conversion from healthy to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or MCI to Alzheimer’s disease within three years at 89% accuracy, and within six years at 100% accuracy.”

SEX MATTERS

A June 14, 2019 Women’s Health article highlighted early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, which disproportionately affects women. Normal signs of aging, including affected thinking speed and slower name recall, can be confused with dementia symptoms, so it’s important to be able to determine the difference. Language skills and vision degradation can be early warnings, as well as problem solving issues and displaying poor judgment.