RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

According to an October 4, 2019 EurekAlert! release, MIT neuroscientists pinpointed the regions of the brain with the earliest emergence of amyloid, in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. This study adds to earlier models by showing the entire brain as early as one month of age. “It's really critical to understand what circuits and regions show neuronal dysfunction early in the disease. This will in turn facilitate the development of effective therapeutics,” said co-lead study author Wen-Chin “Brian” Huang. Also covered by Medical Xpress.

A September 26, 2019 Medical Xpress article spotlighted a new paper from University of Warwick researchers containing a “superior method” to describe the earliest effects of Alzheimer's disease on brain cells. They identify new therapeutic targets and standards for future research. “The key finding is that introducing tau oligomers into single healthy neurons produces marked effects within a short time frame—around 30 minutes. By recording from pairs of connected cells we have been able to characterise the effects of tau on synaptic transmission at unparalleled levels of detail. What is even more amazing is that the tau gets trafficked to the synapses and effects processes which may underlie memory,” said Dr. Mark Wall of the School of Life Sciences.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

An October 4, 2019 Science Magazine article looked at the results of a fresh infusion of funding into new avenues of Alzheimer’s disease research, after the repeated, high profile failures of the recent past. Some of these novel avenues of exploration include neuroinflammation, the immune system, epigenetics and new biomarkers. According to the article, “The failed trials, along with the dawning realization that the disease unfolds over decades, have put the entire field on a reset—to develop and test interventions that can be used much earlier, to discover new targets beyond misfolded amyloid and tau proteins, and to fund large, interdisciplinary, big data collaborations.”

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

An October 2, 2019 Daily Advertiser article spotlighted Alzheimer's Services of Acadiana, a new non-profit in Louisiana to help educate and support local people with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, and their families. It holds caregiver support meetings, provides tools for legal and financial tracking, ideas about best care for people with Alzheimer's, and information about care services. “When (a doctor) diagnoses someone with Alzheimers or dementia, they send them to our office, and we're going to consult with them. We're going to tell them what they need from the beginning of their journey,” said Co-Founder Debra Savoie.