MUST READS

A September 26, 2018 NIH National Institute on Aging blog post by DEA (Division of Extramural Activities) Director Robin Barr looked at how to handle the $1.3 billion funding increase for Alzheimer’s disease research. The strategy includes increasing the number of researchers and accepting applications from other Institutes. According to Barr, “It truly does give hope for major new advances in the field and gives us some real, positive feedback on our efforts to expand this field of research.”

A September 25, 2018 Gizmodo article focused on work from scientists in the UK and Sweden who are developing new drugs that target oligomer clumps. These clumps appear more toxic to surrounding brain cells than misfolded amyloid beta, a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The oligomers theory as the root cause of AD is not yet confirmed. According to senior study author Michele Vendruscolo of the University of Cambridge, “The candidate drugs identified with our method can dramatically reduce the number of oligomers produced during protein aggregation. This is a game changer.” Also covered by KXLY News, Newsweek, and others.

A September 25, 2018 The Guardian opinion piece questioned the hype surrounding the announcement that researchers in the UK and Sweden have developed a method to target the “root cause” of Alzheimer’s disease, which may in turn produce a “cure.” According to the article, “Alzheimer’s causes widespread damage and destruction to neurons, and while stopping the process causing it will prevent things from getting worse, it won’t automatically mean things will get better. Even if we could somehow replace the lost brain cells in the damaged regions (which we can’t), to claim a full “cure”, we’d need to somehow shape and connect them so they’re exactly as they were.”

A September 25, 2018 WJLA ABC 7 article posits that examining someone’s financial habits could be a crucial tool in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Changes in money handling can show signs of cognitive decline years before traditional clinical symptoms appear. A team led by Dr. Jason Karlawish of the University of Pennsylvania created software for major financial institutions to track and alert customers to subtle financial changes in behavior. Also covered by WEAR TV ABC 3.  

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

According to a September 25, 2018 New Atlas article, University of Southern California researchers looked at leaks in the blood-brain barrier as an early warning sign signaling the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Testing for leaks could offer an early-stage biomarker. “The hypothesis is that when the blood-brain barrier becomes dysfunctional it potentially allows proteins such as beta-amyloid to move from other parts of the body – where it is generally harmless – into the brain, ultimately accumulating plaques considered to be fundamental to the pathology of cognitive decline.” Also covered by Science Daily.  

LIFESTYLE

A September 25, 2018 WebMD article reported that regular exercise, 2.5 hours of walking or other physical activity a week, might delay autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD). ADAD is inherited and leads to early onset AD. A study from the University Hospital of Tubingen in Germany showed that participants who got more physical activity scored higher on brain function assessments and had lower levels of key biomarkers, including tau. According to the researchers, “Individuals at genetic risk for dementia should therefore be counseled to pursue a physically active lifestyle.” Also covered by Science Daily, NDTV, and others.