USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Join UsAgainstAlzheimer’s for a very special “Music and the Mind” Alzheimer’s Talks - with world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming. Host Meryl Comer will also interview top geriatrician Dr. Marie Bernard, Deputy Director of the National Institute on Aging at the NIH. Ms. Fleming will discuss her ongoing advocacy and educational efforts around music therapy and cognitive neuroscience, exploring the power of music in relation to health and the brain. Dr. Bernard will address the neurological effects of music on people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 5:00pm (EST).

MUST WATCH

In a September 17, 2019 Post Bulletin Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. Ronald Petersen, Director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, talks about ongoing AD research. According to Petersen, responding to a question about the importance of getting an accurate diagnosis, despite the cost of a brain scan, “It’s very important for the design of clinical trials. So if we’re testing out some new experimental medicines, it’s very important for us to know what in fact exists in the brain… the costs of these tests is many thousands of dollars. Clearly not the way to go on a population-based, but for research it’s important.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A September 17, 2019 Yahoo! Finance article announced that neurologist Dr. Jeffrey Cummings of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health received the 2019 Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Excellence in Alzheimer's Drug Discovery from the ADDF (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation). The award is to further his research into repurposing rasagiline, an FDA-approved Parkinson's drug which improves cognition, to slow the progression of AD. “I am honored to receive this recognition and support from the ADDF and generous philanthropists like Mel and Nancy Goodes, whose determination to find new treatment options for Alzheimer's and related dementias is pushing innovative ideas forward and bringing hope to patients,” said Dr. Cummings.

BRAIN HEALTH

A September 17, 2019 Medical Xpress article spotlighted new research from UT Southwestern which suggests that aerobic exercise can be used as early intervention for people at high risk for Alzheimer’s, to slow down effects of the disease. Regular exercise for one year resulted in slower brain deterioration in a clinical trial at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine. “It's interesting that the brains of participants with amyloid responded more to the aerobic exercise than the others. Although the interventions didn't stop the hippocampus from getting smaller, even slowing down the rate of atrophy through exercise could be an exciting revelation,” said Dr. Rong Zhang, who conducted the trial. Also covered by CNN.

CAREGIVING CORNER

A September 18, 2019 STAT News health article highlighted the benefits of online caregiver groups, which offer support and friendship to people who need safe spaces to connect with others. According to the article, “Facebook groups have given caregivers… a new kind of support they can’t find elsewhere. There is always someone online, and often, there’s someone who is familiar with the very same problems you’ve come there to ask about. You don’t have to drive to a support group or find someone to care for your loved one while you’re there. They’re a place to ask for advice, to vent, to be brutally honest.”