March 20, 2020

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A March 18, 2020 Science Daily article spotlighted the link between bacteria, viruses or other infectious pathogens, and Alzheimer’s disease. Conversation around this subject matter, the “infectious theory of Alzheimer's disease,” recently appeared in the Viewpoint section of Nature Reviews Neurology journal. Although the concept is not new, it is getting a fresh look in light of the multitude of clinical trial failures which focused on the amyloid hypothesis. According to the article, “"The acceleration of technology and methods for profiling biological systems has really opened up new approaches for understanding whether microbes might play a role in AD," says [ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center’s Ben] Readhead. The AAIC debate, and this Viewpoint article were an opportunity for scientists with diverse opinions to discuss key evidence, discordant findings, and opportunities for new investigations that might help advance the field to a more sophisticated understand of the role of microbes in AD.””

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

According to a March 20, 2020 Medical Xpress article, researchers in India are using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) test to screen for dementia. It will be offered in the country’s seven main languages. According to the article, “In accordance with the original version of ACE-III, the Indian versions look at five different cognitive functions: attention; memory; fluency; language; and visuospatial functions. Culturally appropriate modifications were formulated based on the clinical and research expertise of the authors, and each of the five domains of the test were evaluated for cultural relevance, translatability, comparable difficulty and adaptability.”

MUST WATCH

In a March 19, 2020 Being Patient video, Founder Deborah Kan spoke with Jay Reinstein, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Reinstein shared his story and advice on finding and utilizing local government and community resources for people with a diagnosis.