MUST READS

An October 30, 2018 Cornell Chronicle article looked back on the sixth annual Appel Alzheimer’s Disease Research Institute Symposium in September, “A Path to a Cure: New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Diseases,” which highlights latest discoveries. Distinguished speakers included Chris Schaffer of Cornell University, Li-Huei Tsai of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dr. Ronald Petersen of the Mayo Clinic.

(ICYMI) An October 17, 2018 Star Tribune article interviewed Mayo Clinic College of Medicine’s Prof. Joan Griffin. Following are a few excerpts from the interview. Regarding caregiving, “We’re going to face a huge crisis, and I don’t think we’re prepared for it.” About why it’s a women’s issue, “There’s a gender bias. Historically, women have been at home more and have had more flexible hours. Now, you have women who have careers and who have to balance work and family — and caregiving.” And about potential health risks of caregiving, “There is some research that there are higher risks of depression, anxiety, even higher incidence of disease and chronic disease. We don’t know if it’s biological, or if it’s just that caregivers don’t take good enough care of themselves.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

According to an October 29, 2018 The Sun article, a small-scale study at Stanford University gave blood plasma from young men to people aged 50 to 90 who have from mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Plans are in the works to test more people with more severe AD. “Improvements in functional abilities were reported by caregivers,” said study author Dr. Sharon Sha.

BRAIN HEALTH

An October 29, 2018 Medical Xpress article highlighted a new study which found that loneliness increases your risk of dementia by 40 percent. The Florida State University College of Medicine study looked at data from 12,000 participants over 10 years. People who feel lonely are likely to have multiple dementia risk factors including diabetes, hypertension and depression. According to study principal investigator Angelina Sutin, “We are not the first people to show that loneliness is associated with increased risk of dementia. But this is by far the largest sample yet, with a long follow-up. And the population was more diverse.”

SEX MATTERS

An October 30, 2018 SWI article spotlighted the Women’s Brain Project, which is advocating for a precision approach to brain disease research and treatment, including how to characterize and manage sex differences. Globally, women are disproportionally affected by dementia. According to the article, “Its immediate goals include publishing reviews of the data on gender differences in brain diseases, and raising awareness of these differences at the research, medical, and policy levels. Ultimately, the consortium – which unites international experts in neuroscience, medicine, pharmacology, and psychology – hopes to establish a research institute in Switzerland.”

PROFILES IN COURAGE

An October 29, 2018 Psychiatric Times article lauded “Memory’s Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia” by Gerda Saunders, an emerita professor of gender studies, who has vascular dementia, and chronicled her own journey of progressive cognitive impairment. According to the article, “The story is carried by memories of her childhood in apartheid South Africa, university education in science, courtship and marriage, the family’s emigration to Salt Lake City, and her careers as mother, professor, and grandmother. With this she interweaves medical, psychological, and legal information about dementia. Most compelling are her fearless explorations of dementia in intimate relationships, and of suicide and assisted death for people with end-stage dementia.”