October 17, 2018
A roundup of key Alzheimer's and related developments powered by UsAgainstAlzheimer's.
USA2 SPOTLIGHT
Interested in learning more about UsAgainstAlzheimer’s theory of change? We recently developed a white board to demonstrate how we’re accelerating a cure. Watch it now!
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
An October 17, 2018 The Economic Times article looked at a worrying trend in Japan: $1.3 trillion in frozen assets belonging to people who have dementia. This is problematic because relatives can become overwhelmed by having to deal with the savings and investments, policymakers must safeguard savings and ensure they’re supporting economic growth, and the static savings are part of lost business in a shrinking market. According to Kohei Komamura at Keio University, who studies approaches to finance in an aging society, “This is going to have a massive impact on the economy. We need to create new societal rules, financial products, and financial advice systems that address the cognitive capabilities of the elderly."
LIFESTYLE
An October 16, 2018 Scientific American article spotlighted emerging research on how physical exercise helps to “clean” the brain, allowing new nerve cells in the hippocampus to enable cognitive improvements such as learning and memory. According to the article, “…There have been traces of evidence for exercise playing a preventative role in Alzheimer’s disease, but exactly how this occurs and how to take advantage of it therapeutically has remained elusive. Exercise has been shown to create biochemical changes that fertilize the brain’s environment to mend nerve cell health. Additionally, exercise induces restorative changes relevant to Alzheimer’s disease pathology with improved nerve cell growth and connectivity in the hippocampus, a process called adult hippocampal neurogenesis.”
SEX MATTERS
An October 16, 2018 KTIV NBC 4 broadcast segment and article interviewed Dr. Keith Fargo of the Alzheimer’s Association. He referred to data presented at AAIC earlier this year. “The longer a woman’s reproductive period, the more pregnancies she has, etc., the lower the risk. Now, we don’t know why that is. It could have to do with nutrition. It could have to do with vitamins that people take, like prenatal vitamins. It could have to do with immune response believe it, or not… But, what it does talk to us about is that we’re learning in terms of dementia risk being lifelong,” said Fargo.
YOUTH FOCUS
An October 16, 2018 WBAY Action News 2 broadcast segment and article spotlighted the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay volleyball team, who is playing to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. Head Coach Abbey Sutherland’s mom has AD, and her father is her caregiver. Coach Sutherland encouraged her players to serve their community. According to Sutherland, “I wish we would have been more educated on it. It's hard to go through it. We even thought maybe she was hard of hearing or needed to get a hearing test. But just year for year, things change.”
PROFILES IN COURAGE
An October 16, 2018 Reader’s Digest article profiled Deborah Waskow, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at age 59. Waskow blogs about her experience. According to Waskow, “I’m not scared. We’re just taking it one day at a time. What makes me sad is my husband’s sorrow. I hate to think of his future without me. But I kind of know what’s coming: I’ve seen my dad, grandfather, and mom go through this, and I know what to expect.”